Busch Gardens’ Water Park Open Weekends Only Through Oct. 24

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 7, 2010) —Adventure Island is open weekends only now through Oct. 24. That’s seven more weekends to enjoy thehigh-speed thrills and the tropical, tranquil surroundings that await you at Busch Gardens’ water park.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 11 and 12 and every weekend after through Oct. 24. The 2011 season will kick off March 12.

Adventure Island offers 30 acres of water-drenched fun in the sun. Within a soothing Key West atmosphere are slides, corkscrews, waterfalls, a wave pool, a children’s water playground and other family attractions.

Single-day admission tickets for Adventure Island are $41.95 for adults and $37.95 for children ages 3 to 9. Ages 2 and younger are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Visit www.adventureisland.com for more information.

“Play & Dine All Day” is an online exclusive available now through September 6, 2010.

It’s a great way to play all day at the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun or spend the day riding the world’s best roller coasters, including SheiKra and Montu. And when the hunger hits, it’s all you care to eat and drink, all day long.

“Play & Dine All Day” eTickets are on sale now at www.BuschGardensTampaBay.com. eTickets also lets guests print their tickets at home and go straight to the turnstiles.

Tampa, Fla. (January 20, 2010) – Exploring the Serengeti Plain or checking out the world’s best roller coasters from the comfort of your home computer just became a reality. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and its waterpark, Adventure Island, are now featured in Street View on Google Maps.

Virtual visits are now available to all 10 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment locations, including the SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego; Discovery Cove, a swim-with-dolphins resort, and Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark, both in Orlando;Busch Gardens and Water Country USA, both in Williamsburg; and Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA.

In Tampa, nearly every inch of Busch Gardens was mapped using one of Google’s “Trikes.” A state-of-the-art camera automatically gathered photographs from the back of a modified bicycle. Google software then blended the images, creating the famous, interactive and completely moveable 360-degree scenes Street View is known for.

And the best way to make sure every show, splash, adventure and world-class thrill ride was mapped? The 250-pound Trike, complete with camera and GPS mounted on a mast, was pedal-powered by a Google staff member. Consider it the ultimate mix of technology, both high and low.

“We’re thrilled to be among the first theme parks in the world to get the Google Street View treatment,” said Joe Couceiro, chief marketing officer for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “Now, no matter where you are, you can enjoy an online experience of our parks including seeing their scope and diversity while planning your vacation. The only thing missing is feeding a giraffe or taking on the best roller coasters in the world.”

Google Maps began including Street View images in 2007. More than a dozen countries and over one hundred cities now can be seen online.

“I began thinking about building a bicycle-based Street View system after realizing how many great places around the world aren’t accessible by car, but still would be perfect to include in Street View on Google Maps. The immensely popular SeaWorld parks are perfect examples of fun and interesting locations that our Trike can add to Google Maps, benefiting families and tourists around the world,” said Dan Ratner, Senior Mechanical Engineer on the Street View team & creator of the Trike.

Street View visits to the parks are accessible via Web and mobile applications. Viewers can start by going to maps.google.comand searching for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Then drag the orange “Pegman” icon (found at the top left of the map) for a “walking tour.” Among the highlights – also  seen in “satellite mode” – Busch Gardens visitors can look for America’s first dive coaster, SheiKra.