NEW! Pass Member Exclusive Ride time on Tigris:

Saturdays & Sundays, May 4-12 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s newest roller coaster, Tigris, is now open. For the first two weekends in May, Pass Members are invited to exclusively enjoy the thrill of Tigris, including a 150-foot skyward surge, forward and backward launches, and an inverted heartline roll, before the park opens.

Sesame Street Safari of Fun Kids’ Weekends:

Saturdays & Sundays, May 4-19 Busch Gardens is celebrating Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary with spring weekend events and a new friend! Meet Julia, a sweet and curious 4-year-old girl with autism, who recently joined her friends Elmo and Abby Cadabby at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Guests can meet Julia and friends in our all-new area, Abby Cadabby’s Garden, located on the pathway to Sesame Street Safari of Fun.

Also NEW this year, families can enjoy build-your-own ice cream sundaes at the Sesame Kids’ Pavilion. For $6.99 per person, guests can choose from vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or pineapple soft serve as the base of their creation with a number of favorite toppings available.

Created with children in mind, each weekend offers interactive entertainment and activities. From character dance parties to scavenger hunts, there is something for the whole family to enjoy.

In addition, each weekend is themed to fan-favorite characters:

Rubber Duckie Weekend, May 11 & 12: Join the search for Ernie’s favorite rubber duckie! Guests will experience all Sesame Street Safari of Fun has to offer while spending quality time with Bert and Ernie!

Cookie Monster Weekend, May 18 & 19: Look for cookies among the flowers with the one and only Cookie Monster and his closest friends. Guests can enjoy arts and crafts and more during this special family-friendly weekend.

Guy Harvey Weekend at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay:

Saturday & Sunday, May 11 – 12 Guests will have the chance to meet world-renowned artist and conservationist Guy Harvey through autograph sessions and meet and greets on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12. In addition, Guy Harvey will host a special Conservation Connections session highlighting his partnership with SeaWorld Parks and his conservation efforts.

Pass Member Exclusive! Meet and Greet with Guy Harvey On Sunday May 12, Busch Gardens Pass Members can participate in an exclusive meet-and-greet from 9 to 10 am at the Xcursions gift shop and enjoy a 20% discount on Guy Harvey merchandise.

Jack Hanna Weekend:

Saturday & Sunday, May 18 – 19 Join “Jungle Jack” Hanna at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay for one-of-a-kind shows, autograph signings, special meet-and-greets, and more! The internationally-known animal expert will share animal facts and his travel tales throughout the day at Stanleyville Theater. The daily shows are included with park admission.

Tails and Tales Cocktail Hour Guests can book more time with Jack Hanna at an exclusive cocktail hour complete with autographs, photo opportunities and animal ambassadors. The night ends with Jack Hanna sharing stories and his animal expertise. The Tails and Tales experience costs $99.99 – Pass Member discounts are available.

VIP Meet and Greet with Jack Hanna For the ultimate Jack Hanna fan, guests can book a VIP Meet and Greet with Jack including up-close encounters with animal ambassadors. VIPs will also receive a commemorative photo, autograph and reserved seating to the Jack Hanna show. The VIP Meet and Greet costs $34.99 – Pass Member discounts are available.

NEW! Memorial Day Weekend Pin Trading Event:

Saturday & Sunday, May 25 – 27 Park guests can check out the latest collections arriving just in time for the unofficial kick-off to summer. In addition to new retail collections and a new pin kiosk in Stanleyville, park ambassadors will offer rare pins to trade at different locations around the park.

Also, for this weekend only, all guests who participate in an animal insider tour will receive 30% off their pin purchase at Serengeti Outpost to commemorate their experience.

Summer Nights:

Every night starting May 31 through August 11 The thrills go late and the fun lasts longer during Summer Nights at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Each night from May 31 through August 11, park guests can take on their favorite thrills in the dark, now including Tigris, Florida’s tallest launch coaster. Guests can dance the night away in themed party zones and enjoy a fireworks finale each Friday, Saturday and Sunday night all summer long.

The post Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Hosting Several Events in May appeared first on The Mom Maven.

My brother-in-law, Mike is a huge Auburn Tigers fan, his brother played for the Tigers in the 80s. Mike is also a Guy Harvey fan, fisherman and he owns a bait shop as a side job. When my husband and I were in Grand Cayman on our cruise, we stopped in the Guy Harvey store and gallery hoping to find a Christmas gift for Mike and my son Jordan. When I laid eyes on the shirt I knew it was perfect for Mike so I picked it up in 2x. Guy Harvey was in the gallery that day so he autographed both shirts we purchased. I was tickled with my purchases and was sure I had bought the best gift I could for Mike.

Little did I know, while we were gorging ourselves on delicious cruise food, Mike was starting a doctor supervised weight loss plan. By Christmas morning he had lost 45 pounds and was much too small for a 2x shirt! I spoke with my sister and she decided that after Christmas she would get the shirt framed and it could hang in the bait shop for all the customers to see.

We are all so proud of Mike and how well he is doing on his weight loss program, even if his Christmas present doesn’t fit.

What did you buy this holiday season that you shouldn’t have? Let me know in a comment.

The post What I Shouldn’t Have Bought This Holiday Season appeared first on The Mom Maven.