Busch Gardens Mardi Gras Brings “The Big Easy” To Tampa

Let the good times roll! Mardi Gras has returned to Busch Gardens Tampa! This year’s event runs select dates through March 5, and brings some of the sights, sounds and tastes of New Orleans to Tampa.

We recently had the opportunity to check out this year’s festivities. As before, the big draw is the food. There are a handful of booths offering a variety of New Orleans inspired eats and sips… from classics such as gumbo. po’boy sandwiches and beignets to hurricanes signature cupcakes, and king cake donuts, there’s something for every taste! And everything we managed to sample was absolutely delicious!

Sampler lanyards are available for purchase in 5 and 10 punch increments. Because I know there’s plenty of food to keep me coming back for more, I always buy a sampler lanyard as it gives me the best deal per item (though, to really make that math work out, you should always use punches for the highest priced options and pay cash for inexpensive items and non-alcoholic drinks). And if you have any leftover punches, you can always bring the lanyard back to finish up during the event’s run!

Another draw of Mardi Gras is the music! Several times a day, you can catch bands on the Coke Canopy stage, playing New Orleans inspired jazz and other fun tunes.

And what is Mardi Gras without…. BEADS! Guests have the opportunity to catch strands of the colorful baubles across the walkway from the Coke Canopy several times a day.

Springs Taproom

The old Hospitality House (which has been around since the park’s beginnings), has been transformed into the all-new Springs Taproom, serving up an array of snack and drink options (for those of age). The space has been given a full transformation from top to bottom and the result is absolutely gorgeous!

In the corners, you can find photos and memorabilia calling back to the days when the park was owned by Anhauser-Busch and offered brewery tours and free beer samples (as well as housing the famous Clydesdale horses). We love seeing pieces of park history like this!

There are several draft beer and hand-crafted cocktail options. We tried the Hemingway (Bacardi White Rum, Lime, Grapefruit, Maraschino Liquor), which was delicious and refreshing (will be a great one to enjoy on a hot summer day).

Around The Park

Let’s take a quick look around the rest of the park!

Construction on the Serengeti Flyer is coming along. This new screaming swing ride will be opening in the spring (an exact date has yet to be announced) and is located on part of the old Rhino Rally attraction location. This looks both fun and absolutely terrifying!

Falcon’s Fury has been down and behind walls for several months now. We have speculated it is probably due to a parts issue, and this has been confirmed by new signs placed on the construction walls.

 

We think it’s great that the park is providing this extra bit of explination so guests know what’s going on. 

We stopped by Twisted Tails Pretzels and were delighted to see the Bacon Pretzel Fury is back! This is one of our absolute favorite theme park snacks (it’s so big it can actually be its own meal), and had been MIA for several months. We love how the bacon grease gets infused into the pretzel itself when cooked. 

We made a stop at the Giraffe Bar for one of their delicious giraffe-shaped pretzels (served with warm beer cheese dipping sauce) and gave the Hungry Tusker (Amarula African Cream Liqueur, Hula Hawaiian Dark Rum, Coconut, Pineapple) a try, which was very tasty! Definitely a new favorite drink at this location, alongside the Serengeti Sunrise (Flor de Caña Rum, strawberry and orange cocktail inspired by the vivid colors of the Serengeti sunrise).

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