Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
 [Register]
Tampa Bay Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-12-2008, 08:44 PM
 
Location: Kansas City
13 posts, read 79,526 times
Reputation: 16

Advertisements

I am arriving around noon on May 29, 2008 and departing June 4, 2008. During my stay we want to spend one day at Busch Gardens. What day is least busy at this time of year? I do not know what to expect for crowds at this time of year.

This vacation is super special.... my new husband Dan and I were married recently and have joined our families. He has a 17 year old daughter, and I have a 16 year old daughter. They get along quite well, and this is our frist trip as a "new family." Everyone is very excited about this trip. The girls are so ready to lay on the beach, and poolside - but also love the thrill of roller coasters, so we threw in Busch Gardens for a day of fun. Dan and I are mid 40's and love night life as well. What can anyone tell me about YBor City? How far away is that from TI?

We are staying at a beach front resort that was economically priced on Treasure Island Beach..... and am excited about that. How long does it take to drive from Treasure Island to Busch Gardens & are there traffic concerns we should keep in mind.

I am open to any and all suggestions.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Sandy & Dan in Kansas City, Missouri
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-13-2008, 06:28 AM
 
13,768 posts, read 38,194,689 times
Reputation: 10689
I would suggest you go to Busch gardens on a weekday. Monday or Tuesday would probably be the better day. I am guessing close to an hour travel time, avoid rush hours 7-8 am and 4-6 pm. If you belong to AAA they offer a small discount if you purchase your tickets from them.

If I were going to go to Ybor city, I would go early and have dinner there, then you can walk around and check out the bars. Leave early as it gets rowdy the later it gets.
You might just consider going to some of the bars around TI. There is a Sloppy Joe's on TI..right on the beach. Try the grouper if you like fish.
Sloppy Joe's On The Beach at the Bilmar Resort, Treasure Island, Florida

I am sure there are other places on TI.. maybe someone else can give you more info.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2008, 07:16 AM
 
3,089 posts, read 8,509,594 times
Reputation: 2046
Quote:
Originally Posted by spdblondie View Post
I am arriving around noon on May 29, 2008 and departing June 4, 2008. During my stay we want to spend one day at Busch Gardens. What day is least busy at this time of year? I do not know what to expect for crowds at this time of year.

This vacation is super special.... my new husband Dan and I were married recently and have joined our families. He has a 17 year old daughter, and I have a 16 year old daughter. They get along quite well, and this is our frist trip as a "new family." Everyone is very excited about this trip. The girls are so ready to lay on the beach, and poolside - but also love the thrill of roller coasters, so we threw in Busch Gardens for a day of fun. Dan and I are mid 40's and love night life as well. What can anyone tell me about YBor City? How far away is that from TI?

We are staying at a beach front resort that was economically priced on Treasure Island Beach..... and am excited about that. How long does it take to drive from Treasure Island to Busch Gardens & are there traffic concerns we should keep in mind.

I am open to any and all suggestions.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Sandy & Dan in Kansas City, Missouri
June is when school is out I believe so no matter when you go its going to be packed. GO VERY EARLY! So you can get a good spot.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2008, 08:05 AM
 
13,768 posts, read 38,194,689 times
Reputation: 10689
Last day of school for Hillsborough is June 4th, although other states let out earlier so there will be more visitors.

I still recommend going on a Monday or Tuesday.. those are usually the slowest days.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2008, 04:04 AM
 
792 posts, read 2,291,969 times
Reputation: 822
A weekday, preferably before school lets out(june 2nd, I think).

I took my kid last week, we got there when they opened at 9:00am, and for the first 2 hours, no roller coaster had any lines at all. You can ride, get off and get right back on without any wait whatsoever. That's my most favorite time to go there.
A couple of times, we were the only ones on the entire coaster.

By 11:00am or so, it was a little bit of a wait, but nothing bad.

By this summer, it will be miserable. Every ride will have a 45 minute or longer wait time, and it will be 95 degrees out. I hate going in the dead of the summer, when all the tourists are here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-14-2008, 10:18 PM
 
Location: Arkansas
2,383 posts, read 6,057,979 times
Reputation: 1141
Does anyone have any suggestions about the new water park Aquatica? I tried to get on to the website and was unable to load it on my computer for some reason but heard that during Spring Break the park shut it doors at noon because it was full to capacity. Does anyone know if the lines/admissions there have gotten better?
Thanks!

DVCGAL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2008, 09:47 AM
 
3,089 posts, read 8,509,594 times
Reputation: 2046
Quote:
Originally Posted by dvcgal View Post
Does anyone have any suggestions about the new water park Aquatica? I tried to get on to the website and was unable to load it on my computer for some reason but heard that during Spring Break the park shut it doors at noon because it was full to capacity. Does anyone know if the lines/admissions there have gotten better?
Thanks!

DVCGAL
try the orlando forum
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2008, 05:12 PM
 
1,832 posts, read 5,090,427 times
Reputation: 1110
I just went to Aquatica last weekend and loved it! It was a Sunday and right now is a decent time to go because spring breaks are over and summer break is not yet here. There were still some long lines (20min) on some of the more exciting rides--but my kids are 8 and 5 and had a blast, as did hubby and I.

I'd suggest going there during the week, too.

As for Busch Gardens, my kids go to private school and are done May 30. The public schools end the following week I think. So go on the Monday you're there if you can!

TI to Busch Gardens is going to be a good 45 min I would think. Same for Ybor. I think you all will have a blast!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2008, 08:57 PM
 
13,768 posts, read 38,194,689 times
Reputation: 10689
If you go to Ybor, I would go early6-7 pm leave before 12 AM.

There is the Columbia Restaurant great Cuban food, flamenco dancers (make reservations if you want to see them). They have valet parking.. Old world charm..
Columbia Restaurant
There are other restaurants that serve mainly cuban food.

There is Centro Ybor entertainment complex.
CENTRO YBOR: Tampa's Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment District. What to do in Tampa, FL.

There is a lot of history in Ybor. They have tours, only on the weekends I think
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2008, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Arkansas
2,383 posts, read 6,057,979 times
Reputation: 1141
Thanks for the info Annesg! I'm glad to hear that things have at least calmed down a bit. I did post a forum in the Orlando section as well and I hat to say that when I posted my question on here, I was not thinking about Busch Gardens and Aquatica being in two different cities so my apologies, but thanks for the advice.
DVCGAL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top