Busch Gardens Tampa 10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa, 813-884-4386 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is basically a giant zoo with roller coasters. Founded as a literal garden to drink beer, the park has since blossomed into the mega theme park it is today. Recently, the park added the hybrid coaster Iron Gwazi, and Serengeti Flyer, which is billed as the “world’s largest swing ride.” Photo via Visit Tampa Bay Credit: Photo via Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Earlier this month a a large sinkhole opened beneath a wastewater treatment pond at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

According to public records from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), a 15-foot wide and 15-foot deep sinkhole appeared underneath the pond at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, resulting in nearly 2.5 million gallons of wastewater dumping into the ground.

The park’s report of the incident shows that the affected pond was just a few hundred feet from the popular Congo River Rapids ride.

A spokesperson with Busch Gardens told the Tampa Bay Times that the FDEP is working with the park to monitor the situation and that Busch Gardens has since contracted an engineering firm to address the sinkhole.

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This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2023.

Colin Wolf has been working with weekly newspapers since 2007 and has been the Digital Editor for Creative Loafing Tampa since 2019. He is also the Director of Digital Content Strategy for CL's parent...