One thing that everybody tends to forget about Akbar's Adventure Tours is that, when you leave the building, they had a TV set up showing bloopers. It showed Martin Short and Eugene Levy actually cracking each other up and proved that they filmed they're parts together.

The problem is that Busch Gardens has nothing to do if it rains. No dark rides and also the food there is horrible (I do like the pretzels they serve however). I think they could also use a on site hotel resort which will add value to the park.

This was a sad watch because I went there a few weeks ago and I felt the exact same way about it. The park just seems to be deteriorating. I’m happy that I grew up with this park in the 90s and early 2000s which I would argue was their most successful times of expansion. The park just isn’t the same anymore. I hope they can turn it around. Great video, as always.

Aw, man this was such a nostalgic watch. I've lived in Tampa for most of my life with regular trips to Busch Gardens well into adulthood, even working there and at their sister water park Adventure Island during summers when I was in college. I had forgotten about so many of these rides you covered until now. Such a thoughtful and well researched deep dive into a place that will always have a special place in my heart.

Scorpion is an underappreciated gem. Compact and fun. Would love to see something similar from a modern manufacturer elsewhere.

Hour long Poseidon videos never disappoint!

As someone who worked for the company many years and was in management! Thank you, I watched my home fall apart over the years without me being able to do anything because nobody said anything, thank you for speaking the truth and if you have any questions I have answers! 👍🏻

I’m a camp counselor at Busch gardens rn. Super cool learning about this stuff because kids always ask a lot of questions about the park so now I’ll have answers !

As a person who grew up going to Busch Gardens and even had an annual pass for a while, this video (even more so than part 1) made me so sad. In fact, I was feeling the nostalgia and wound up going in February of last year, and everything you’ve said rings so true. If someone who knew anything about theme parks and the theme park going community were at the helm of the parks division, I think they could really do something. But what I’m seeing is that the only real audience it’s attracting is young (see: high schoolers) folks with not much money to spend because of the emphasis on coasters (which I do love, but even those are…in need of some TLC). Anyway, thank you for archiving this historic park. Oh didn’t know so much of that because it was before my time so not only was it fascinating, it also just hurt my heart to know what it could be now.

Nov. 2022 it was almost empty and many rides were closed due to "tech difficulties" but seemed more like they lacked staff. 2 out of every 3 restaurants were closed. It seemed tired. In May 2023 it was much better however and had a lot of it's old zing back from past years. Still, have the feeling they are in survival mode.

This is a great video. As someone who has grown up going to Busch Gardens, it hits all the nostalgic spots in all the right ways. It's refreshing to see such in depth content for this park as Disney and Universal always get the spotlight. The ending was quite sad though because I've also seen a rapid decline as well and have worked for this park during this and am now at SeaWorld and watching the same happen there. I know these Parks could really be amazing and I hope to see them make some radical changes to reverse their current course. I'd love to see something like this for SeaWorld Orlando because I do think there is a lot to talk about there and a lot of history that can be covered.

They had significant layoffs as it changed hands in the 2010s. People who worked there as magicians, musicians and entertainers for 25+ years were let go. The animal exhibits closing was a bummer--- the nocturnal caves closing, Jungala hasn't been open in years. The outdoor stage for American Jukebox is closed off now and is used to collect kids for summer camp. Food stands just aren't open when the park opens so there are dead spots if you want a water or a snack. If you make it to Pantopia for a pretzel, they don't open until 11. My son he fallen downstairs as he exited a ride and the First Aid office near the sky ride was closed. Just a bunch of little things that add up over time made us not renew our passes.

Here to provide some insight into the ice show situation. Figure skaters in the area have been hard to find and the cast is CONSTANTLY revolving. It also doesn’t help that the pay isn’t great so all of the skaters have to have 2nd jobs coaching (which they barley have time to do) They scrapped iceplorations for turn it up because it was easier to redo the show to keep it relevant (adding newer music) as well as swap skaters in and out. For years they struggled to fill the roll of the cheetah in iceplorations because that skater had to be a really great male single skater that also had to be able to do a back flip on the ice (even harder to find) I had a friend who eventually filled the roll at 17 years old and did it FOR YEARS but he had to train for months to get that backflip. They also struggled to find a child replacement everytime the kids got too old and they had to even switch the gender at one point. (Fun fact the kid was also usually an ice skater bc thats how they found them) Once their better skaters left for better things they struggled and the show was just to complicated to find replacements for. Currently the cast is the smallest it’s ever been and they are trying to recruit new girls out of the local ice rink everyday. Turn it up was supposed to be temporary originally, but they have found that the format of it works best for their situation right now.

