Is Busch Gardens basically a 6 Flags?

[back2disney]

My family and I are not interested in coasters, just dark rides and shows. Is there enough there to make the trip worth it. We are also doing Disneyworld and US/IOA, but have an extra day to do something else. We have 6 Flags and a zoo back at home.
Thanks for your responses

 

[Mary976]

BG was nice, and more themed than Six Flags (we have one near us, too). That being said, I don't ride coasters so I spent most of the day watching DDs stuff while she went on the thrill rides. Personally, if you don't want to do coasters I don't know that the admission price is worth it.

Mary

 

[gardener14]

I have a totally opposite point of view than the previous posters. While Busch Gardens Tampa has coasters, it is nothing like Six Flags, and there is so much to do for a non-coaster rider. There are terrific shows, family rides, and a huge amount of unique animal exhibits all in a beautiful, peaceful, and enriching environment. Coasters are just a small fraction of what's available at BG. It's more like Disney's Animal Kingdom than most other theme parks outside of WDW.

 

[back2disney]

It does sound a little like Animal Kingdom. We will be going to Animal Kingdom so if Animal Kingdom overlaps it too much then we probably wouldn't go for sure. The park sounds nicer than 6 Flags, but like Mary said I'm not sure there is enough to do to make the time to drive out there and money worth it. Some unique dark rides would be nice, are these the family rides you are talking about?

Edit to Add: If we didn't go we would spend another day at US/IOA redoing some rides that we liked or miss on the other 2 days.
Thanks again for your help

 

[donaldduck352]

I'm a ride chicken,don't do coasters at all(well ROTM).That bieng said BG keeps me busy allday when others are riding the coasters.Alot of shows and well done animal exibits.

What about SW? It's right there.

 

[back2disney]

I actually like some coasters, but my little one wont get on anything faster than the simplest kiddie coaster. Unfortunately, there is a SW where I live also (San Antonio). BG sounds like a great park just something we will have to do if or when when she ever likes the bigger coasters.

 

[MarkF0wle]

I have to agree with an earlier poster & say that if your family aren't big roller-coaster fans I think the travel & the admission price isn't justified. Me & my family make the trip across only for the roller-coasters, although there is stuff to do besides the rides there I would say nothing that Animal Kingdom or SeaWorld couldn't sufficiently substitute for.

If you wanted to do something different & as you are not adverse to travel I would suggest heading in the other direction & spending a day at Kennedy SC if that's something that could hold your families attention.

Failing that I would spend the day at IOA, spread out the rides & take it at a slower pace. There's some nice detail there which I often overlook as I am ride-hopping just to get everything done in a day.

 

[KLAIT]

I agree with some previous posters that if you are not fans of coasters, I wouldn't recommend BG. We went for the first time last fall and I couldn't do the coasters this trip and spent a lot of time sitting and watching my family do coasters. There are some things that you can do, but we were all disappointed in the rest of the park.

 

[skram79]

We make an annual trip to Disney every year, last year we included Busch Gardens and Sea World. Loved both of them. My DD 5 and DS 2 couldn't ride the coasters, so we didn't bother with them. They look awesome if you are into coasters. The zoo part of the park, train ride, everything was nice. Really loved Busch Gardens and will continue to go to both every year.

 

[gardener14]

I totally agree. Coasters are such a small part of what BG offers, and there is not only something for everyone, but there is so much to do for anyone without needing to ride a coaster.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I have never been to BG but I always had the impression that it is more heavy on theming (Africa for Tampa, FL and Europe for Williamsburg, VA) and has a variety of attractions (family rides, thrill rides, shows, animal encounters, etc.) based on the theming where as Six Flags is primarily known for cutting edge roller coasters/thrill rides without much theming.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

BG is definitely NOT like Six Flaggs. I hate Six Flaggs amusement parks personally and BG Tampa is one of my very favorite parks. It is such a beautiful park, with gardens, animals, etc., etc. Probably one of the most beautiful parks I've seen. It has something for everyone.

