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I hadn't seen Busch Gardens in Tampa since I was very young and no one I spoke to had seen it recently either. But we all remember it from when we were kids, and if you want to instill some nice memories in your children or grandchildren, it's worth taking them there to it now.
Think of this place as San Diego Zoo East, or less kindly, San Diego Light. There are 1800 species of birds and animals (like the "bongo") that even die-hard zoo fans don't often see, and there are plenty of animals you can get near to, interactive being the operative word for zoos these days.
For example, there's a charming bird habitat where you can feed magnificently colored birds (Turaco, Rainbow Lorys. Roseate spoonbills) out of cups and they'll come right over to you to drink it.
Fortunately, there's no interaction with some of the other animals, like alligators, mountain gorillas, lions, etc., although one of them came right to the window where several of us were watching and he peed on the glass, if you want to call that interaction. He probably was saying something to us.
Busch Gardens tries to differentiate itself from the Animal Kingdom at Disney by having shows, and the latest is Katonga, which is something like the "Lion King" in New York.
Some of this 35-minute show is indeed as good as Broadway, although I found the first half to drag a bit. But that's more than made up for by the second half which is delightful. Kids would probably enjoy the whole thing and it doesn't cost anything to go to a Busch Garden show so don't miss it while you're there.
BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY
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