I just wanna say as a lifelong (95ish to now) attendee of BG Tampa, these videos were great to see. Very cool seeing how it all started and looked before all the changes. Hell its wayyyy more different than I first remember. Somewhere theres hi8 tapes of my first visit, as well as many other visits. Not to mention the hundreds of photos over the years. I used to go 8 times a year [maybe more as a kid living 30min away] then slowly less to where I'm lucky if I go more than 1x a year for howl-o-scream

I want to say thank you for making this, I have been an employee since 2012. There was a book sold in the park in 2017 that was 50 years of BG and I always recommend that book when I talk with the long time guests, for that nostalgia. I would have loved to work at the park during the golden years. I hope this gets traction.

So much research and work go into your videos. I feel like I am watching a professional documentary when watching your videos. Thanks so much for your hard work and I can’t wait to watch your channel grow.

Thanks for the history. We visited Busch Gardens/Tampa back in 2015 and had a great time. The animals and attractions were wonderful. The one thing that was EXTREMELY irritating happened at closing. We were told the park was open till 6 pm. At 5 pm, we had one last coaster we wanted to ride. It was closed down. We asked an employee why and he said they shut down all attractions at 5 and wanted everyone out of the park by 6. It was the only park we had ever visited from Texas, Ohio, California, Tennessee, Missouri or Orlando that ever pulled that kind of nonsense.

I found this as I was looking for footage of the African Queen boat ride circa 1980 when I worked there in high school. It was a lot of fun. Right before I left at the end of my senior year of high school, we had drained the water there to clean out the algae. It was pretty cool to actually get to walk by parts of the waterway we normally wouldn’t get to see ourselves. It was the first time I got to see the “native hut” were the entertainers hung out, waiting for the next boat to come around the corner and scare them. (and, no, we did not *always* smell weed when we went by there. 😆) I love the blue and gold, macaws and scarlet macaws that we would have on the back of our boats. I think that’s the only time they letting non-zoo personnel get anywhere near the animals and, even then, all we were taught to do was hold the stick out so they’d hop on it so we could move them from the purchase on the boat back to the dock and vice versa. One thing you might find interesting is the boats had no steering, so just after the village , there was a gate where we would stop. The boat press a Hidden button and divert the track so we could park the boat in the back where we would clean them and they would be serviced overnight. Because you couldn’t steer them, there was a trick by which we would use the stick for moving the birds on and off the perch to push us off in the right direction then, by alternating forward and reverse, we get the boats to line up and go into the dock. OMG had not thought about this in probably 40 years. Anyway, thanks for posting these out here. I haven’t had a chance to look at the second part yet, but will do so. After I saw the first part, I was going crazy, hoping there was someway to leave a note for you guys. Thanks!

Thanks for the video. We used to go a lot when my daughter was little, but have not been for some time until this summer with a visitor. I was shocked how run down and pedestrian it looked like compared to 6-8 years ago. Just as you say, the draw was the variety and very high quality entertainment. Much of that is gone, replaced by dust and and mediocracy. Hope once the current owners run it into the ground someone who cares about the city and about quality buys it up and restores it to its former glory.

I'm a simple man, I see Poseidon entertainment and I watch

It's been a rough few years, but I feel like things are starting to turn around. Attendance seems like it's back to normal for a regional park, and with the Flyer and the new family coaster it seems like they're back in the groove with renovations and improvements... I agree that they need to lean into the non-ride side of the park though! They've brought back the seasonal shows at Dragon Fire which is great, but there needs to be more. The new animal show is so-so, and the ice show is a weird fit for the park.

I used to go to Busch Gardens a lot in the 80s and 90s, and your videos brought back a lot of great memories. I went back last year and so many things were less than they used to be, but the train and the stanleyville flume are still great, I actually really enjoyed the ice skating show, they did some really dangerous stunts, I was a bit scared for the performers. The animals though always are and will be the best part. It was sad to see they closed the nocturnal cave and a few other areas.

Great Job! As part of those New Yorkers who just moved to the area we love the convenience of having the roller coasters right down the road but we'd love to see it ascend instead of decline.

What a treat!!! Thank you for all your hard work.

