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Busch Gardens Christmas Town Delivers Holiday Fun

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There are so many wonderful holiday events at Central Florida theme parks, and this year Busch Gardens Tampa is launching the biggest Christmas celebration ever. For the first time in the park’s 53-year history, visitors to Christmas Town will experience all-new evening attractions, shows and shopping from 6 to 11 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, Nov. 30 through Dec. 23. Christmas Town transforms the park into a nighttime holiday wonderland of wintery surprises and all things Christmas, filling guests’ senses with seasonal sights, sounds and flavors, and creating a beautiful new tradition for Tampa’s families. What’s even better than that? A portion of the proceeds from Christmas Town will benefit All Children’s Hospital here in the Bay area.

Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
Signs letting you know where to find all of the Christmas Town fun

 

Christmas Town is a separate-ticketed night event, and regular daytime admission is not required or included. General admission for Christmas Town is $39.99 plus tax. Busch Gardens annual pass members will receive the deepest discounts with advance online priced at $24.99 for adults and $9.99 for children, and special offers are available for guests wishing to upgrade their paid daily admission to Busch Gardens. Gift cards are available at Bay area Publix locations and additional discounts are offered through promotional codes from Chik Fil-A, Coca-Cola at Wal-Mart and Fantastic Sam’s. Families with children ages 3 to 9 will enjoy a special advance-purchase price of $9.99 for their youngest members.

Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
A “living angel” at Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
I was a little worried that the drive to Tampa and the ticket cost would not be worth it, but Christmas Town was absolutely wonderful. I am a huge fan of Christmas lights, and seeing almost every inch of Busch Gardens covered in colorful, twinkling, beautiful lights, was just magical to me. The lights were all really well done, each area themed separately with unique activities, displays, or shows in each section. Special glasses are provided to make snow flakes appear on each light, making it even more fun.
Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
How the lights look through the special viewing glasses
In addition to the lights, there are several really worthwhile shows going on during the night, as well as being able to ride some of the most popular roller coasters in the park. We really loved the ice skating show; Angels of Peace: A Christmas Journey on Ice, which was so spirited with contemporary versions of Christmas classics and some new songs as well. The Carol of the Bells light and music show on the Crown Colony  restaurant was also a highlight, so fun. The Celebration Village area had holiday snacks and drinks to enjoy while you stroll through the park, along with some of the familiar “Florida snow” we see in other area theme parks (aka soap!). There was also an area with “real” snow, enough to make and throw snowballs and go sliding: Snow World, presented by Coca-Cola.
Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
Enchanted Flamingo Valley was my absolute favorite. SO many pink lights!
I took so many photos of the wonderful lights, I decided to put them all on a Busch Gardens Christmas Town flickr set, because I couldn’t decide which ones to post here. If you are able to make it down, I really think the Christmas Town event is worth it, and I hope it becomes an annual tradition for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, I know my family will be returning next year! You can find more information on pricing and tickets at the Christmas Town site.
Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town
Who knew the North Pole was a disco ball??

 

Disclosure: my family was provided a complimentary viewing of the events mentioned above. All opinions are my own.

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Experience Cold and Snow in Florida at Gaylord Palms ICE-Shrek the Halls!

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Shrek the HallsMy family first visited the Gaylord Palms and its ICE! event back in 2007. We loved it back then and I’ve been lucky enough to attend the last two ICE openings at a media sneak peek. This year was the first time I brought my littlest guy, now 3, to experience the fun. I wondered what he’d think of the extreme cold temperatures, but despite his initial resistance to wearing the puffy blue parkas the hotel provides for ICE visitors, he was excited to see everything!

As you enter the Gaylord Palms convention center, you are greeted by the “Holiday Halls” where ICE!, Snow, Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating, and the DreamWorks Experience are held. In addition to the free elements of the Gaylord Palms holidays, the special ticketed events include ICE! with over 16,000 square feet of 9-degree weather – quite the contrast to the 80 degree temperatures we are experiencing.

This year, ICE! is Shrek-themed with perfect representations of your favorite characters including Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Donkey and more. It is amazing how much the huge blocks of colored ice look like their animated counterparts. Also within the experience are the slides made entirely of ice, which my big kids (and my friend and I) loved sliding down! It’s such a fun way to experience winter in central Florida!

Puss in Boots
I will admit to having a soft spot for Puss in Boots, love him, even in ice!

 

Shrek in Ice
Donkey, Puss in Boots and more in ICE!

 

Shrek characters in ICE
An overview of some of the characters from Shrek

 

ICE slide
This slide in ICE is so much fun (and cold!) to do!

Kung Fu Panda Awesome SNOW is another play area with a separate admission. Inside there are more slides and playground equipment and 130 tons of freshly made snow. No parkas are needed in here, it’s around 50 degrees, but snowball fights abound as you play in a courtyard themed to the Valley of Peace from Kung Fu Panda. The whole family loved making snowballs and playing in the snow – without the shoveling and scraping ice off your cars!

Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow
Walking through the SNOW!

New this year is Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating. This area was not open last night but will be now. There guests can purchase and decorated gingerbread houses, cookies or a tree ornament cookie and meet with Gingy himself!

The DreamWorks Animation 3D Theater Experience is also now open, where guests can walk the red carpet with Puss in Boots and enjoy gourmet theater food and beverages with Shrek and Princess Fiona before enjoying Puss In Boots on the big screen, in 3D!

Ticket prices vary by date and you can also look into a one or two-night DreamWorks Experience package to stay at the Gaylord Palms and get some amazing amenities, including interactive Character Meals, Meet & Greets and more. Check out pricing and more info at ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com Be sure to check in on foursquare for a special treat too – free hot chocolate! Those on twitter can follow the action using the #GPICE hashtag and you can upload your photos to the group flickr account too. Speaking of flickr, for more photos from me check out my Gaylord Palms ICE set on flickr. As you can see below, photographers are on hand to capture your family’s experiences and allow you to bring home memories to last a lifetime.

ICE photo
Group shot of the family and Amanda Tinney's family too in our ICE! parkas!

Some of the free events within the hotel include Luminescence, a musical journey into the spirit of Christmas, Christmas Wonders and Majestic Christmas Tree Lighting and Visits with Santa. I can’t wait to bring the family back again and check out all of these beautiful events in person.

This Saturday, 11/19, Gaylord Palms is teaming up with the amazing local kids charity Give Kids the World, for 50% off admission to ICE! Be sure to use promo code: SEGKW when purchasing tickets! 

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