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Home / Destination / USA / 5 things I learnt at Busch Gardens, Florida

5 things I learnt at Busch Gardens, Florida

May 10, 2013 by Gretta Schifano 6 Comments

Busch Gardens in Florida is the oldest of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s 11 theme parks. It offers rides, shows and animals and I was a guest there this week while researching a journalism feature. I had a really enjoyable day seeing the animals with Kelly and Stephanie from the press office, but saved the roller coasters and shows for next time. Here are some of the things I learnt, and I promise you they’re all true.

Echidna, Busch Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano1.

An echidna is a mammal which lays eggs, has a pouch for its young and looks a bit like a porcupine or a hedgehog. Baby echidnas have the unbelievably cute name of puggle. I met this one at Jambo Junction, an area of the park where visitors can get close to the animals and even feed them at certain times.

Alligator, Busch Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano2.

Alligators are scared of people and so the best thing to do if you come across one is to just keep away from it. It’s not a good idea to approach young alligators either because their protective mother is likely to be somewhere nearby. This one is also at Jambo Junction.

Giraffe, Busch Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

3.

Giraffes enjoy eating iceberg lettuce. I took this photo while feeding lettuce to the giraffes from the back of a truck on a Serengeti Safari at the park. Besides the giraffes I saw hundreds of other animals including zebras, rhinos, ostriches and wildebeest.

Animal Care Centre, Busch Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

4.

At the park’s Animal Care Centre visitors can watch vets at work. When I visited, a serval was having an x-ray because it hadn’t been eating. Kelly told me that any animal that can fit through the door is treated at the centre, and that rescue animals are also treated here.

5.

There are more Brazilian visitors than any other nationality in Florida these days, and not all of them speak English. I had to dredge up some rusty Spanish to help a couple understand the giraffe-feeding rules on safari. (Yes, I know Spanish isn’t the language of Brazil, but I don’t speak Portuguese so it was the best I could do).

Family travel lowdown: The 3-Park Ticket offers 14 days unlimited entry to Busch Gardens Tampa, SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica from £90 per person.

 

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Related

Categories: USA
Tags: animal parks, Busch Gardens, family travel, Florida

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Pinkoddy says

    May 18, 2013 at 10:49 pm

    What an amazing experience – and thank you for those interesting facts. My favourite is the close up feeding the giraffe.
    Pinkoddy recently posted…In the Garden #Spring #NatureMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      May 19, 2013 at 6:16 am

      I loved feeding the giraffes, it was a privilege to get so close to them.

      Reply
  2. Coombemill says

    May 17, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    Some scary if wonderful creatures there!
    Coombemill recently posted…Country Kids from Coombe MillMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      May 18, 2013 at 2:12 pm

      It was amazing to get close to some of those animals, especially the echidna!

      Reply
  3. Audrey says

    May 10, 2013 at 4:08 pm

    Fabulous pics Gretta, I bet you had a fantastic time!!

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      May 10, 2013 at 4:15 pm

      I really did, I can’t wait to go back!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Mums do travel 2013 highlights - Mums do travel says:
    March 5, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    […] trip was for a travel feature for the FT about SeaWorld and I had a fab time meeting the penguins, feeding giraffes and swimming with […]

    Reply
  2. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida | Mums do travelMums do travel says:
    November 16, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    […] animals. If you’d like to see some real, live animals in Florida then the excellent Busch Gardens or Disney’s Animal Kingdom are the places to go, or Gatorland if you’re into […]

    Reply
  3. How to avoid the queues at Disney World | Mums do travel says:
    August 19, 2013 at 10:54 am

    […] and has animals in their natural habitats as well as some great rides. It reminded me of nearby Busch Gardens in many ways. I loved Expedition Everest, where an open train whizzes you up ‘Mount Everest’ […]

    Reply
  4. Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin | Mums do travel: a family travel site says:
    May 19, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    […] travel lowdown: The 3-Park Ticketnofollow offers 14 days unlimited entry to SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens, and Aquatica from £90 per […]

    Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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