I believe they opened the third floor of the Serengeti Overlook as a passholder lounge. Scorpion is great because of it's low height requirement which allowed my son to ride his first looping coaster when he was only 5 years old

And thanks again for this thorough and thoroughly entertaining historical study. As always the editing and script are top notch, definitely created by a true devotee. Your videos are always a highlight. I had the pleasure of working closely with the BGT Entertainment Department in the 90's and early 2000's. A great bunch of passionate people, most are gone now. One interesting thing... many of the people in leadership positions had started at the park as teenagers working concession carts and the like. This created a real local family of creative people who loved the park, kept abreast of the competition and traveled frequently to be up to date on rides, entertainers and trends. I loved the chance to be a tiny part of that era (and years of free visits!)

So excited to watch part 2 of Busch Gardens history.

It's been about 10 years since my last visit to Bush Garden's. About 15 years ago, we were yearly pass holders. We did enjoy it at the time, and the Cheetah Hunt was just introduced, making it my favorite coster.

Watching this brought back to me so many good memories as I went their as a kid back in 1990s. 😊

You brought back a memory of Rhino Rally, when you ride down the river!! And I remember the beer school, and how you could get 2 free beers per visit from the hospitality house. Now no more🙁

So well documented & detailed. Perfectly done thank you 💜🦁🦓🦒🌍🌞

I admire your ability to explain things in a interesting yet solid way. Literally looking up to you man

Watching these 2 videos. There were things I remembered as a child that had changed when I went back when older. Because i remembered the brewery tour and the escalator. But I can say the parks are better today than when i was younger. But it also been great to see these grow from nothing to what they are today.

Oh boy!!! I’m excited!!!

Such a good quality video

I’ve just finished part 1 and 2 being an annual pass member for the past 3 years and going when I was young with my mom but wow so much history about this park truly is fascinating to see how it was over the decades

I went to high school in Hernando County, so my family used to go to Busch Gardens at least once or twice a year back in the early 2000s. I moved away for college in 2009, but got a job in Tampa in 2021 and decided to go to Busch Gardens again for the nostalgia. I remember enjoying the coasters and the vet care exhibit, but feeling like the park wasn't nearly as I remembered it, but not being able to quite put my finger on why. This was a very nice and insightful deep dive into the park history, and helped me to contextualize why the park seemed so much more lackluster than I remembered it being. Well done! As an aside, I also do not enjoy Tigris- I get migraines, and the whiplash of the back and forth ride start reaaally mucked with my head and very nearly triggered one the day I went, not a ride I ever plan to go on again.

Great work as always!

These videos are so enjoyable

I have enjoyed these videos very much. I'm not sure how I stumbled onto this channel, but I am glad I did. I worked for BG, Tampa in the early 2000's in Entertainment for both Howl-O-Scream and Katonga, and these videos really brought me back 20 years. I'm hoping you do video essays on both of those specifically in the future.

Thank you fir bringing me in a time machine to the good Busch Gardens of my childhood

Wooo another entertaining watch! Keep up the great work y’all 🤠🫏

Love to see the old films. I remember going on the brewery tours and riding Python and the Mamba. I actually skipped school the first week that the Congo River Rapids opened so that I could get a souvenir towel that they were giving away to celebrate it's launch. Kumba is one of the best coasters anywhere, and Montu is a close 2nd as long as you're in the front row because being an inverted coaster, the forward view is obscured by the seats and support gear in front of you if you're not in the front. I haven't been since 2017 or so and I hate to hear that the quality of the park is failing.

I'm glad you got to ride Gwazi during its early years. My family had season passes in the late 90s/early 00s and I also agree that it was an incredible ride early on. The last time I rode it in 2013 though was downright painful, and not in a good way.

Even though the park isnt as big as it use to be I still really enjoy it.

I've been to Busch Gardens many times in my life. Pre pandemic in 2018 it was as thriving as it had ever been. The next time I went, around the time you dropped this video, I was absolutely shocked at the state of the park. It was empty in many places, of both staff and guests. Everything looked much dirtier. Buildings were closed everywhere. It didn't feel fun, it felt depressing.

Thank you so much for this two-part documentary. I went to Busch Garden a couple of times in the late 70’s to 80’s, and again around 2011. Your video brings back many fond memories of those trips!

