Busch Gardens Tampa Update: May 6th 2013

 

Some weeks, my wife and I just need to get away. Life gets too stressful, and we can't deal with the crowds typically found in the Orlando theme parks. One of the cures for those days is Busch Gardens Tampa. The crowds are low during the week, the animal collection is stellar, and there's a great collection of rides.  Well, we've never ridden anything more intense than the train, but the rides are nice to watch at least. The top reason it's our therapeutic getaway, however, is that you can pet the kangaroos.

Before you get to the kangaroos, however, you have to past lots and lots of advertising for the new "Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation" show. The park's major addition for the year, it's featured at the parking tram shelter,

And throughout the park, including the entrance.

 

The new show has only about a week until opening, but work is still finishing up on the Stanleyville Theater.

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo: March 26th, 2013

When Spring Break unleashes madness on Central Florida, my wife and I take refuge at some of the hidden gems of the area.  Well, hidden gems compared to massive, internationally famous theme parks at least. One of these places is Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  On Monday, we made our second visit of the year to see some old favorite animals and new additions.

Like the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Lowry Park Zoo is about the perfect park size to explore completely without reaching total exhaustion.  It also features one of the best manatee emergency care centers in Florida, which makes it an amazing place to see manatees outside of winter.

Busch Gardens Tampa Announces the 13th Annual Howl-0-Scream

Images courtesy of the Howl-O-Scream official site.

Busch Gardens Tampa has released details and launched the website for their 2012 Howl-O-Scream event.  Like Universal, this event includes mazes, "scare zones" with roaming monsters, and shows all packaged to terrify guests.  This year's collection of horrors is themed "The Trickster's Garden," with the tagline "Unlock the Fears Inside."

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo Celebrates Mantee Birth

First SeaWorld Orlando announced a new baby manatee, one that's already been released with its mother.  Now one of the manatees rescued by Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo has given birth.  The mother, named "Joannie," was rescued in January with cold stress.  Once it was discovered she was pregnant, caretakers made the decision to hold the manatee until after the baby's birth in order to prevent stress from release.  Last month, Joannie gave birth to "Lad," only the fourth manatee born at Lowry Park Zoo's manatee hospital.

Busch Gardens Tampa Has a Summer Baby Boom

Photos courtesy of SeaWorld Parks

Summer has signaled the arrival of a load of new babies at Busch Gardens Tampa.  Many of these new additions are still behind the scenes being cared for by their parents and keepers.  As the year continues, more and more babies will be added into public areas, so keep an eye out for some surprises.

This little ball of armor is a three banded armadillo.  Born June 21, 2012, this baby and its parents can be found in Jambo Junction, where Busch Gardens animal ambassadors live when not meeting celebrities and appearing on television.