 

[tarrbear]

I have a totally opposite point of view than the previous posters. While Busch Gardens Tampa has coasters, it is nothing like Six Flags, and there is so much to do for a non-coaster rider. There are terrific shows, family rides, and a huge amount of unique animal exhibits all in a beautiful, peaceful, and enriching environment. Coasters are just a small fraction of what's available at BG. It's more like Disney's Animal Kingdom than most other theme parks outside of WDW.

Mhmm, and I'm going to go out on a limb and let you know that I hate Disney's Animal Kingdom, it bores the crap outta me, now Busch Gardens, I love the place. I'm a annual pass holder and I love to go whenever I get the chance, I think its better than Animal Kingdom.

 

[gardener14]

I agree that BGT is better than Disney's Animal Kingdom. I said it was more like Animal Kingdom as a way of explaining that it's not anything like Six Flags, but also not like other the Disney parks either. Compared to those options, it's more like Animal Kingdom. However, I agree that it's better than Animal Kingdom because of the variety of rides, shows, and the overall atmosphere, and the fact that you can see many more animals up close and at your own pace, not on a 20 minute moving safari. BGT has the best animal habitats that I've seen anywhere (not that I've seen that many zoos other than my local ones), but I love exploring the habitats at BG, and that's something that Animal Kingdom is lacking by comparrison.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Mhmm, and I'm going to go out on a limb and let you know that I hate Disney's Animal Kingdom, it bores the crap outta me, now Busch Gardens, I love the place. I'm a annual pass holder and I love to go whenever I get the chance, I think its better than Animal Kingdom.

^^
This word for word. Couldn't have said it any better!

 

[inkkognito]

We're platinum passholders and go to Busch all the time, and we were APs for many years at Six Flags Great America when we lived in IL. Busch is like SF in the respect that it's very thrill-ride focused, but the resemblance ends there. It is so much more lushly landscaped, and I love the animal habitats. There are a lot of interactive animal experiences in general, and even more so if you book one of the tours. I'm a coaster buff and love SheiKra, but you could easily have lots of fun there without riding a thing. They have a neat Cirque show at the moment, although it's on a limited run, and the cheetah exhibit opening in May is going to be amazing.

 

[gardener14]

Busch is like SF in the respect that it's very thrill-ride focused, but the resemblance ends there. It is so much more lushly landscaped, and I love the animal habitats. There are a lot of interactive animal experiences in general, and even more so if you book one of the tours. I'm a coaster buff and love SheiKra, but you could easily have lots of fun there without riding a thing. They have a neat Cirque show at the moment, although it's on a limited run, and the cheetah exhibit opening in May is going to be amazing.

While I agree with your overall assessment of BG, I'd disagree that it "is like SF in the respect that it's very thrill-ride focused." SF has an emphasis on thrill rides (while they do have some family and kiddie rides also). While BG has some thrill rides, I never feel as though it is the focus at all. In fact, you could thoroughly enjoy the park for it's animals, shows, and atmosphere while never feeling like the few thrill rides are pushed on you at all. It's just my point of view, but I feel that one statement unfairly represents BG.

 

[inkkognito]

I probably should have clarified that statement a little more. I mean more focused on thrill rides as compared to the other Central FL parks, which are not at all like SF in that regard (well, Universal/IOA is kinda, but BGT is so much better for coaster enthusiasts). But you'd never see SF building their new thrill ride along with a cheetah habitat like BGT is doing, so it's very different that respect. I love the animals/conservation aspect as much as I love the coasters and have actually spent some days there just animal and show watching without riding the rides. Not often, but evey now and then.

 

[kimmyann]

Busch Gardens is heavily themed & landscaped. I have never been to a Six Flags park myself, but have been to Kings Dominion, which I would say are alike as far as being ride focused. We have passes to the Busch Gardens in Williamsburg & also all of the Busch Garden parks in Florida and there is something for everyone in the family. We also disliked Animal Kingdom, it was just boring to us.

With that I would classify it as, Six Flags is an amusement park, Busch Gardens is a theme park. Huge difference.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Mhmm, and I'm going to go out on a limb and let you know that I hate Disney's Animal Kingdom, it bores the crap outta me, now Busch Gardens, I love the place. I'm a annual pass holder and I love to go whenever I get the chance, I think its better than Animal Kingdom.

I also agree that it is much better than Animal Kingdom in every way. I would definitely try Busch Gardens Tampa.