Florida Theme Park Enacts Mandatory Evacuation Curfew, Park Operations to Cease

in Busch Gardens, Theme Parks

Aerial view from the top of a steep, colorful roller coaster track with twists and turns at a Florida theme park, surrounded by intricate wooden support structures. The vibrant green and purple tracks descend steeply, highlighting the thrilling drop ahead. Green spaces and pathways are visible below as park operations buzz with activity.

Credit: Busch Gardens

Things are not looking too great when it comes to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and their upcoming Halloween event.

An aerial wide shot of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay during a bright, sunny day in Central Florida.
Credit: Inside The Magic

While most people travel to the Central Florida area to visit Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, just a few minutes away is another theme park that is flooded with coasters, fun theming, delicious food, incredible festivals, and animals — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. While Busch may not have the same popularity as some of its Orlando competition, it is beloved dearly.

USA Today actually placed it in its top 10 list of theme parks in the United States! You can see the official ranking below:

  1. Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri)
  2. Knoebels (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)
  3. SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida)
  4. Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
  5. Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
  6. LEGOLAND California (Carlsbad, California)
  7. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)
  8. Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
  9. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida)
  10. Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
Front entrance sign to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida
Credit: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay expertly blends a world-class zoo with legendary attractions, creating a thrilling experience for all ages. The park boasts iconic coasters like Montu, Cheetah Hunt, and Iron Gwazi, along with kid-friendly delights in Sesame Street Safari of Fun, and family favorites like the splash-filled Congo River Rapids.

But that’s only the beginning.

The zoo at Busch Gardens is as renowned as its rides, offering an incredible opportunity to see everything from surgeries to routine care at the Animal Care Center, get up close with adorable, laid-back sloths at Animal Connections, and explore the vast Serengeti Plain, home to free-roaming giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and ostriches.

Beyond the animals and rides, visitors can enjoy spectacular shows like Rhythm of Nature, an ice-skating extravaganza, marvel at dazzling fireworks displays, and indulge in shopping, special events, and behind-the-scenes tours.

Recently, Tropical Storm Debby forced Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to close its gates from August 3rd to 5th. Shortly after reopening, the park announced the permanent closure of Scorpion, a beloved roller coaster, effective September 2nd. This news disappointed many visitors and disrupted vacation plans.

In response to public outcry, Busch Gardens extended Scorpion’s operating period until September 8th, allowing fans additional opportunities to experience the ride before its final closure.

Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens is celebrating its 25th anniversary in a big way.

This afternoon, the local theme park unveiled an almost entirely new lineup for this year’s milestone event, which will take place on select nights from September 6 through November 2, starting at 7 p.m.

To commemorate the occasion, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is introducing five brand-new haunted houses and five new scare zones, along with fresh entertainment options scattered throughout the park.

A couple at Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
Credit: Busch Gardens

Here’s what’s new for Howl-O-Scream 2024, according to the theme park:

  • Shadows of Wonderland: Step into a twisted version of Wonderland, where years of torment under the Queen of Hearts have transformed playful characters into bitter shadows. Driven by Alice’s abandonment, these figures now haunt this distorted reality, and you must face a vengeful Queen determined to eliminate both Alice and you.
  • Howl-O-Scream 25: Terror Through Time: Enter the Architect’s eerie gallery of horror, where 25 years of Howl-O-Scream nightmares come to life in terrifying detail.
  • Tree Lot Massacre: The seemingly festive Evergreen Acres Christmas Tree Farm harbors a dark secret. Whispers speak of a Christmas Eve massacre, where a disgruntled farmhand named Silas Evergreen sought revenge, leaving a trail of bloodshed.
  • Sawgrass Slaughter: Legend of the Skunk Ape: Journey deep into the Everglades, where the air is thick with decay and a musky odor, as you encounter the legendary Skunk Ape and the horrors that lurk within.
  • Little Nightmares: Trick or Treat: Years ago, on Halloween night, a group of children disappeared without a trace. Now, every Halloween, they return to relive their final trick-or-treat, bringing terror to all who cross their path.
  • Ragnar’s Wrath: As you approach a charred Viking longhouse in the icy winds of Niflheim, the stench of death fills the air, foreshadowing the horrors that await within.
  • Witch of the Woods: Rise of the Coven: Seraphina, the Witch of the Woods, fueled by vengeance and dark magic, has summoned her coven – Brand, the Fire Bringer, and Kael, the Storm Caller. Together, they have transformed the once-peaceful forest into a grotesque landscape of poisoned air, stagnant water, and withered life.
A scareactor at Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
Credit: Busch Gardens

Live entertainment is a major highlight of Howl-O-Scream, and this year will be no different. The park will feature a new show called The Reckoning, the return of Cirque X-Scream at the Stanleyville Theater, and the popular Scar-E-Oke karaoke experience at Gwazi Plaza.

Unfortunately, it appears that guests will be getting the boot from the park much earlier than expected.

In previous years, we had seen Howl-O-Scream last until 1:00 a.m., which was a competing end time with Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, which ends at 2:00 a.m. Now, the end time has been changed to 12:00 p.m., meaning that guests will begin to be escorted out of the park at that time.

Dillon Young said, “Busch Tampa’s Howl O Scream is going on till midnight instead of 1 AM. That’s some criminal budget cutting I’ve ever seen, and it ain’t even funny. That has to be borderline cost-cutter while overcharging for tickets and quick queues. That’s ridiculous.”

Dillon posted a reply to the post, “All the times listed are the same as usual I love Busch a lot but man the management has taken a dip lately. That capitol firm really squeezing every dime possible these days. This is what the community needs to be unanimous about. Save the United Parks.”

Fans in the comment section of the X post are not thrilled with what they are seeing here. One reply stated, “This was a very recent decision from higher-ups… I can see them closing early on non-peak nights… but for every night? This could change, but people still need to show up and complain in person!” Many others hinted that they had seen a steep decline in the event and no longer believed it was worth the cost.

While changing operating hours is not too extreme of a change at a theme park when those hours are reduced, the cost is not; it is always a decision made at the sacrifice of a guest.

Would you be upset if you saw hours reduced at any theme park that you were vacationing to?

in Busch Gardens, Theme Parks

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