35:47 Would just love to compliment the way that you discuss attractions… I seriously haven’t seen many other creators who do it as brilliantly as you. Before providing any personal opinions you may have, you explain the entire ride/show/event from start to finish in a detailed, fun, informative, and meaningful way. By doing so, you’re helping us to better understand the concepts, theming, intentions, and even the mechanics behind theme park attractions, BEFORE providing commentary, anecdotes, etc. on them. It allows someone who may never have even been to the theme park to feel more “in the know” and less like an outsider just being told a stranger’s opinion with hardly any objective context. Your passion for theme parks is so evident through the quality of your content. Your effort is greatly appreciated, my friend! 👏🏼👏🏼

Living in Tampa my full life this was such a trip back in time I remember when Busch Gardens first opened and it was just for Gardens and birds and of course the tour through the brewery this brought back so many memories thank you so much for your time and research

Absolutely love that your earliest memories are at an amusement park. Same for me: my first memories were at the 1982 World’s Fair. Would love to see other viewers share their early amusement park memories below!

My mom and Dad loved to talk about how good of a show Katonga was and how they need to bring more shows like that back. I was 5 when they stopped showing it so I don’t remember it but I think about it often

Busch Gardens was my introduction to theme parks and started my love for animals. What’s happened with Sea World and Busch has been so tragic. They’re a shell of what they used to be and it sucks not being able to justify the trip out there.

I was just there two weeks ago and fully agree with this! It was dissapointing to see Kumba and Tigris closed in addition to the closures mentioned in this video. The dispatch times were horrible - most coasters were running two train ops, with Iron Gwazi having an average 4 minute dispatch time and the River Rapids legitimately having a 10 minue dispatch. I love coasters so I went to ride these. It was sad to see some of the things they have fully let fall into disrepair. Also - being a vegetarian at this park is incredibly difficult. I ask for a "salad that doesn't have any meat on it" and they gave me the vegatables that go with the chinese food (????). I will not be returning for awhile.

Akbar's Adventure Tours is still the most intense/dynamic simulator I've ever ridden. It was relentless in how violent, scary, and immersive the motion was through the entire film. It was certainly an amazing experience. I wish it didn't have the problematic brownface and cultural stereotypes, but the ride itself was incredible. My teenage coaster-enthusiast self rode it a LOT because it was one of the most thrilling rides in the park.

Amazing content. In the 80s Busch Gardens was the must-go vacation destination that everyone loved. Appreciate all the effort you put into this doc.

I used to love going to Busch Gardens growing up, especially going with friends on weekends. I haven’t been since 2013 and have been wanting to go to relive my teenage memories, but seeing the state that it’s in now breaks my heart. I hadn’t heard much about the park after the opening of cheetah hunt, but I didn’t realize how barren it is now. Loved this 2 part series that brought back so many good memories!!!

My dad and I went to Busch Gardens in Tampa over an eight year span, traveling from Birmingham, Alabama, during the spring break week in March. Starting in 1990 through 1998, I also have many of the same memories of the park.

We went there a couple of weeks ago. I remembered from an earlier trip that there were a LOT of animals during the train ride. This time, practically the only thing I saw on this ride, was roller coaster structures. And, as mentioned before, when there is inclement weather, the park shuts down for 99%. For us it was a huge dissapointment. There are enough parks with huge coasters in Florida. We went there to have a quiet animal observing day. Only positive thing about that day is that I ate the most awesome funnel cake I ever had. :) But, for future vacations, we probably won't visit Bush Gardens anymore....

Living in central Florida for over 30 years Busch Gardens has always been our favorite theme park. Financially it’s always been a better option to Disney. As my kids have gotten older they are more like me and just want the thrill rides. It’s always been good for that 👍🏻

Busch Gardens Tampa needs to improve itself! They should include more theming and maintenance, more rides and attractions, more shows, more stores and restaurants, more animals and animal exhibits, better theming and maintenance, better quality, and even a proposed onsite resort hotel in addition to a potential Kalahari Tampa resort for Busch Gardens Tampa to expand into a destination resort with the Busch Gardens Tampa theme park, the onsite waterparks including an African jungle themed one to complement the African theme of Busch Gardens Tampa, the onsite resort hotels, and other stuff!

Crazy how many duplicate rides there are to the Williamsburg location! I’d love a video going over that park- it’s a big part of my childhood❤️

This brought back great memories. I have been dozens of times throughout the years from a teenage to taking my own kids and visitors for decades. But I haven’t been for close to a decade now. I don’t think I would want to see it the way it’s become and prefer to keep my past memories of it. It looks like it would be sad to see it now.

