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Theme park · Tampa · Florida

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (136 ha) animal theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around an African theme. Last counted in 2025, visitors numbered 3.8M. Around it, Tropicana Field (23 mi) comes first on our list.

Photo: Wolle8ball, CC BY 3.0
Season
Year-round
check the calendar for days
Rides
28
8 roller coasters · 1 water ride
Nearest place to stay
0.3 mi
Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Area
Visitors in 2025
3.8M
Wikidata
Open since
1959
In brief

A theme park inside Tampa

Open year-round

Busch Gardens Tampa is open year-round. When to go ↓

Places to stay next door

Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Area is 0.3 miles away; Tampa Busch Hotel Llc (0.4 mi) and Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Area (0.4 mi) are close too. 66 places to stay are within 4 miles. Hotels nearby ↓

28 rides and 8 roller coasters

Including 1 water ride, on 335 acres. Open since 1959. About ↓

Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov and Dec

January, February, March, April, November and December are the mild months, with highs of 71–82°. When to go ↓

An airport 8 miles away

Tampa (TPA) has airline service, about 8 miles from Busch Gardens Tampa.

Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.

When to go

The climate here

Here are the months at Busch Gardens Tampa, with their weather.

Jan71° / 51°
Feb73° / 54°
Mar77° / 57°
Apr82° / 62°
May87° / 68°
Jun90° / 73°
Jul91° / 75°
Aug91° / 75°
Sep89° / 73°
Oct85° / 67°
Nov78° / 59°
Dec73° / 54°
Typical highs and lows in Tampa. Green months are the mild ones. Season: Wikipedia. Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Tampa. Tampa’s full climate →
About

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (136 ha) animal theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around an African theme. It is owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts and typically draws more than 4 million visitors a year, often making it the company's second-most-visited park after SeaWorld Orlando. The park opened on March 31, 1959, in connection with Anheuser-Busch's Tampa brewery.

Type
Theme park
Season
year-round
Rides
28 · 8 roller coasters · 1 water ride
Area
335 acres
Owner
United Parks & Resorts
Established
1959
Wikipedia readers
55K a year
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Facts: Wikidata.
Where to stay

Lodging by Busch Gardens Tampa

66 places to stay are within 4 miles. The closest is Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Area, 0.3 miles away.

585A580Yuengling Draft Haus & KitchenJaiho's The Indian KitchenApadana PubShellsYeshua BistroKlas La Restaurant & CateringRyrys Chicken & WafflesWindy City PizzaHamada kabobTara's Roti ShopPegasus LoungeThe New LoungeLet's Do It Again BBQDenny'sAsian CuisineHaaf Eateries LlcPollo RumberoFour Brothers EateryOlive Garden Italian RestaurantPopeyesRed LobsterSubwayBorinqueneer GrillSonny's BBQYummy Homestyle BuffetSami's BakeryShawarma AshamTrinity Cafe Busch - Closing September 2024HondurasmisaborSouthern Brewing Supply16th Food Max, IncJR Cigar OutletKrispy Krunchy Chicken MartMoroccan MorselMr. Hummus EateryShawarma KingJeremiah's Italian IceMadent Al-Taybat RoasteryVegan Take OutNatural Detox Nutrition ShoppeMel's Hot DogsHang Ten Tiki BarSurfside CaféCaptain Pete'sCasa Mexicana Bar and GrillTingum Dem ShackPizza HutFazoli'sBoriplata LLCAnnapoorna RasoiLucky's PizzaJuju TaiyakiEl Sabor de la IslaChina LatinaPremium Liquor StoreAllusions Bar & LoungeZeko's Mediterranean GrillChick-fil-AChick-fil-AWendy'sGiraffe BarSerengeti Overlook RestuarantBusch Gardens Nutrition KitchenKFCIhopSultan's SweetsMoroccan DelightsMcDonald'sZagora CafeOasis SnacksDragon Fire GrillThe Desert GrillDragon's FireRita’s of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay FLChick-fil-ABaskin-RobbinsDunkin'Garden Gate CafeThe Bengal BistroBusch Gardens Craft Beer GardenGarden GyrosZambia SmokehouseBurger KingCarribean Delites Island GrillTaco BellUndefeated Seafood & WinghouseUndefeated Sports Bar & KitchenJust Come EatMoe's Philly SteaksAbu Naji RestaurantFlavasTruth 18Khan MurjanGreenland Restaurant at BuschKreyol DelightBabylon Hookah LoungePetra Mediterranean RestaurantDeli PlusMoonlight LoungeCaribbean CrownRay's PizzaHutchins Investment Corporation, Llc Dba Evans Family CleaniSubway Management Inc.Capricho's Deli CoffeeCappadocia GyroAuntie Emily's Pasta HouseBusch Gardens TampaFairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Area1Tampa Busch Hotel Llc2Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Area3La Quinta Inn4Oasis Bay Suites5Baymont Inn & Suites Tampa near Busch Gardens / USF6University Center Hotel7Days Inn Tampa/ West Of Busch Gardens8Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa - USF - Busch Gardens9Karma Nest Tampa10½ mi
Busch Gardens TampaWater1Places to stay (the list)Places to eat

