Tampa Bay
Tourist Destinations
FROM THE PAST
ANHEUSER-BUSCH BREWERY AT BUSCH GARDENS
Busch Gardens offers so much more than just thrilling roller coasters. It’s also one of North America’s largest and
most widely acclaimed zoos. However, before Busch Gardens became an internationally recognized, zoologically
inclined theme park, it was the home of an Anheuser-Busch brewery. In fact, Busch Gardens got its start as an elaborate
welcome center for the brewery.
When Busch Gardens opened in 1959, the only “ride” at the park was the Stairway to the Stars, a seemingly milelong
escalator that queued visitors for a tour of the sprawling brewery. Just steps away at the Hospitality House,
adults could taste free samples of Anheuser-Busch beer. Nearby, children and their parents could share in the delight
of a popular bird show. In the decades that followed, record-setting roller coasters would pierce the North Tampa skyline
alongside the brewery’s tan-brick building and white water tower. In 1995, changing needs at the company would
bring the closure of the brewing facility that had helped launch Busch Gardens to quick prominence in the local
tourism scene. The former Hospitality House, now the Garden Gate Café, is one of the last 1959-vintage structures at
the park.
44 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2015