This video is awesome!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I spent many of summers there with a season pass in the 80"s

I still think this is the best park I’ve been to theme wise, please do a video on the history of howl o scream Tampa

I like these documentaries. I am a native and current passholder. I also worked BG one summer while in college. The Blackfish scandal was the big downturn. There were HUGE plans to re invent the Florida parks but that scandal derailed them. They were plans for onsite resorts, etc. Add the Pandemic and now it is hit or miss. But I do see the effort they are making. Gwazi is world class, Pipeline is well reviewed, and the holiday events are still well received. They are moving in the right direction.

Growing up in west central Florida, Busch Gardens was a favorite destination. It was a common spot for school field trips, family outings, and continued visits as an adult with my family. The feeling of nostalgia washes over me every time I think about it. There are numerous memories, both fond and otherwise. One of the cherished memories I have is the sense of early independence I felt at 10 years old. It was exhilarating to pair up with a friend and be allowed to explore the park for most of the day on our own. I vividly remember riding my first roller coaster, the Scorpion, and touring by the brewery, wishing I was old enough to have a free beer at the Hospitality House. Whenever I hear Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good, I imeadiatly think of roaming Timbuktu's carnival game area while looking up at the Dolphin Theater. However, there were some less pleasant moments. I recall waiting in line for Aakbar's Adventure Tours for almost an hour, only to be turned away at the last minute due to a prior rider's unfortunate bout of sickness that covered the floor and seats. Then, there was the time I rode the Gwazi; the jarring ride gave me such a headache that I had to leave the park shortly after. A particularly somber memory stands out from June 10th, 1995. It was the first time I had ridden the Kumba after sunset due to a special company event. The encompassing darkness made the experience more intense. Tragically, on that same ride, Lacey Ingram suffered a heart attack and died. I often wonder if the heightened intensity from riding in the dark was a factor. My friends and I, unaware of the medical emergency occurring just ahead of us, were not allowed to exit immediately after the ride concluded. Many of us, unaware of the gravity of the situation, were upset and shouting to get off, only to later realize the seriousness of the incident. These memories are etched deeply in my mind, both the good and the bad. Over the years, I've sensed a shift in the park's priorities towards maximizing profits, often at the expense of the more wholesome experiences. While the rides have always been a significant part of the park's allure, the animals were equally captivating for me. Even though fond memories do not stand out to me with the animals, their presence made the park very special for me. Situated in the heart of a vast metropolitan area, the park provided a feeling of escape, making me feel miles away from urban life. Thank you for this video series. It's been a heartwarming trip down memory lane.

Thanks for covering this. Especially QUESTOR! Loved that ride and the air condition lol. Brought back some great memories!

Part 1 I wasn't alive for, but part 2 feels weird fast forwarding through my childhood. My mom worked in Tampa, annual passes were dirt cheap, and we were good kids who didn't cause any trouble. She would drop us off at Busch Gardens while she went to work and would meet back up with us afterwards to have fun too. First time I went, I was real little and spent most of my time in dragon land, but we didn't start going regularly until we were old enough to be more independent a little after Sheikra opened.

When I was a kid, I went on the upside down Viking boat at least 10 times in a row. My sister and I would play for hours in Land of Dragons. I remember when the first 4D show, and thought it was corny lol, but I did get to go on the water part of Rhino Run. Montu was my favorite roller coaster... Being a little kid from Maine, this place was like a tropical paradise! Awesome video, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Hope it turns around!

The guy in the fez guiding guests in the queue is Scott Swenson! He also appears in the ride safety film wearing a hat and a khaki vest. When I worked there, he was a director, and eventually became Entertainment Department VP. Today, he's at the Florida Aquarium, and directs a ton of other entertainment in the Tampa Bay area. He also regularly performs at Tampa Fringe. (I'm not being paid by anyone to say this. I just think he's awesome.) I worked at Akbar...sort of. There were two queue areas (and possibly two entire simulators, but I forget). During the first two years of the Florida Fun Card, I picked up extra hours selling them in the second queue area, since it wasn't used during the winter. Most of the Mystic Sheikhs of Morocco Band were FAMU students and alumni, at least when I was there from 2000-2002.

A Flying theater or a intiman multi dimensional coaster that are themed could be great additions. Imagine flying through Africa

Fantastic video as yours always are. Thank you. We moved to this area 10 years ago and live near Disney. At the time, we visited this park more than any other. And I go to them all. The park had so much entertainment, and we enjoyed the rides even though their operations were poor even then. The shows made the park stand out to us. We went monthly to the park and supported it in many ways and brought many guests with us. Today, the lack of quality entertainment has made it that we basicly stopped going. I hope the park returns its entertainment as if it did, we would go again.