Closest places to stay

  1. 1Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Areahotel · 0.3 mi southwestDirections
  2. 2Tampa Busch Hotel Llchotel · 0.4 mi southwestDirections
  3. 3Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Areahotel · 0.4 mi southDirections
  4. 4La Quinta Innhotel · 0.4 mi southwestDirections
  5. 5Oasis Bay Suiteshotel · 0.5 mi northDirections
  6. 6Baymont Inn & Suites Tampa near Busch Gardens / USFhotel · 0.5 mi northDirections
  7. 7University Center Hotelhotel · 0.5 mi northwestDirections
  8. 8Days Inn Tampa/ West Of Busch Gardenshotel · 0.5 mi southwestDirections
  9. 9Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa - USF - Busch Gardenshotel · 0.5 mi southwestDirections
  10. 10Karma Nest Tampahotel · 0.5 mi northDirections

Places to eat nearby

242 restaurants, cafés and bars within 1½ miles

26 bars & pubs24 Mexican & Latin22 Asian & Indian16 fast food13 subs & sandwiches11 ice cream & sweets9 pizza
Compare 8 towns to stay in
TownFrom Busch Gardens TampaDrivePlaces to stayPeopleTypical homeSafety
Tampain town—180 148 hotels · 23 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 1 campground · 1 RV park413,554$420KC
East Lake-Orient Park4 mi southeast5 min23 20 hotels · 2 motels · 1 inn or B&B29,213$233K—
Brandon10 mi southeast15 min29 25 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground119,767$339K—
Clearwater22 mi west30 min120 85 hotels · 23 motels · 5 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds · 3 RV parks114,364$361KC
Temple Terrace3 mi east5 min11 10 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins27,075$335KC
St. Petersburg23 mi southwest35 min114 71 hotels · 15 motels · 18 inns & B&Bs · 4 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 4 campgrounds · 1 RV park264,033$371KD
Town 'n' Country10 mi west15 min15 10 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins · 2 RV parks85,928$337K—
Wesley Chapel13 mi northeast20 min17 12 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground · 2 RV parks76,011$404K—

Day trip from

Straight-line miles.

Orlando73 mi northeastCape Coral100 mi south

Getting there

Nearest airports with airline service

TPATampa · major hub8 mi
PIESt. Petersburg Clearwater · major hub18 mi
LALLakeland Linder25 mi
Places to stay and eat: Overture Maps (hotels, motels, inns, lodges, campgrounds, RV parks; not vacation rentals) · streets, water and the site outline: Overture Maps / OpenStreetMap contributors · town figures: U.S. Census ACS · Safety: TownRatings Safety grade · airports: OurAirports. Distances are from Busch Gardens Tampa’s main visitor area; drive times are estimates.
Make a day of it

Also near Busch Gardens Tampa

More places people know lie within 66 miles.

Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana FieldBig draw7 mi Stadium & arenaRaymond James StadiumBig draw58 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort7 mi Stadium & arenaBenchmark International Arena2 mi Stadium & arenaYuengling CenterBig draw65 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.3M visitors a yearBig draw66 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe4.0M visitors a year41 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Tropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raymond James Stadium: NASA, Public domain · Walt Disney World Resort: Anthony Quintano from Westminster, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Benchmark International Arena: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yuengling Center: User:TheCustomOfLife, Public domain · Universal Studios Florida: Radiobroadcastcenter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal Epic Universe: Martin Lewison, CC BY 2.0 · Anna Maria Island: Bfpage at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0

Common questions

Good to know about Busch Gardens Tampa

When is Busch Gardens Tampa open?

Year-round.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa in Tampa?

Yes. It’s inside Tampa, FL.

When is the best time to visit Busch Gardens Tampa?

January, February, March, April, November and December, with highs of 71–82°.

How many people visit Busch Gardens Tampa each year?

3,800,000 in 2025, according to Wikidata.

How far is Busch Gardens Tampa from Orlando?

About 73 miles northeast of Orlando, as the crow flies.

What is the closest airport to Busch Gardens Tampa?

Tampa (TPA), about 8 miles away.

How many roller coasters does Busch Gardens Tampa have?

8, among 28 rides (including 1 water rides).

What hotels are near Busch Gardens Tampa?

Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa University Area (0.3 mi), Tampa Busch Hotel Llc (0.4 mi) and Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Area (0.4 mi). 66 places to stay are within 4 miles.

From locals

Ask a local in Tampa

Questions and tips go in Tampa’s Town Square.

When do you go to beat the crowds at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay? Where do you eat after a visit to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay? Is Busch Gardens Tampa Bay worth it with small kids? What do visitors to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay usually miss?

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.