Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Amusement parks
Founded	1959
Founder	Anheuser-Busch
Headquarters	Tampa, Florida and Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
Area served	United States
Owner	United Parks & Resorts

Busch Gardens denotes a pair of amusement parks in the United States, both owned and managed by United Parks & Resorts: the original located in Tampa, Florida and a second venue in Williamsburg, Virginia. In the past, Busch Gardens also ran parks in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California (1964–1979) and in Houston, Texas (1971–1973). The Busch Gardens name was first used for gardens established by Adolphus Busch near Pasadena, California, which operated from 1906 until 1937.

The parks were initially developed as promotional sites for Anheuser-Busch, featuring hospitality pavilions where visitors could sample Anheuser-Busch beverages and stables that housed the company's renowned Clydesdale horses, a symbol linked to the brand since 1933. Over the years, these venues evolved into comprehensive theme parks while retaining their marketing roots. In 1959, Busch Entertainment Corporation, now known as United Parks & Resorts, was formed as a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch to oversee park operations.

After Anheuser-Busch was acquired by InBev in 2009, ownership of the amusement parks transferred to the Blackstone Group. While Blackstone has maintained some traditions such as the Clydesdale horse stables, these horses no longer have any official association with the beer company.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Launched on March 31, 1959, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is themed around Africa and covers an extensive area that houses more than 2,700 animals, ranking it among the largest zoological establishments in the United States. Its prominent attractions include Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Edge of Africa, Jungala, Congo River Rapids, SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster introduced in 2005, and Cheetah Hunt, a triple launch coaster unveiled in 2011. The park further expanded with new rides such as the Intamin drop tower Falcon's Fury in 2014, the Mack Rides steel roller coaster Cobra's Curse in 2016, the Premier Rides steel launched coaster Tigris in 2019, and most recently the hybrid transformation Iron Gwazi by Rocky Mountain Construction in 2022. Situated near Temple Terrace on Tampa’s eastern border, this park blends exhilarating rides with diverse animal exhibits.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened its doors on May 16, 1975, featuring a European theme divided into seven distinct country-themed areas. The park’s standout attractions include Alpengeist, Escape from Pompeii, Apollo's Chariot, Loch Ness Monster, and formerly the tallest U.S. dive coaster Griffon, which debuted in 2007. After 25 years of operation, the park retired the Big Bad Wolf in 2009 and replaced it with the multi-launch coaster Verbolten in 2012. Seasonal offerings such as Christmas Town and illumiNights provide enhanced visitor experiences. The drop tower Mäch Tower began operating in 2011 but was permanently closed in January 2023. More recent additions include Tempesto (2015), Busch Gardens’ inaugural wooden coaster InvadR (2017), and Pantheon (2022). Since 2021, this location has been open throughout the year.

Pasadena (1906–1937)

Prior to the establishment of the modern Busch Gardens amusement parks, the name was originally associated with the private gardens of Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch. Following his achievements in brewing, Busch acquired a winter residence in Pasadena, California, where he designed 36 acres filled with diverse plants, sculptures, waterfalls, and walking trails. These grounds, known as "Busch Gardens," were opened to the public in 1906. Even after Busch's passing in 1913, the gardens remained a popular attraction, prompting the Pacific Electric Railway to create a dedicated stop for visitors. The nearby Hollywood film industry utilized the gardens as a backdrop for films such as Frankenstein (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and Gone With the Wind (1939). Although Busch’s widow offered to donate the gardens for public use, the city of Pasadena declined. The gardens were closed in 1937; subsequently, the land was subdivided into residential lots, with some original landscape elements still visible today.

Van Nuys (1966–1979)

Anheuser-Busch inaugurated a brewery in Van Nuys in 1954 and later introduced a contemporary Busch Gardens park there in 1966. This park included boat rides, a 10-minute monorail tour of the brewery, and complimentary beer samples. By 1974, a second monorail route was added that passed through an expansive aviary. In 1972, the park expanded by five acres to reach a total of 22 acres and incorporated new attractions such as a barrel flume ride, a walk-through flight cage, magic shows, an otter habitat, along with penguin and sea lion exhibits. The park was renamed Busch Bird Sanctuary in 1977 but closed two years later in 1979; its bird inhabitants were transferred to the Los Angeles Zoo and other Busch Gardens locations. Today, the site serves as a Bud Light facility; one surviving remnant from the 1972 expansion is a pedestrian footbridge.

Busch Gardens Houston

The Houston Busch Gardens opened its gates in May 1971 close to an Anheuser-Busch brewery established in 1966 but ceased operations within a few years. Spanning 40 acres with an Asian theme, the park featured a climate-controlled ice cave home to penguins, polar bears, and sea lions. Additionally, it operated a narrow gauge railway with two-foot tracks.

Catalonia, Spain

In the late 1980s, Anheuser-Busch collaborated with Grand Tibidabo, S.A., along with other Spanish investors to develop Tibi Gardens near Barcelona. After some investors withdrew from the project, The Tussauds Group joined forces and rebranded it as Port Aventura. When Port Aventura opened in Salou in 1995, Anheuser-Busch held a 20% ownership stake while The Tussauds Group controlled 40%. In 1998, Universal acquired most of The Tussauds Group’s shares.

Busch Gardens Dubai

In 2008, Busch Entertainment revealed plans for a new park located on an artificial island shaped like Shamu in Dubai. This park was intended to complement SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica as part of their portfolio and would have been the third Busch Gardens location worldwide. However, due to financial challenges caused by the global economic downturn, the project was postponed and ultimately canceled by Busch Entertainment in February 2009.

Free beer samples

Following InBev’s sale of the amusement parks to Blackstone in 2009, several beer-related perks were discontinued. These included complimentary beer tastings at Hospitality Centers and within Brewmaster Clubs across the parks. Employees also lost their monthly allotment of two cases of free beer that had been provided under Anheuser-Busch’s ownership. Nevertheless, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reinstated limited free beer samplings during special events—most recently during its 60th anniversary celebration in 2019—offering guests two servings of seven ounces each.

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