Did you know that using a Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar can help you avoid the busy days at this park, allowing you to skip the long wait times?
Busch Gardens is one of the top-rated amusement parks in the entire country, and it is located in Tampa, Florida.
The park offers plenty of roller coasters and attractions, as well as some of the most fun you’ll ever have!
Many flock to this exotic thrill park to experience some of the best rides, animal exhibits, and beautiful nature included inside this Florida theme park.
This popularity can lead to frustration, especially if you don’t pick the best days to visit Busch Gardens Tampa.
2024 Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar
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Best Time to Go to Busch Gardens Tampa at a Glance:
- The best months to visit Busch Gardens Tampa to avoid the crowds are: January, February and September
- Your best days to visit Busch Gardens Tampa are: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Be sure to avoid all major holidays such as: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The Importance of Choosing the Best Days to Go to Busch Gardens Tampa
As previously mentioned, Busch Gardens Tampa offers a variety of things to do that appeal to visitors of all ages.
So, when choosing the best day to visit Busch Gardens Tampa, there are many things to consider.
First, you’ll need to think about the weather. Is it going to be too hot? Too cold? Is it going to rain?
Because the park is located in Tampa, Florida you can expect that it will be extremely hot from May until late September.
You’ll also want to think about the Busch Gardens crowds. Is it going to be a busy week? A busy weekend? Is it a holiday weekend?
These are just a few things to think about before you get to the park.
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What is a Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar?
The 2024 Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar gives you a prediction on what the park is like on each day of the week.
This calendar is vital for anyone who wants to visit Busch Gardens at the best times possible.
Mainly because it helps you figure out what days have the heaviest crowd level based on the data from previous years.
With popular roller coasters such as Montu, SheiKra, and Tigris (along with some other rides), wait times can reach an hour long during the summer season.
It’s important to know how to use this theme park tool when picking your best dates for Busch Gardens.
How Does the Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar Work?
The Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar works by giving you the exact days you should select and what each day will be like (crowd-wise).
It does this by showing how busy the park will be in regards to theme park attendance.
The Busch Gardens busy days are categorized as: crowded, slow, or moderate and will be color coordinated on the Crowd Calendar with:
- Red indicating high crowd levels
- Orange and Yellow indicating moderate crowd levels
- Green indicating low crowd levels
Once you have this information, you can then figure out which day, which week, and which month will work best for you when choosing to visit Busch Gardens Tampa.
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Is the Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar 100% Accurate?
Sorry, the Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar is not 100% accurate, but it’s a great place to start when deciding the best day to visit the park.
The crowd level is predicted and all predictions are provided as a guide with you using your own judgement.
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Where Can I Find the Best Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar?
At the time of writing this article, you can find the easiest Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar to use here on ThemeParkHipster.
What is the Best Day of the Week to Go to Busch Gardens?
The best time to visit Busch Gardens Tampa is during the week, and in the morning. With the best days being on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
What is the Best Month to Visit Busch Gardens Tampa?
The best month to visit Busch Gardens Tampa is January. This is the time before the spring and summer season kicks into full gear.
This month is closely followed by February, September (if you want to beat the crowd) and October if you want to have a low crowd level along with the Halloween festivities.
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7 Best Tips to Avoid the Crowds at Busch Gardens Tampa
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s go through a few of the top tips when it comes to planning out your trip.
1. Check the Crowd Calendar
Theme Park crowd calendars are a great tool for planning your day at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Many of them are updated daily and will give you an idea of when you should visit and what to expect.
It’s also a good way to see if you should purchase a Quick Queue Pass in order to skip the lines on your trip.
2. Check the Weather and for Special Events
Once you know you will want to visit Busch Gardens, be sure to double check the weather and if there are any school breaks locally. Both can play a major part in how many people are at the park.
You’ll also want to think about the holidays and special events happening at the park such as 4th of July weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Spring Break, Christmas Break, Labor Day Weekend, and Thanksgiving Weekend.
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3. Go in the Morning
If you want to get the most out of your Busch Gardens day, then you’ll want to go first thing in the morning.
Not only will this allow you to enjoy all of the rides and attractions, you’ll also be able to leave once the weather gets intolerable..
Hipster Power Tip: Busch Gardens Tampa peak hours are between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., so try to go on off peak hours if you can.
4. Look at the Busch Gardens Quick Queue Calendar
This is one of my favorite tips when trying to figure out if it’s going to be a busy day at Busch Gardens Tampa.
When the park thinks that it’s going to be a large crowd, the price for the Quick Queue Pass increases significantly than when a lower crowd is expected.
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5. Splurge on a Busch Gardens Tampa Quick Queue Pass…if you can
With the tip I gave you above, now you’ll know if you should purchase the Quick Queue Pass.
If you’re going on an extremely busy day and you have the extra budget for it, then I say get it.
The average wait times at Busch Gardens Tampa on the busy days can be over an hour. So, if this is your only visit, you’ll want to have this pass to skip the lines.
6. Ride During Lunchtime
Since most families stop to eat during the peak lunch hours, this is your chance to circle back to that ride that may have had a higher wait time earlier during the day such as Iron Gwazi.
7. Have a Game Plan for Busch Gardens
You need a plan!
Having a plan will guarantee that you will have all the time in the world to do the best rides at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
I recommend coming up with an itinerary for Busch Gardens Tampa that will help you see as much as possible in just one day.
Busch Gardens Tampa Day One Itinerary:
- Download and go over the park map.
- Plan to arrive prior to the gates opening.
- Conquer Iron Gwazi!
- Check out the famous Florida gators in Morocco.
- Join the Cheetah Hunt.
- Ride Cobra’s Curse.
- Experience Montu.
- Enjoy a stroll on the Edge of Africa or in the Myombe Reserve to relax.
- Take the Skyride over to the middle area of the park.
- Ride Sheikra.
- Conquer Tigris!
- Have lunch at Zambia Smokehouse.
- Ride Stanley Falls.
- Conquer the Congo River Rapids
- Ride Kumba.
- Dive into the Scorpion Roller Coaster
- Experience the NEW Phoenix Rising roller coaster.
- Conquer Falcon’s Fury.
- Grab a delicious pretzel and beer at Twisted Tails Pretzels.
- Catch up on any park shows that you want to watch.
Wrapping Up…
As you can see, there are many things to think about when planning your visit.
By using the Busch Gardens Tampa crowd calendar, you can make sure your trip goes well from start-to-finish.
What’s your best tip for avoiding huge crowds at Busch Gardens Tampa? Let us know in the comments section below.
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
My name is Nikky. I’m a wife, a mother, a pharmacist turned theme park blogger, USA Today 10Best Contributor, and a writer who loves ALL things amusement park related!
Traveling alone to the parks has changed my life and I want to show how you can create your own solo theme park memories.
Connect with me on Instagram!
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(Original Article Date: May 21, 2022/Updated on January 8, 2024)