Short Tampa trip - Busch Gardens included

I had a weekend work trip at the end of February and my wife and 5yo son tagged along.

First, it was hard to be that close to WDW (we're from the DC area) and not go! But the cost of a car rental and one day tickets just made it not doable. Anyway....

Tampa was quite lovely and we stayed near the "riverwalk" area. Family went to the zoo one day and aquarium the next and enjoyed both very much. We also went to the Museum of Science and Industry which has a very large, interactive area for kids. Another big hit. I would strongly suggest getting the Tampa City Pass, or whatever it's called. For less than the price of admission to BG you get admission to: BG, each of the three items I listed above, the Clearwater aquarium and at least one other thing. A great deal! We Uber'ed everywhere and saved big bucks on transportation.

I couldn't help but to compare BG to AK - both are a mix of rides and animal interactions. AK wins, hands down, but BG had some nice things going for it. There are a few top-notch roller coasters and Falcons Fury is a drop ride that is unique among any out there (you get lifted straight up to about 310 feet and then your chair tilts so you are facing straight down...and then you're dropped for about five seconds before your seat swings back out and the fall slows - incredibly thrilling). The Sesame Street area is quite lovely and has a massive climbing/play area that will keep kids busy for a long time. There are a smattering of kiddie rides for the 5-and-under set. There were a few appealing shows on the schedule but we just didn't make it to any. Park hours were only 10 - 6 and despite open-to-close touring we just didn't get to everything. In fact, I'd say we got to about 2/3 of what we wanted. It's a very big park! I think it's not quite as aesthetically nice as BG-Williamsburg and somehow just wasn't as immersive as BGW or certainly a Disney park, but it was still very pleasant.

The Tampa area had plenty for our family to do and overall everything about the stay was very nice. And the temps hovering right around 72 for the entire time certainly helped! I give it a two thumbs up and a 3.5 star approval! :-)