Terrifying Delights at Busch Gardens
An Afternoon with the Grandkids
Our grandkids love going to Busch Gardens in Tampa, so now and then we pack them in the car and drive over with them for an afternoon of fun.
As you can it was a warm day. There is no snow here in central Florida. but since it was the holiday season, there are plenty of decorations. They posed for me in front of one of the Christmas trees soon after arriving. They are always patient as I take yet another photo of them.
The Iron Gwazi is one of the many terrifying roller coaster rides at Busch Gardens. This weekend it was a successful right-of-passage for our youngest grandson. Children have to be above a specific height for each ride to ensure they are tall enough to be safely buckled in for the ride.
Our youngest had not done any roller coasters before but he is delighted that he has grown an inch in the last few months and is finally tall enough to ride on some of the “big kids” rides.
His height was checked as he entered to get in line for the Iron Gwazi ride. He was tall enough to go in! Yeah! His older brother, a 10-year-old, volunteered to accompany him on his first roller coaster ride. Our granddaughter went to ride on a different ride, one that neither of her brothers is tall enough to go on.
I walked in with the boys and waited in line for 40 minutes. Then I made sure they were safely buckled in their seats and left to wait below for them.
Later in the afternoon, the two oldest grandkids went on Cobra’s Curse roller coaster. They love it. The youngest wasn’t tall enough for this ride, but he found some kids to play with while his brother and sister were on the ride.
Each of the rides has a sign in front indicating the estimated wait time in line before getting on a ride. The lines were so long with up to 90 minutes of wait time that they didn’t have time for many more rides.
There are loads of other activities at Busch Gardens including a train ride, safari tours, Christmas Town, ice skating shows and there are many places to stop to eat along the way. There are also fantasy characters to visit with as you walk.
We were there during the afternoon, so although there were holiday lights everywhere, it wasn’t dark enough to fully appreciate them. As we were leaving at sunset, it was finally getting dark enough to begin to highlight the lights.
I’d like to get back there in the next few weeks after dark to view the lighting. Maybe Grandpa (Gerad Carrier) and Grandma (me!) will just go to get a drink and something to eat but we won’t go on any of the roller coasters!
Bright Lights or Snowy Delight stories
Bright Lights or Snowy White? A December Challenge on In Living Color by JoAnn Ryan