Busch Gardens is a sprawling park in Tampa Bay on the grounds of the Anheuser Busch Brewery. You should plan on being there a full day to get full enjoyment out of the park. It's more enjoyable in the temperate seasons. It's advisable to bring sunscreen (or a good hat) as much of the park is not shaded. A full day requires a lot of walking, but there is a train to get you from one end of the park to the other. Busch Gardens has a great website with tons of information that can be found
here.
From the days when it was an overgrown zoo, it has evolved into a world-class theme park that can easily rival Disney or Sea World for a day's entertainment and unfortunately price. Busch Gardens is split into several themed areas such as "Nairobi", "Stanleyville", and "Morocco". You'll find the attractions and restaurants follow the theme. The biggest draws as far as animal life are the Serengetti Plain (where you can experience buffalo, lions, flamingoes, and other animals) and the apes of the Myombe Reserve. This is just a small sampling of the many animals to be found at Busch Gardens. You could spend an entire day just visiting the animals!
As for rides, Busch Gardens features several well-known roller coasters: Kumba (loops), Montu (inverted), and Gwazi (wooden). These are the best coasters in all of Florida, no contest. There are also several water rides to cool you off in the Florida heat.
The only downside to Busch Gardens is that the food leaves much to be desired -- even for theme park food. The majority of vending is snack food and you will search long and hard for a sit-down meal in much of the park. I'd advise bringing a picnic lunch or getting a pass out and walking across the street to Denny's. It's cheaper, has better food, and that's what the locals do! Also, look for discount coupons to the park available around Tampa or from AAA and other travel agencies.