Busch Gardens Tampa has always been my favorite theme park in Florida. Its combination of world class coasters, animal attractions, and shows makes it one of the best values you can get in an amusement park. However, one thing that the park always left something to be desired for me is its food selections. I realize that Busch Gardens Williamsburg has it easier when it comes to food choices, given that it has the cuisines of France, Germany, Italy, UK, and Ireland to pull from with its European theme.
On the other hand, even though Busch Gardens Tampa is themed after Africa, it hardly draws any African inspirations into its cuisine. The fact that Busch Gardens Williamsburg began hosting an annual Food & Wine Festival in 2013 only rubbed salt in the wound.
You can imagine then how ecstatic I was when it was announced that Busch Gardens Tampa would be hosting its own Food & Wine Festival in 2015! Being a SeaWorld Orlando-Busch Gardens Tampa annual pass holder, I was stoked that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment was bringing in a local attraction as a tasty alternative to Walt Disney World’s Epcot Food & Wine Festival.
The Food and Wine Festival replaces the annual Bands, Brew and BBQ event, with the booths primarily located in Gwazi Park, with a few booths strewn alongside of the park’s main pathway in front of the Gwazi Park entrance. There were plenty of map stations scattered throughout the event spaces, along with pocket guides with complete menus available, giving guests an overview of the food & drink selections offered and allowing them to map out their path through the event.
Unlike the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food & Wine Festival, the booths at the Busch Gardens Tampa event were not themed after countries. Instead, the booths were given culinary-themed names such as Chef’s Plantation, Savory Tavern, Coast To Coast Cookery, and Blazin’ Bistro. Each of these main booths offered a selection of three to four food items, along with a few wine and beer choices to compliment. There were also dedicated beverage booths that each offered a variety of drinks from select sponsoring wineries and breweries. Guests could opt to purchase food and drink choices a la carte, with food and wine samples ranging from $4 to $8 each. Or, you could save by opting to purchase a 10 drink Wine & Brew Sampler for $34.99, or a Food, Wine & Brew Sampler with your choice of any 5 samples of beer or wine and any 5 samples of food for $42.99. Premium packages with reserved priority seating for the event concert were also available for purchase.
Even though the booths were not country-themed, as stated before, there still was a large variety of food selections offered. Examples include coconut shrimp cigars & mandarin orange salad, beef short rib & brioche toast, scallop ceviche, braised pork chop & plantain chips, and duck confit (pictured above). The food portions I experienced were adequate to fairly large. Souvenir sampler glasses were given out with sampler packages for guests to indulge on the vast beverage options with.
There was a covered seating area co-located with one of the event booths, providing an area to relax, take a load off of their feet, enjoy their food and drinks, and temporarily escape from the Florida sun. Also located throughout the event were artisan festival cabins, gift shops, and gardening booths, offering handcrafted gifts, cooking and wine-inspired merchandise, and other mementos for guests to commemorate their experience with. There were also game booths placed throughout the event to help provide fun and entertainment for families.
The concert event stage was located in Gwazi Field. This picture was taken earlier in the day, with local bands and artists performing. Later that evening, the headliner would be Daddy Yankee, who proved to be rather popular, especially amongst the local Puerto Rican fanbase. This area would be soon packed with screaming fans and waving Puerto Rican flags. Other concert headliners for the Food & Wine Festival included names such as Gavin DeGraw, Kool & The Gang, Kenny Rogers, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Daughtry.
For you roller coaster fans, Gwazi field also has a great view of SheiKra’s layout!
Another thing I must mention about the Food & Wine Festival was the scenery. In true Busch Gardens fashion, there were beautiful topiaries shaped into various wonders and animals to gaze at. There was even a singing fountain performance for guests to sit down and marvel at!
The Food & Wine Festival wasn’t the only thing on my agenda for this trip! I also took the time to check out Wild Days With Jack Hanna in the Stanleyville Theater. The image of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has taken a negative hit with the Blackfish controversy, and Jack was adamant to point out the fallacies in the controversy and highlight the animal conservation efforts throughout the company’s parks. Some of the animals the audience got the pleasure to meet during the show included a pair of clouded leopard cubs, a two-toed sloth, an aardvark(!), and a cheetah.
Finally, I couldn’t leave the park without experiencing Falcon’s Fury! This was my first opportunity to ride it, and it was well worth the wait!
Overall, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Busch Gardens Tampa Food & Wine Festival. The food and drink offerings were top notch, and I have to say there aren’t too many places around where you can enjoy a host of foods, wines, and beers, while also being able to enjoy world class roller coasters and thrill rides. My only real drawback was that the entire event was confined in a small section of the park. It would have been great if the event had food and wine booths located throughout the park. I feel that the variety of foods offered would have fit in well across the sections of the park.
Hopefully the event will expand over the years and continue to be successful. I definitely am planning on being an annual attendee to the event.
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