Park maps serve a practical purpose by helping guests navigate during their visit. They also make great souvenirs and give a glimpse into the past. The maps throughout the years are a snapshot of what attractions and other features the park offered at any given point in time. Check out the maps below to see how Busch Gardens Tampa has changed since it opened in 1959.
For Howl-O-Scream maps, click here.
For other event maps, click here.
You can click on most map images to view them in higher resolution.
1959
This map was printed in The Tampa Times on June 13, 1959, just days after the park opened to guests for the first time on June 1. It shows the original layout of the gardens and other features that greeted the park’s first guests.
1960s – Early
This undated map is part of a souvenir booklet from the first several years of the park’s existence.
1970
This map highlights the addition of Boma, which according to the brochure was scheduled to open in June 1970. In comparison to the older map above, note the addition of the monorail and Swiss House on the right, and the Snack Bar (#21) out in the parking lot – better known today as Zagora Cafe.
1974 – Spring
The expansion of Busch Gardens continued in the early 1970s with the addition of Stanleyville and the train connecting it to the Boma area.
1975
1976 – September
This map includes Python, which opened on July 1, 1976.
1977
This map has the addition of Swinging Vines and Claw Island in Stanleyville.
1985
1993
1999
Special thanks to “Stingray” Tom for donating this map.
2003 – March
This map from early 2003 shows construction in Pantopia on the former Dolphin Theater as it was being transformed into an indoor venue. The map notes the new R. L. Stine’s Haunted Lighthouse was scheduled to open in May 2003. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2004 – January
From early 2004, this map notes that Cheetah Chase will open in the spring in Timbuktu. See the back of this map by clicking here. You can also see the back of this version of the map from mid-February by clicking here.
2005 – May
2006 – November
This late 2006 map shows the removal of Python and Claw Island, and notes the future attraction and animal habits that were to become the Jungala area. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2007
This map from 2007 shows the new Jungala area under construction, labeled as “Future Attraction.”
2013 – Fall
2016 – Summer
This map has the addition of Cobra’s Curse and the change of Crown Colony to Serengeti Overlook.
2017 – January
This map, introduced after the first of the year, removes Cheetah Hunt as a designated area and merges it with Edge of Africa. Serengeti Overlook is moved out of Egypt and into the newly enlarged Edge of Africa, which also now includes Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run.
2017 – March
This version of the map used during the Food & Wine Festival shows Jambo Junction and Curiosity Caverns completely removed. It also features some minor design changes – the legend and area boxes now have sharp corners instead of rounded edges, and the seasonal advertisement in the lower right corner is now rectangular in shape instead of a semi-circle.
2017 – May
This version of the map includes the new Animal Connections logo over the former Jambo Junction area, and its listing under Nairobi as an official attraction once again. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2017 – September
Debuting at the beginning of the month, this version of the map only has a couple of small changes. The Sesame Street Safari of Fun logo above the location listing box has changed, with Elmo being removed. Under the Stanleyville listings, SheiKra Sweet Treats is changed to SheiKra Eats.
2018 – October
In late October 2018, the map underwent another redesign. Most of the major attractions received names over their location on the map, and instead of listings being broken up by area, they were broken down by type and placed on the right side. In addition to the design changes on the front of the map, the back of the map also received a major change. The printed park hours and showtime guide were removed entirely, instead began being printed on a separate sheet of paper available on the map stands at the main entrance. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2018 – November
A minor change was made to the map to overlay the Santa’s House and Rudolph & Friends logos for Christmas Town 2018. These small changes along with in-park signage were used for Christmas Town instead of a specially printed park map as had been the case in previous years. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2019 – Summer
This map version includes the addition of Tigris with a ‘Now Open’ banner, plus a box featuring the new Pin Trading information, which debuted earlier in the year. See the back of this map by clicking here.
2020 – June
Upon reopening from the nearly three-month closure due to COVID-19 concerns, in-park paper map distribution was suspended. The digital version of the map available on the park’s website removed the Entertainment & Pin Trading boxes, but otherwise was largely the same as before the closure. In-park maps (see below) had additional COVID-19 protocol information and temporary closures listed.
2020 – July
Since paper maps were no longer being distributed, additional map boards were installed in the entrance area and around the park. The map boards were accompanied by signage encouraging guests to take a picture to have it on their device to carry with them. This is a photo of one of those map boards, which marks the location of some of the face-covering relaxation zones and attractions that were temporarily closed at that point. It also lists the only scheduled entertainment available in Sesame Street Safari of Fun.
2021
2022 – March
This map features the addition of Iron Gwazi.
2023 – March
This update features the addition of Serengeti Flyer, which officially opened on February 27, 2023. Also part of the update was the change of Tigris to smaller, white attraction text matching others, the addition of Iron Gwazi as text instead of its logo, and the change of Serengeti Outpost to a more descriptive Animal Interactions & Tours.
2023 – Spring
Shortly after the update where Serengeti Flyer was added, Phoenix was removed.
2023 – September
This update removed SandSerpent and Bush Flyers in Pantopia.
2024 – Fall
This update removed Scorpion from Pantopia.
Check back as more park maps from Busch Gardens Tampa through the years are added!