Cheetah Hunt Trains Pictures and Video!

Today Busch Garden's sent us some pictures of the 5 Cheetah Hunt trains which recently arrived on site! Each train is made up of four four-passenger cars for a total of 16 guests per train. They have a custom nose piece to look like a cheetah which looks amazing!
The graphics for the front of the train which will complete the look of the face of a cheetah will be added soon. Followed by more graphics and theming which will be added to the train and be fully unveiled at the end of March.  Also, as we have been told before, they have overhead restraints. 
While they won't be visible to guests until testing which should start in about a month we are some pictures of them below along with a video of them being unloaded. Thanks for viewing and check back Wednesday for a Cheetah Hunt Construction Update!

Glory at the Gardens 2011 Line-Up

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay presents the biggest names in contemporary Christian, gospel and Christian rock music with Glory at the Gardens – festival packed with music and fellowship – on May 7 and 14.

The festival kicks off May 7 with Christian Hip-Hop solo artist Lecrea and Mary Mary, a three-time Grammy-award winning and seven-time Dove Award winning gospel music duo. Then on May 14, the lineup features performances by the 2010 Dove Award New Artist of the Year and popular contemporary Christian group the Sidewalk Prophets and gospel legend Michael W. Smith, a three-time Grammy-award winner and 44-time Dove Award winner. These top Christian acts will perform in Busch Gardens’ Gwazi Park beginning at 5 p.m. each day.

Guests can reserve the best seat in house for their favorite acts with the Glory at the Gardens VIP Ticket. The VIP ticket is $27.95 and includes a meal (entrée and any one item from a selection of side salads, side dishes or desserts, plus a regular-sized non-alcoholic beverage) and priority reserved seating at center stage. The VIP ticket is available for sale online at BuschGardens.com and in-park at the Adventure Outpost store, located at the front gate.

The Concert Line-Up:

May 7th-

Mary Mary

Lecrae

May 14th-

Michael W. Smith

Sidewalk Prophets

For tickets and more information click here.

Ramp Jam Kicks off April 9th,10th,16th & 17th At Busch Gardens Tampa

WHAT IS IT?

The ASA Action Sports World Tour amps up the excitement at Busch Gardens with the world's best pro skateboarders, BMX riders and inline skaters shreddin' a 14' tall half-pipe. Live local bands, great food, the latest surf and skate gear complete the festival. I am very excited for this event and will be covering both weekends of it! 

WHO IS PERFORMING?

Pierre Luc Gagnon: The #1 vert skateboarder in the world, 5 time X Games Gold Medalist, 2 time Dew Tour Overall Champion.

Kevin Robinson: A BMX vert legend and BMX Big-Air star, Kevin has 9 X Games medals and landed the first ever double flair, a double back flip with a 180 rotation.

Simon Tabron: Originally from England and now residing in California, Simon has consistently been in the top 3 in the world for the past 10 years.

Eito Yasutoko: Eito is simply the best vert skater in the world. He has earned countless medals has landed a place on the podium at every inline vert competition he has competed in. 

Anthony Furlong: A 13 year vert skating veteran known for his consistency in competition and a three-time champion on the Action Sports World Tour. 

Jimmy Walker: A top 10 BMX rider for the past 15 years, Jimmy is known for using the entire ramp with multiple variation tricks.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

12:30 Open Field

12:45 – 1:30 Live Band Performance

1:30 – 2:00 Half-pipe show with top pros

2:15 – 2:30 Autographs, ramp promotions, Q & A, etc.

2:45 – 3:30 Live Band Performance

3:30 – 4:00 Half-pipe show with top pros

4:15 – 4:30 Autographs, ramp promotions, Q & A, etc.

4:45 – 5:30 Live Band Performance

5:30 – 6:00 Half-pipe show with top pros

6:15 – 6:30 Autographs, ramp promotions, Q & A, etc.

Joan Jett Rocks The Stage At Bands, Brew and BBQ 2011

Yesterday, We went to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts perform at Busch Gardens apart of the Bands, Brew, and BBQ event. Overall, this event was AMAZING. Awesome food, great music, and a great atmosphere made this day a day that everyone who attended will remember and treasure forever. 

While the park was crowded, we eventually made our way to the Morocco/Bird Gardens area of the park and the crowds were having a great time. Music was blasting, BBQ was cooking and people were drinking one of the many beers they had to offer. On the way to eat we saw an awesome band playing on the local band stage called Four Star Riot, they are a great group. We decided to check out the Outback Tent first because we love Outback. We got the Steak and Shrooms which came with a side of Aussie "Chips", it was delicious and had a great amount of steak too. The steak was so tender, the shrooms were sauteed to perfection, and the fries were nice and crispy. You can see a picture of the meal below. 

By the time we finished eating it was time to head over to the Meet and Greet. Check in was fast and we only had to wait a few minutes to be escorted to the back and got in line to meet Joan Jett. Joan was super nice and looked 30 not even close to her real age, 52! After we got our picture taken and talked to Joan it was time to find a seat.

We had great reserved seats. Joan Jett came on stage and the crowd went wild! Gwazi Field was more crowded then I ever saw it! Joan started out with her hit song "Bad Reputation". She went on to do many of her other songs like "I Love Rock N Roll", "Hate Myself For Loving You" and "Crimson and Clover". She also did some of her Runaways songs like "Cherry Bomb" and "You Drive Me Wild". She interacting with the audience a lot too. Throughout the show, she explained the meaning of each song and the names of the song. Joan Jett is truly THE rocker chick. The concert was amazing and she even did two encores after a long show. 

Here is a video highlighting some of the awesome performances by Joan:

Thanks for everyone on the Bands, Brew, and BBQ team for making this event awesome. 

Cheetah Hunt & Cheetah Run Hardhat Tour Photos and Video!

Today we got a hardhat tour of the Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run construction site. It was an amazing tour and gave us an up close look at everything. 

First off, Mark Rose, VP of Design and Engineering at Busch Gardens, took us through the Cheetah Run housing area which will be in the former Clydesdale Barn. Then we got to take a look at some samples of the theming around the area and the ditch between the people and Cheetah Run. After that, we crossed the bridge by the overbanked turn and learned about the station and Cheetah statues. Then we headed inside the station and saw the "Cheetah Rock" which you will hear about in the video and the station for the ride! Everything looks fantastic. Our tour ended with an upclose look at the tower and a chance to look inside the coaster maintenance building. 
Some new things to take note of included, The Opening Date which will be May 27th, First launch will be 38 MPH instead of 30 MPH,15 foot Cheetah Rock in the station,Cheetah Hunt will go over the Skyride and more! 

It was an amazing tour and I would like to thank Jill, the whole PR team and Mark Rose for a great afternoon! Now onto the pictures and video:

Cheetah Run Housing:

Theming Samples:

First Launch, Overbanked Turn and Second Launch.

Cheetah Hunt Entrance Driftwood Sculptures:

Cheetah Hunt Station:

Cheetah Hunt Gift Shop:

15 foot "Cheetah Rock" :

Cheetah Hunt Station:

Maintenance Building:

Cheetah Hunt Figure 8 Tower:

Cheetah Run Ditch:

Crossroads Entrance: