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The scene plays out over and over at Busch Gardens-Tampa. The excited youngster approaches the measuring stick, only to receive crushing disappointment. They are too short to ride the coaster. The youngster passes a longing gaze at the drops and loops and says,

“Isn’t there anything here I can ride?”

As a former obsessive player of Roller Coaster Tycoon, I love a theme park. I don’t do scary rides, but I can entertain myself with the themeing, landscaping, people watching. There are usually a few “Sarah Approved” rides I am able to take for a whirl.

Taking pictures at amusement parks is also super fun.

So while Shannon satiates his coaster cravings at Busch Gardens-Tampa, I snap pics and enjoy the scenery.

We take in the view from the Sky Ride.

I ride the kiddie, Air Grover Coaster. Twice. By myself. As an adult.

Even though I don’t have kids, I still have a nostalgic soft spot for Sesame Street. Busch Gardens Tampa’s Sesame Street themed kids’ section is adorable.

There are a lot of rides. I imagine if you only had little ones, you could spend most of the day running around the Sesame Street Safari of Fun.

If you are a coaster enthusiast like Shannon, this is also the park for you.

Since we are at the park in January, and crowds are low. He rides some of the coasters multiple times.

If you are a roller coaster enthusiast, here are Shannon’s Busch Gardens-Tampa- roller coaster rankings.

#1- Montu – The smoothest and great thrills. A coaster that is the “whole package.”

#2-Sheikra – Solid coaster

#3-Kumba – Thrilling, but a slightly rougher ride

#4-Scorpion- An older, good for beginners to steel coasters coaster, but for a full enthusiast, there wasn’t a lot of dazzle

#5- Cobra’s Curse- More of a gimmick. The spinning actually cancels out of the G-forces, thus lessening the thrills. The amount of time you wait in line compared to the fun is not a worthy pay off.

Between Shannon’s zeal for coasters and my passion for themeing and landscape, there is enough for us at Busch Gardens-Tampa to keep us there from open until close.

It’s a good park if you have tiny tykes, but if you have kids who are between tiny tyke and teen, you should do some at home measuring and check the ride height requirements. Especially if like us, you are at the park on a chillier winter day, when family friendly rides like the rapids (though we did see a few brave souls riding them) and the log flume, aren’t desirable options.

The park doesn’t have the old standbys like the Scrambler and swings. Even their pirate ship goes upside-down.

If you don’t have a thrill seeker in tow, be certain there is enough they want to do.

Since we had a big breakfast before leaving The Plantation Inn , and because the food is mostly standard theme park fare, we opt for a few quick snacks in the park.

We wait, and eat dinner just outside of the park, at Zeko’s Grill.

Zeko’s Grill cooks up Mediterranean fast food.

Our gyros are excellent. I can’t stop eating the fries even after I feel full.

There is also some good people watching at Zeko’s  Grill. There is quite a cast of characters revolving through the eatery, and it is only around 8pm during our visit. They stay open until 4am, so I imagine the 3am hummus crowd is an interesting experience.

With the low crowds and manageable park size, we didn’t have to tackle Busch Gardens-Tampa like a Navy Seal, military, operation. Although we were at a theme park, it was an easy going, relaxing day, that made me glad we were able to squeeze visiting Busch Gardens-Tampa into our Florida trip itinerary.

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