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.

Tigris will catapult riders through an exhilarating array of looping twists with forward and backward motion, breath-taking drops, a 150-foot skyward surge, and an inverted heartline roll, reaching a top speed of more than 60 miles per hour. Tigris will race riders along more than 1,800 feet of steel track designed to mimic the awe-inspiring agility of the world’s largest and most powerful cat –the tiger.

Tigris joins a top-rated list of favorites for coaster enthusiasts, including Cheetah Hunt, the park’s longest coaster, SheiKra, a 200-foot tall floorless dive coaster, Falcon’s Fury, a 335-foot freestanding drop tower, Montu, an inverted coaster, Kumba, and Cobra’s Curse, to name a few.

The best way to experience Tigris and all of the attractions at Busch Gardens as well as more than a dozen seasonal events throughout the year is with an Annual Pass.  Guests can choose from four unique passes for the benefits and value they want most. Pass Members will also enjoy exclusive ride time on Tigris for the first two weekends in May before the ride opens for the day to general guests.

Personally, I have no desire to ride this coaster. It is too intense for me. I know Jordan cannot wait to get on it. I’m happy to watch him from the safety of the ground. Do you want to ride Tigris?

The post Tigris Triple Launch Coaster Opens April 19 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

“Tigris will be a strong addition to our family of world-class thrill rides. With three intensely exciting launch points, this ride is unlike anything we have in our coaster collection,” said Stewart Clark, president and general manager of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. “This new attraction is a testament to our continuing investment in the park, and bringing new and innovative experiences to our guests.”

Taking its name from that of the world’s largest cat species, Panthera tigris, the new Tigris attraction is being constructed in the Stanleyville area of the theme park adjacent to Jungala®, which houses the park’s endangered Bengal tigers. Additionally, Busch Gardens is home to Malayan tigers – a subspecies that has fewer than 500 individuals remaining in the wild. The park’s resident cats are an integral part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.

More than 100,000 tigers stalked the grasslands and forests of Asia just 100 years ago. Now, every remaining subspecies of this big cat are endangered, and fewer than 4,000 total tigers remain in the wild. Threats to tiger populations include poaching, human encroachment on vital tiger habitat, deforestation and loss of vital prey species.

The Tigris queue will include educational content about the plight of tigers in the wild and what conservationists – including the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund – are doing to help save them. In addition, the purchase of any merchandise in the Tigris gift shop will help make a difference, with 5% of the sales price donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to protect tigers and their habitat.

For the best way to experience the new Tigris, all of Busch Gardens thrill rides, as well as more than a dozen seasonal events throughout the year, the Annual Pass offers unlimited admission for 12 months, free parking and special benefits, starting at only $14 per month.

The post Tigris Coaster Announced for Busch Gardens Tampa in 2019 appeared first on The Mom Maven.