TAMPA, Fla. — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island have reopened to the public after being closed for nearly three months because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
What You Need To Know
- Busch Gardens, Adventure Island have reopened
- Visitors will need to make reservation in advance
- Busch Gardens reservations | Adventure Island reservations
- RELATED: SeaWorld Orlando Reopens: Here's What You Need to Know Before You Go
In order to keep employees and visitors safe, Busch Gardens has implemented a number of new measures at the theme park and at the water park.
Before arriving at either park, however, visitors will need to make a reservation online. This new system will help officials manage attendance at the parks, which will have reduced capacity.
To enter Busch Gardens, visitors ages 2 and older will be required to wear a face mask. Inside the park, visitors can remove their masks only in designated “relaxation” areas or when eating or drinking. At Adventure Island, face masks will be required in certain areas of the park, like the entrance, but are prohibited in the water and on water attractions.
Visitors will also have to undergo a temperature screening to get into the parks. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be allowed entry.
Busch Gardens said it worked with health officials for the last few months on a plan to keep visitors safe.
“We will have people wearing masks, you’ll see staff doing extra cleaning and sanitizing in between rides, said Aimee Jeansonne-Becka, VP of marketing. We’ll make sure there’s special distancing in the queue lines as you’re waiting.”
Throughout the parks, there will be signs and ground markers reminding people to stay six-feet apart. Restaurant seating will be reconfigured and distancing will also be applied to how visitors are loaded onto the rides.
“Here at Cheetah Hunt, one of our most popular rides, you will see different spacing, Jeansonne-Becka said. “So for example, if you come with a family of four, you’ll get into the car together and then there will probably be a space of a row empty right behind you.”
Some attractions and experiences will be unavailable during the initial reopening.
And in addition to increased cleaning procedures, Busch Gardens has added hand sanitizer dispensers.
Meanwhile SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens’ sister parks, have also reopened to the public with similar measures in place.
Reporter Fallon Silcox contributed to this story.
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