Loved this series, amazing job! I grew up in Tampa and I cant tell you how many times I rode Tilde Wave during summer break!

I've never even been to Busch Gardens but love learning about stuff from your videos. Definitely enjoyed this one!

This is a great 2 part video. Well Done!! I worked for Busch in the early 2000's and it was a very special and important time in my life. I hate seeing the rapid decline of such great parks! Thanks again for a fantastic set of videos

Hell yeah, I’ve been waiting all week for this video to come out.

From land of the dragons to he Egyptian digging sights next to coasters, this video brought back so many good memories. I was in elementary school living outside of Orlando and we went to Busch gardens every summer. Nights before phones, where you couldn’t fall asleep the night before, to leave super early and take a road trip of 3-5 hrs to the park to stay all day and sometimes, overnight. Thanks for this. Gained a sub.

Oh my goodness, I love the idea of a comedy film inside one of those simulator rides. Whether THIS is the best one or not it is a great change of pace.

We went to Busch Gardens Tampa in 1975 on our Honeymoon. We were Platinum pass holders for 15 years & always loved Busch. After it was sold we have only been back once in last 5 or 6 years. We really were disappointed when they removed all the Clydesdale horses and closed/removed some of the more interesting things to see. Oh and back in 1975 we were able to see the belly dancers before that was stopped

Excellent video. Well done. Thank you for putting this together. It's really disappointing to see how quickly Busch gardens is declining

Thank you!! Great video. I watched both parts. I forgot about bush gardens, and I don’t live too far. I’m inspired to go check it out.

This was a trip down memory lane for me; I had been part of the Adventure Camp summer programs twice between 2012 and 2016 (which to this day are the best summers I ever had) so seeing what it has become of now does really make me a little sad. Thank you so much for your thorough research and timeline; I never knew it used to be a brewery! LOL

Fantastic look back. Thanks!

Questor was my favorite ride omg I loved the footage!

Thanks for an exceptional History view

I've only visited USA 1 time, which was two weeks in Florida back in 2007. We visited a lot of the Disney and Universal parks, but Busch Gardens remains my favorite park in that state. To this day, Sheikra (or Shakira as my friends called it! 😂) is my favorite ever coaster ride.

Scorpion also was my first inverted coaster.

I agreed 100 percent with you😢😢😢😢😢😢😢on the latest running of the park just came from there I’m a annual member it’s the only park I can afford to go with fun card deals at 89 dollars that’s the only reason I still go 😢😢great video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👋👋👋👋👋👋

Born and raised in Tampa in '82, I've been to Busch Gardens likely 20+ times throughout my life...and unfortunately, without a doubt, it is absolutely true that once it was sold, the quality of the park dropped off a cliff. I remember thinking, when I was a kid, how beautiful and immersive everything was...but now, everything looks dirty and like it has fallen into disrepair. Very sad to witness.

This was probably the most facisinating history video I've ever watched.

Shoutout to the Scorpion. The first inversion coaster for many a theme park enthusiast.

Incredible work on this video essay, really encompasses the history of the park, that is sadly in a state of decline.

I can attest that as a child I absolutely loved the dragon kids area. me and my brother would spend hours there between the jungle area and the water area. Literally some of my best memories

My memories as a kid in the mid 90s was the park very crowded with hour plus lines to wait in taking all day to only experience half the park of lucky. Never been back since 98

Liked and subscribed. Phenomenal job on this documentary!!!

Growing up in Wesley chapel, Busch gardens was always my park. Scorpion was my first roller coaster. I remember measuring myself every visit until I was finally tall enough.

Great video. I really appreciate your research. As a TPA resident since 2010, I've always been disappointed with this park. It feels old and dirty and the food has always been horrible and boring -- same thing offered at every restaurant (the ones that are open, anyway). I will say the smokehouse was good the one time I ate there. I've always been shocked by all the dead space. Your videos helped me understand some of the mismatched themes throughout, as it never felt like a cohesive park. I really hope management can get it together because there's so much potential. You can tell management just doesn't care. Thanks again!

YAY!!!!! SO HAPPY! loving this series

Such a nostalgia trip. Practically grew up at BG in the 90s and worked at Congo River Rapids back in mid-2000s.