Busch Gardens with young kids?

[lovinpoohbear]

Hi thinking of buying the combo ticket for Busch Gardens/Seaworld/Aquatica. I am wondering if Busch Gardens will be interesting for my kids. I have a 11 year old and three year old. No one in my family like wild rides. I am seeing wild rides on their site Looks like they have a kids section but I want to know if parents can ride with the child. My three year old will only go on with me or dh.
The safari type ride looks something like the safari at AK. \
Both of DS LOVE animals, just wondering how many animal attractions are there to keep us busy................Thanks in advance!!

 

[DisneyCatMom]

O'Kay I've never been to Tampa park, but live right down the road from one in Williamsburg, VA. Tampa park I understand is larger and has the animals. I'm sure the rides are very similar. My 6 & 8 year old love Busch Gardens. Plenty to do. The kids area is great. The rides are very compact together. Can literally stand in one spot and watch them on several rides at same time. the smallest rides are only for kids, but you can almost reach out and touch them you are so close.

 

[Sheaboys]

We go to Tampa Busch Gardens every single time we go visit my parents, which is once a year. Currently the boys are 9, 7, 5 and 1. I have been with the kids since the first was 6 months, returning every year. We love love love this park. There are 2 kiddie ride areas. It is the perfect park because where ever you walk there is something to see, whether it is birds, alligators, plant life, nothing is boring.

We did Sea World in 2007, and were HIGHLY Disappointed. The shows, were too far apart, I felt as though we were running from one end of the park to the other. And their kiddie area, consisted of I believe 3-4 rides, and a climbing thing. That was it. To pay well over $300 to walk through the gate, it was aweful. We missed 1 show, and the Shamu show was not what it used to be. It was alot of music, some talk about saving whales, and a small talk from the trainers.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

Both DS LOVE animals, so glad to hear you love it!
Are there any kiddie rides that the WHOLE family can go on?

 

[lovinpoohbear]

bumping up

 

[Sheaboys]

Parents can go on most kiddy rides. I believe with the exception of these little dinosaurs, like a tiny flume for kiddies and they have a large climbing thing. There are rope bridges that parents can cross with kids but they are not allowed inside the tube thing. But you can meet them at the bottom. Plus they have a little splash area for kids, but it depends on the time of year if there will be water in it or not.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

 

[eeyorefan74]

My DD, who was 5 at the time, loved Busch Gardens. They were running a buy one day, get one free promotion last summer and we spent about a day and a half there. DD's a big animal fan, so she loved the Rhino Rally safari ride and was even chosen to ride up front and be our "guide". She liked the sky buckets that take you over the animals, too. The kiddie area is fun, but it seems like she rode most of the rides there by herself while we watched. I remember a little ferris wheel type ride, the dragon boat ride someone else mentioned, and the big bounce house area, but there were several others, too. If you have any specific questions about our experience I'd be happy to help.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

I guess what I want to know, are there enough animal attraction to entertain for the day? The rhino rally looks good as well as the train that runs through the safari.

 

[eeyorefan74]

I guess if you're not planning on riding anything, there might not be enough animal attractions to last an entire day. My DH rode almost all of the roller coasters while DD and I waited. Most areas had something to keep us busy while he rode. There are also several shows that we saw, a 4D pirate movie, a stage show similar to the Lion King show at AK, and a kids' show. In addition to the roller coasters there are some more typical amusement park rides like bumper cars and the airplanes that fly around. The Busch Gardens website has an interactive map that might be helpful in making your decision.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

Thanks for the tips. I am buying the three park pass on the Seaworld website and it is for 7 days unlimited admission and than doing 2 days at the Magic Kingdom. They are having a great deal, adults are only $112 and kids were a little less than that.(this is for the seaworld, aquatica and Busch gardens pass)