Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is going back to its roots with the return of free beer all summer long, and the introduction of a new Busch Gardens Brew Club program.
Starting May 1 through Aug. 5, guests can get a taste of the park’s beer garden history when they visit the former Hospitality House, now called the Garden Gate Café, to receive two complimentary 7 oz. beers during every visit to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Every two weeks, new featured beer brands will be highlighted with Corona kicking off the promotion just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Guest favorites will be on rotation throughout the summer, including Bud Light, Founders All Day IPA, M.I.A 305, Miller Light, Shock Top and Yuengling.
Beer roots goes all the way back to 1959, when Busch Gardens Tampa originally opened as part of Anheuser-Busch’s admission-free hospitality center for the Tampa brewing facility. The park eventually expanding with animal habitats and roller coasters but always offered free beer samples at the Hospitality House.
Busch Gardens Tampa – along with SeaWorld Orlando – eliminated free beer samples after Anheuser-Busch was bought out by InBev in 2009. Eventually, all ties to Anheuser-Busch were finally removed when InBev sold the parks to Blackstone later that year.
Also beginning today, guests can sign up to join the Busch Gardens Brew Club, an all-new beer stein program located at the Serengeti Overlook Pub. Yearly Memberships are $79.99, and include a reserved Stein on display at the park, and 5 dollar refills from more than 20 on-tap brews all year-long.
When asked if there are any plans to bring complimentary beer or the Brew Club over to SeaWorld Orlando, a spokesperson said “There are no plans at this time”.
In addition, Busch Gardens has announced the all-new Bier Fest event, bringing more than 200 years of Oktoberfest and Tampa Bay’s beer culture to life each weekend from Aug 25 to Sept 16. The festival selection features 100 brews from local and global breweries along with traditional German cuisine and festive music. Guests can join in the celebration of Bier Fest with their regular theme park admission.
Florida residents can experience the best of Busch Gardens all year with an annual pass starting as low as $14 per month. To learn more and purchase tickets, guests can visit BuschGardensTampaBay.com.
