Busch Gardens Shifts Focus from Budweiser to Sesame Street

Each spring Busch Gardens patrons are eager to see what new features the season has to offer. For local patrons the conversations begin around Thanksgiving and it's a game of rumor and confirmation until the park opens in Spring.

This year normal curiosity was tainted by a swarm of 2008 rumors that the park was going to be closed completely because the new Belgian Owners of the Budweiser franchise wanted the beer but not the parks. By Christmas it seemed clear that although efforts to sell off the Anheiser Busch Theme Parks were unsuccessful the Busch Gardens would remain open, but there would be some changes.

The most talked about change is perhaps the one with the least impact. Free samples of Budweiser are a memory of the past although beer sales actually seem more prominent than in years past. Not only can you still get brew in the replica Oktoberfest Beer Hall, there are icy carts all over the park with flashy bottles of Bud and Bud Light for sale. The famous Clydesdales are still in stalls for public viewing and several gift items sport images of the horsed and their famous brand.

The newest attraction is a new area called "Forest of Fun" featuring a water playground and rides appropriate for smaller guests. Burt, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and all the other Sesame Friends are there singing from hidden speakers trying to light up your imagination.

In previous years a visit to Busch Gardens with smaller children certainly meant lots of time in "Land of the Dragons" and although the new "Forest of Fun" does offer the advantage of having a few rides that the older elementary school child isn't to big to be restricted from the Forest posses no real threat to pushing Dragon Land out.

Both children's areas have a few rides and lots of places to get wet. The Forest offers an indoor attraction while Dragon Land gives guests a huge tree house style jungle gym to explore. The only apparent difference between the targeted children for the two areas is that the Forest of Fun feels much more commercial in nature. You step into the television world of the great PBS creation but the plastic seems to outshine the imagination. This area seems to have more of a Six Flags feel and several surveyed guests were expressed feeling like it just didn't fit in with Busch Gardens Europe.

Only time will tell how the Forest of Fun will grow up and settle in but is should pose no threat to the continued magic of The Land of Dragons.