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Trip Report
Best Amusement Parks in Florida
We visited some of Orlando and Tampa's most famous amusement parks.
North AmericaUnited States8 days / September 2015
Highs & Lows
It was fun for everyone, regardless of age.
Food might be a little expensive
Itinerary Overview
Orlando and Tampa are recognized for their amazing amusement parks, and we got the opportunity to visit four of them! First of all we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios where we spent a whole day, the next day we visited Disney's Magic Kingdom and it was an unforgettable experience, a few days later we went to Universal Studios Florida where we had a great time, and finally we traveled all the way to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and ZooTampa at Lowry Park. Every single park offered us a very different but equally enjoyable experience and it was absolutely worth it. Some of the important advice I could give when it comes to visiting theme parks is waking up early so you can make the most out of your day, also take some snacks with you like homemade sandwiches and a couple water bottles and most important of all, use some comfortable shoes.
![Orlando - Here you can visit some of the best amusement parks Tampa fl](https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?key=AIzaSyA-Je_2vh7L0JSPWLvAwvGsF2dwyakFANY&&zoom=&size=463x347&markers=anchor:center|icon:https%3A%2F%2Fsite-assets-cdn-site-prod.atlasguru.com%2Fstatic%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fmap_marker_black_small.0fa6a6a4.png|28.5383832,-81.3789269|27.950575,-82.4571776&path=color:0x000000FF|weight:1|28.5383832,-81.3789269|27.950575,-82.4571776&style=element:geometry.fill%7Clightness:25&style=element:labels.icon%7Cvisibility:on%7Cweight:3&style=element:labels.text%7Ccolor:0x1b345a%7Cvisibility:simplified&style=element:labels.text.fill%7Ccolor:0xbabaac&style=feature:administrative.land_parcel%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:administrative.neighborhood%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:landscape.natural%7Cvisibility:simplified&style=feature:poi%7Celement:labels.text%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:poi.business%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:transit%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:transit%7Celement:geometry.stroke%7Ccolor:0x1b345a&style=feature:water%7Celement:geometry.fill%7Ccolor:0xb2daeb%7Cvisibility:on&style=feature:water%7Celement:labels.text%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:road%7Cvisibility:off)
Orlando Here you can visit some of the best amusement parks Tampa fl
When we went to The United States for the first time we knew we had to go the parks so our first destination was Disney's Hollywood Studios, when we got there we found a map and we made our way through the attractions, we had downloaded the app "My Disney experience" that showed us wich attractions had the longest waiting line, that way we saved some time. The experience was great but the best park of them all was Disney's magic Kingdom, both parks had rides, shows and decorations that made you feel the magic of Disney, however nothing compares to Disney's Festival of fantasy Parade where you can see all of your favorite characters dancing and waving at you, it is a very moving experience for kids and adults of all ages. Then we went to Universal Studios Florida where we had a great time, we also visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, that is a must for every Harry Potter fan because by taking the Howards express you will get to a magic world filled with capes and magic wands.
![Tampa - null](https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?key=AIzaSyA-Je_2vh7L0JSPWLvAwvGsF2dwyakFANY&&zoom=&size=463x347&markers=anchor:center|icon:https%3A%2F%2Fsite-assets-cdn-site-prod.atlasguru.com%2Fstatic%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fmap_marker_black_small.0fa6a6a4.png|28.5383832,-81.3789269|27.950575,-82.4571776&path=color:0x000000FF|weight:1|28.5383832,-81.3789269|27.950575,-82.4571776&style=element:geometry.fill%7Clightness:25&style=element:labels.icon%7Cvisibility:on%7Cweight:3&style=element:labels.text%7Ccolor:0x1b345a%7Cvisibility:simplified&style=element:labels.text.fill%7Ccolor:0xbabaac&style=feature:administrative.land_parcel%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:administrative.neighborhood%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:landscape.natural%7Cvisibility:simplified&style=feature:poi%7Celement:labels.text%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:poi.business%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:transit%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:transit%7Celement:geometry.stroke%7Ccolor:0x1b345a&style=feature:water%7Celement:geometry.fill%7Ccolor:0xb2daeb%7Cvisibility:on&style=feature:water%7Celement:labels.text%7Cvisibility:off&style=feature:road%7Cvisibility:off)
Tampa
After having such a great time in Orlando's Amusement parks we wanted to visit the famous Busch Gardens Tampa Bay park, we had heard a lot about Busch Gardens roller coasters and they did not let us down. The experience was a little different because this park is definitely a better option for adrenaline fans as it has way more rides than any other of the parks we had visited at that time. The waiting lines were a bit long but it was totally worth the wait, as the rides were really fun. The next day it was a sunny day so we decided to go to ZooTampa at Lowry Park. This is a great experience for the younguest ones because you can spend the entire day meeting every kind of animal. It also had a few rides that made the experience fun. I would give the same recommendations that I did with the parks, use comfortable shoes and clothes and take your own homemade snacks with you.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
Maybe I would have bought the Fast Pass at some of the parks because you do lose a lot of time on the waiting lines.Restaurant recommendations?
It is part of the experience to try some of the famous treats/snacks of the parks but it could be a bit expensive to have a full meal there, so I would recommend bringing your own snacks just so you don't get hungry during the dayTips you would give a friend?
Wake up a bit early, the day will go faster than you think.Packing tips?
It really depends on the season, But you should always take some comfortable shoes with you.Transportation Tips?
All of the parks had a great parking system so you should be able to park your car just fine.
Lodging
Airbnb
Airbnb