If you click on the links in this post, we may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post, at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is an amazing theme park with wonderful animal experiences, thrill rides and children’s attractions that make for a wonderful family vacation – and you can make the experience even better with these special unique experiences that you may not even know exist at Busch Gardens!
- Tiger Viewing Area: Did you know that one of the coolest ways to get up close to the animals at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is actually included in your admission ticket (and you can actually get discounted admission by clicking here)? You’ll be able to literally get in the middle of the tigers’ habitat – surrounded by glass, of course! Definitely a must do for animal lovers (or thrill seekers!) when you visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
- Serengeti Safari Tour: Love the Serengeti Express Train Ride at Busch Gardens but want an even more up-close look at the animals? Then you will absolutely love the award-winning Serengeti Safari Tour, where an open-air touring vehicle will take you around the Serengeti Plains and you’ll learn secrets & stories from your tour guide. You’ll get amazing photos – and you’ll even get to hand-feed giraffes! Please note that you need to be at least 5 years old to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Serengeti Safari Tour here.
- Heart of Africa Insider Tour: This tour gives you the opportunity to get more up-close to some of the most famous African animals like lions and hippos. You’ll also learn a lot, too, from Busch Gardens’ animal care specialists about what it takes to enrich, feed and conserve these amazing species. Please note that you need to be at least 8 years old to do this tour. You can buy Heart of Africa Insider Tour tickets here.
- Elephant Insider Tour: Learn more about these gentle giants from the animal care team and observe how the team trains, feeds and works with elephants every day. You’ll also learn about how the Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports these amazing Asian and African animals. Please note you must be at least 10 years old in order to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Elephants Insider Tour here.
- Gorilla Insider Tour: Get an insider look at the amazing gorillas at Busch Gardens when you get access to exclusive specialized points overlooking the Gorilla habitat – and you can even participate in enrichment activities! You will also learn how the animal care specialists at Busch Gardens care for these gorillas – and what Busch Gardens is doing to help gorillas out in the wild! Please note you must be at least 8 years old in order to this tour. You can buy tickets for the Gorilla Insider Tour here.
- Tigers Insider Tour: Go behind the scenes at Jungala, the state-of-the-art habitat at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay that is home to the beautiful Bengal and Malayan tigers. Ever wonder how the Busch Gardens team takes care of these animals? You’ll learn that here plus how you can help conserve these special animals! Please note that you need to be at least 5 years old in order to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Tigers Insider Tour here.
- Cheetah Insider Tour: Ever wanted to learn more about the world’s fastest land animal? Then take the Cheetah Insider Tour where you get to meet their trainers and observe them working with the cheetahs at Busch Gardens! Plus, you’ll learn how Busch Gardens is helping cheetahs out in the wild – and how you can, too! Please note that you need to be at least 8 years old in order to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Cheetah Insider Tour here.
- Penguin Insider Tour: Love seeing the beautiful African penguins at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay? Then take this insider tour, where you’ll get to meet the Busch Gardens’ penguin keepers and learn from them what it’s like to care for these warm-weathered penguins and some of the conservation initiatives taken to save these endangered species that Busch Gardens supports. Please note that you need to be at least 5 years old to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Penguin Insider Tour here.
- Aldabra Tortoise Insider Tour: Get up-close with one of the largest tortoises in the world when you get to meet & interact with the Aldabra Tortoises at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! You’ll even be able to prepare enrichment items plus learn a lot about Aldabra Tortoises in the wild as well as their wild relatives – and what you can do to help them! Please note that you need to be at least 5 years old in order to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Aldabra Tortoise Insider Tour here.
- Animal Care Center Tour: Get a behind-the-scenes tour of Busch Gardens’ state-of-the-art Animal Care Center. See the treatment rooms and surgical suites where expert veterinarians and zoological staff take care of the animals at Busch Gardens as well as hundreds of wildlife cases throughout the year. Please note that you must be at least 8 years old in order to do this tour. You can buy tickets for the Animal Care Center Tour here.
- Hand-Feed Animals: If you want to hand-feed animals for no extra cost, then you can do this at a few spots in the park. You can feed lorikeets at Lory Landing and flamingos at Animal Connections. You can also feed kangaroos at Kangaloom, but you’ll need to be at least 5 years old in order to do this. And all of this included in your admission to Busch Gardens Tampa (and you can get a discounted ticket here).
- Roller Coaster Insider Tour: Love roller coasters? Then you’ll love getting a behind-the-scenes look at some of the best Busch Gardens Tampa Bay roller coasters. You’ll even get a bird’s eye view on the top of SheiKra! You can buy tickets for the Roller Coaster Insider Tour here. Please note you need to be at least 14 years old to do this tour.
- Guided Adventure Tour: This is a great way to experience top attractions at Busch Gardens in one day and make sure you get all the highlights when a guide leads you to front-of-the-line access of the top thrill rides in Florida. This tour even includes, at no extra cost, the Serengeti Safari Tour and lunch, so at just $99, it’s a really good deal. Please note you must be at least 5 years old to do this tour. You can purchase tickets for a Guided Adventure Tour here.
- Character Dining Experiences: If you have little ones and you’ve noticed most of these on the list are for older kids, don’t worry; there are experiences for the younger ones at Busch Gardens Tampa, too! They’ve got great character dining experiences, like with Sesame Street characters or the upcoming dine with PJ Masks heroes (you can buy tickets for the PJ Mask Heroes Character Dining here).
- Keeper for a Day Tour: And finally, if you want the most hands-on tour possible, then you’ve got to try the Keeper for a Day Tour, where you literally start your day feeding antelopes & giraffes and then spend the afternoon with several other animals, learning all about their behavioral patterns, diets, etc. This is a must for all animal lovers! Please note that you must be at least 13 years old in order to do this tour. You can purchase tickets for the Keeper for a Day Tour here.
