Busch Gardens Adventure

It's been a long time so I have lots to share, starting with our family vacation to Florida to visit both sets of Grandparents.

One of our best days in Florida was our trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa, a unique mix of zoo and amusement park. Chris and I braved two of the roller coasters – the invented caster Montu, literally left me shaking – and the girls enjoyed a few kids’ rides (look at their faces!).

Aged 3 to 63, everyone’s favourite feature was the Critter Castaways Show where a cast of unlikely characters (skillfully trained dogs, cats, birds, potbellied pigs and a few surprises), came together to create an adorable show that had everyone laughing.


The array of animals from elephants, giraffes, zebras, and gazelles, to lions, hippos, gorillas, and flamingos was a big hit for our family of animal lovers. Definitely, the open passenger train thorough the Serengeti plaints afforded the best view.

Second to the Critter show was the adventure Rhino Rally. “Expect the unexpected” – yes indeed! What started off as a wild off-road jeep tour through the wilds of Africa ended up as a fun water adventure. The look on Jessica’s face when she realized our vehicle was headed into the rising river was priceless!

We were also pleasantly surprised by the musical show “Katonga”, a colourful display of tales from the African jungle. The 4-D pirate show provoked a mix of emotions; that anticipation of “what’s coming at us next?” and just when you let your guard down…. splash, a spurt of water right in the face (not impressed)! Poor Jess was trying (unsuccessfully) to get grandpa to leave with her.

An unexpected sidewalk show of walking “insects on stills” had us in stitches – so much so that Jess had to make a mad dash to the washroom – as the crazy creatures gobbled our heads and snatched our hats.

In the Jungala play area, the girls climbed thorough a three-story maze of rope bridges and nets. We thoroughly enjoyed watching Hailey maneuver through the twists and turns (with a little help from Jess), losing her hat and shoes on occasion.

Finally, the walk through the Edge of Africa at the end of the day was a splendid way to finish off our adventure. From start to finish, an unforgettable family experience!

I'm working on uploading a few scrapbook pages... hope to post again later today.

Cheers!!