Busch Gardens

What would be the best day of the week to visit Busch Gardens? We are going either the last week of Apr or first week in May. Also what would be the closest hotel to the park preferrably with a shuttle.

Busch Gardens

I%26#39;m a big Busch Gardens fan (I have an unlimited - 2 year ticket) and have been 5 times since January. It seems the weekends are more crowded, but late April %26amp; May are the most wonderful weather months to visit down here so every day could be busy, but I would try for a Tuesday.

The immediate neighborhood around Busch Gardens is a dump and the hotels look a bit run down. Depending on your budget, you might look at Embassy Suites USF. They have several packages that include Busch Garden tickets. They offer a free shuttle.

Another option is the Laquinta, which used to be the Baymont Suites. This would be less expensive than the Embassy Suites, but alas, the reviews are a mixed bag. They also have a shuttle.

Busch Gardens

Wow you must love Busch Gardens. We were there many many years ago so thought we would visit again. Thanks for your help. Looks like there are 2 laquintas. Do you know which one is closest?

The Laquinta located 9202 N 30th Street is the closest of the two Laquintas. As I said, the surrounding area is not great, but for a 1 or 2 night stay, it would be OK.

Busch has a fun concert series January-April, so we head there for a concert and lunch. Sometimes we only stay 2-3 hours. We are lucky our passes include parking as this has gone up to a salty $11.00!

Busch Gardens has recently been sold and one of the changes is they have done away with the free beer tastings in the Hospitality venue. Sob. You will also find more ';extra'; things to pay for which would tend to nickel and dime families. They have also stopped letting people take in food and drinks from outside.

In spite of this, Busch is still an enjoyable day.Have fun!

No!!! They%26#39;ve done away with the free beer tasting? How is the hospitality tent set up now? Can you give some feedback just on the general like how much for a cup of beer, etc.? My husband will be so disappointed, as we are heading there Saturday and he hasn%26#39;t stopped talking about the tent since last March :( Do they still have the beer tasting with the beer expert (where they give you chocolate and cheese to pair it with)? That was my favorite part last year. Maybe we should just go to SeaWorld?

Ohio,

Although it%26#39;s not fancy, there is a Motel 6 very close by (you might only make 1-2 turns to get there) that is clean/average for like $30-40/night. 333 E Fowler Ave. Tampa

For info on the beer garden closing; it%26#39;s at Sea World as well.

鈥rlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviati鈥?/a>

bizjournals.com/washington/鈥aily16.html

Even the employees are losing out:

Busch Entertainment has also told employees that they will no longer receive free beer. Previously employees were allowed two cases of free Budweiser beer a month.

For the OP, it%26#39;s cheaper to buy your tickets online at the Busch Gardens website.

They still do the tastings (cost involved) and the hospitality area is still open. It%26#39;s just a much more quiet area now.

I don%26#39;t mind the change in the beer policy so much, it seems everyone has to get lean and mean to survive these days. The change I didn%26#39;t like was not even being able to bring in bottles of water! I now will take an empty bottle container (the sports kind) and fill it up at the water fountain, especially if we are there in the hot, humid weather. A purchased bottle of water now costs over $2.50 at Busch.

We usually eat lunch there and you expect it to be a bit overpriced. However, I can%26#39;t stand it when I pay $6.00 for a pizza slice and it%26#39;s chewy and almost tasteless. (like the last time) Then, I just feel ripped off.

I just hope the quality of things at Busch...the entertainment %26amp; attractions don%26#39;t suffer from the new change of ownership.

vc