TAMPA, Fla. — When Busch Gardens opened in March 1959, admission was free to the hospitality facility of the Anheuser-Busch brewing plant.
Guests were able to tour the brewery, enjoy beer tastings and take the "Stairway to the Stars" to get to the observation deck on the roof of the facility. A March 7, 1959, Tampa Tribune article said dedication ceremonies for the "15-acre aviary and garden area" were scheduled for March 31.
Busch Gardens already had an "extensive system of artificial pools and lakes, an extremely modernistic hospitality house, lavish plantings" and an aviary full of flamingos, macaws, pheasant and swan. Nearby fields were turned into pastures to house English stag, fallow deer, 33 Black Angus cattle, two American buffaloes and two Clydesdale horses like the ones used to pull Busch's beer wagons.
Sixty years later, Busch Gardens is now a sprawling 335-acre theme park home to thousands of different local wildlife and animals of the African continent. The Tampa park also has seven roller coasters, two water rides, a gondola system, restaurants, shopping and live entertainment.
Soon, the park will open its eighth roller coaster, the tiger-themed Tigris. The bright orange coaster is 150 feet tall and will launch riders about 60 feet up at about 60 miles per hour. The ride's 1,800 feet of steel track is designed to mimic the agility of an actual tiger.
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"Animals are a big part of our brand and our messaging," park president Stewart Clark said during a recent media tour. "We want you to leave having a great experience but also with a little bit of a message of how you can help tigers."
For its birthday, Busch Gardens also went back to its brewery roots by launching the #YearofBeer. Every day in 2019, guests 21 and older can get two free beer samples at the Serengeti Overlook Pub and Garden Gate Cafe.
Busch Gardens kicks off is 60th anniversary and celebrations Friday with the launch of its new pin trading program, a performance by the Florida Orchestra and a fireworks show.
The party begins at 5:30 p.m. in Gwazi Park with the fireworks show at 8:30 p.m.
Busch Gardens at 60
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