food IS a theme park
A theme park-industry-changing Busch Gardens ride is closing FOREVER.
©Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Kumba, the 33-year-old roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is set for its last day of operations on August 2nd. However, the park has confirmed that a sequel is coming!
Although most folks who come to Orlando are there to visit Disney World, as well as Universal Orlando, and maybe even SeaWorld Orlando and LEGOLAND Florida, some make the trek to Tampa Bay to visit Busch Gardens, too, which is about 100 or so miles from Disney World.
©Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Well, if you’ve visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, you might have taken a wild ride on a classic roller coaster, Kumba. Well, if you want to ride Kumba again, you’ll want to do so soon because Kumba will soon be closing forever, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
Many people choose to head to Disney World, Disneyland, or Universal Orlando for their family vacations. Whether it’s due to nostalgia, the magic of Disney, or the thrills of Universal, these are the most popular theme parks in the country.
Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
USA Today annually ranks the 10 best theme parks in America with the help of editors and readers, and they famously snubbed every Disney and Universal park last year. They just released the best theme parks for 2026, so let’s see what won!
What I’m about to say might be shocking, but it’s the truth. I went to a theme park food festival, and it wasn’t at EPCOT.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
I grew up going to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and while I haven’t spent much time in the park over the past few years, I recently got the chance to check out Busch Gardens Christmas Town — a holiday festival featuring food and entertainment, plus tons of rides and animals. So, how does it compare to an EPCOT festival?
From Universal’s huge new investment in Epic Universe to Disney’s $60 billion expansion, companies are confident in their Orlando-area theme parks. And now, another Florida theme park is prepared to invest in new projects.
Welcome to Disney World!
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced plans to spend about $40 million on new theme park projects and expand Adventure Island water park.
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Many people choose to head to Disney World, Disneyland, or Universal Orlando for their family vacations. These theme parks are a classic for a reason!
Magic Kingdom
Whether it’s due to nostalgia, the magic of Disney, or the thrills of Universal, these are some of the most popular theme parks in the country regarding attendance. However, USA Today just came out with its list of the top ten theme parks in the United States, and Disney AND Universal have been left off of the list entirely.
Disney World’s customer service is known for being top-notch. If something goes awry on your vacation, chances are a Cast Member will be able to sprinkle a little bit of pixie dust and make all your problems disappear.
Cinderella Castle
But, even though Disney World’s customer service is legendary, it still isn’t the best in the country according to a new survey! So, who took the top spot?!
We’ve been keeping an eye on Hurricane Milton as it soon makes landfall in Florida.
©NHC
The storm is currently passing through the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 4 storm — after holding as a Category 5 for most of Monday. A significant portion of the state is under a hurricane warning with many major theme parks expected to close ahead of the storm — which now includes SeaWorld Orlando.
Hurricane Milton will soon be making landfall in Florida.
©NOAA
We’ve been keeping an eye on the storm, which is currently churning through the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 4 storm — after holding as a Category 5 for most of Monday. Much of the state is under a hurricane warning with many expecting major theme parks to close in preparation for the storm — including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Tropical Storm Nicole is heading toward Florida and is expected to become a hurricane before it makes landfall in the Sunshine State.
Hurricane Ian in Orlando in September
We’ve seen a bunch of closures due to the storm, including Orlando International Airport, Disney World, Universal, and more. And now, another theme park in Central Florida is shutting down.
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