With Spring Break coming up soon, we wanted to throw in a comparison between two destination zoos. So this week we bring you a Florida edition of Zoo vs Zoo, with a Tampa zoo comparison looking at Zoo Tampa and Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is clearly the more well known of the two, but we thought it would be nice to show the comparison so you can make a decision on where to spend your time in Florida. If seeing animals is your goal, you might be surprised at our opinion!
Size: The hardest part in comparing these two parks is that one (Zoo Tampa) is strictly a zoo, whereas Busch Gardens is a theme park. Although we’ll try our best to evaluate them both purely as zoos there are times that being a theme park gives Busch Gardens the advantage, and one of those times is size. Busch Gardens is very large – segmented into multiple different areas. There are times where their floral arrangement is on display and absolutely gorgeous; in other parts you’ll spend time on the coasters and have a blast; but throughout the park are animal exhibits that you’re really never escaping from. Zoo Tampa is a good size with multiple sections of their own – comparing well to a strong zoo. Advantage: Busch Gardens
Shows: Another tough category. Busch Gardens’ rides are covered in the kids play area section. Zoo Tampa offers an African ride that gives a good view of the zoo, but I don’t feel like any of these fall into the “show” category, so we’re going to throw this one out. Advantage: N/A
Indoor Exhibits: Busch Gardens’ kryptonite might indeed be indoor exhibits. We visited on an extremely rainy day and for hours at a time we were absolutely miserable, with not many indoor attractions. Zoo Tampa has the manatee exhibit with indoor viewing, as well as some of their Asia exhibit. Advantage: Zoo Tampa
Animal Interactions: Busch Gardens has a tremendous amount of rides and large viewing areas to see animals. However, interactions are not plentiful at the large park. Zoo Tampa, on the other hand, has multiple interactive opportunities, including sting ray feeding and giraffe feeding. Advantage: Zoo Tampa
Habitats: This category is very tough. Busch Gardens has an incredible landscape. The scenery is gorgeous, and some of the exhibits give the animals tons of room, and visitors opportunities to view them from all sides. However, keeping in mind that it is a theme park, it’s not exactly the most advantageous habitat for the animals. Zoo Tampa does a great job of showcasing the animals in their own habitats. Multiple manatee tanks allow them to care for endangered manatees; the Africa section enables the animals to roam together; a rather large Floridian animals section has a large alligator pond as well as exhibits for other native animals. Advantage: Zoo Tampa
Wow Factor: This is another tough category to judge. Busch Gardens has beautiful flowers everywhere you look upon entry, and the park itself is massive and definitely creates a strong first impression – but this isn’t necessarily due to its zoo qualities. Zoo Tampa has a large fountain upon entrance, but not really any animals immediately, as the zoo sections are spread out. Advantage: Busch Gardens
Kids Play Area: For obvious reasons, Busch Gardens shines in this area. The roller coasters alone provide enough of a play area. Zoo Tampa has a splash pad to provide fun for the kids as well. Advantage: Busch Gardens
Price: Busch Gardens is $74.99 for a one-day pass. Zoo Tampa is $33.95 for adults and $24.95 for kids. Both of these parks offer deals on their website. Advantage: Zoo Tampa
Overall: This one is close – the stats show a 4-3 victory for Zoo Tampa. Zoo Tampa comes in at 9th on our rankings. Busch Gardens was not included in the rankings due to being much more than a typical zoo. So although at first glance it might be a no-brainer to go to Busch Gardens, we would recommend you strongly consider Zoo Tampa. On their website, there is a link to the city pass, which includes tickets to both attractions (as well as 2 local aquariums) that we would recommend.
Thank you for reading our Tampa zoo comparison.
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