Busch Gardens Tampa Wait Times, Park Hours, Best Days to Visit (2024)

FAQs

What day of the week is Busch Gardens least crowded? ›

On most days the park opens at 10 am – confirm our opening time by viewing our Park Hours & Show Times page here. Visit during the weekday: Although the park typically has lighter traffic on weekdays (and this can vary), Tuesdays and Wednesdays generally tend to have lighter crowds and shorter wait lines.

With a 9 a.m. opening time, parking should be open by about 8:30 a.m. This will allow you a good hour or two of lower crowds in the park to enjoy a few rides or see some of the animals, who are typically more active before the day's heat sets in. See any scheduled attraction closures on the park's website.

Skip the lines once per ride at our most popular rides & roller coasters for one day. $ 29.99 /ea. One-time front-of-the-line access to: Tigris, Falcon's Fury®, Cheetah Hunt^®, SheiKra^®, Montu^®, Kumba^®, Cobra's Curse^®, Scorpion^®, Stanley Falls Flume^®, and Congo River Rapids^®. Limited availability.

Of course, to meander around the park at a leisurely pace and truly see everything, we recommend two full days at Busch Gardens Tampa. Just be sure to prioritize your time – between the rides, shows, attractions, and sheer number of animal exhibits, you will find your day goes by quickly here!

Generally weekdays will be less crowded than weekends, even during the summer. But summer is peak season for these parks so expect there to be some crowds. Go early, especially at Disney, as you can get on several of the popular rides with short lines if you do it before the crowds start to build later in the day.

To make the most of a day at Busch Gardens we recommend arriving at the car park around 20 minutes before the gates open. This allows you time to grab your bits fom the car, hop on the trolley busses that take you to the park, and get a spot in line just in time to enter the park.

The original Quick Queue allows guests to skip the lines once per ride at our most popular rides and roller coasters for one day. This pass includes access to Cobra's Curse, Falcon's Fury, Cheetah Hunt, SheiKra, Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Stanley Falls Flume and Congo River Rapids. Seasonal pricing starts at $15.99.

5, guests can get a taste of the park's beer garden history when they visit the former Hospitality House, now called the Garden Gate Café, to receive two complimentary beers during every visit to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (just like old times).

Busch Gardens Tampa is home to the best thrill rides in Florida, featuring an insanely well-rounded selection of coasters including a launch coaster, an inverted coaster, a dive coaster, a floorless coaster, a hybrid roller coaster and more.

Three train stations in the park

All aboard -- join us on the Busch Gardens® Railway for a 20-minute train ride around the park.

Do you get wet at Busch Gardens Tampa? ›

Better than the one at legoland as you actually get soaked! If you like this type of thing try the 'tidal wave'. Its like the one at Thorpe park and you get absolutely drenchd.,.. not just wet, but soaked through. The setting is not as nice as Disney but still good and the animal enclosures are good as well.

- Busch Gardens. “If we leave the park for a bit, do we have to pay again for parking?” Please stop by our exit attendant to have your hand stamped for re-entry into the park later in the day. As for parking, you would only need to keep your parking receipt to show to our tolls attendant.

Mondays are often the second busiest and busier than Sundays since many others… thought Sunday would be worse. The least crowded days to visit are Tuesdays and Wednesdays," Niles says. Holidays can also be surprisingly good days to visit, says Dave Altman, president of American Coaster Enthusiasts.

Annual Passes are very good value for locals so you will always find weekends busier than weekdays. If you have limited time and want to get as much done as you can try not to visit Busch Gardens on a Saturday or Sunday.

At Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA, even our youngest guests can have tons of fun. Our parks were designed with kids in mind, and our kid-friendly offerings are geared toward families with children 9 and younger.