Other Attractions

How to See Busch Gardens--You can save a few dollars and avoid waiting in long lines by buying your tickets to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay at the privately owned Tampa Bay Visitor Information Center, opposite the park at 3601 E. Busch Blvd., at North Ednam Place (tel. 813/985-3601; www.hometown.aol.com\tpabayinfoctr). Owner Jim Boggs worked for the park for 13 years and gives expert advice on how to get the most out of your visit. He sells slightly discounted tickets (buying here will also save you from the ticket line at the parks) to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, and other attractions, and he will book hotel rooms and car rentals for you, often at a discount. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5:30pm, Sunday from 10am to 2pm (closed Christmas).

Arrive early and allow at least a day to see the park. Try not to come when it's raining, since some rides may not be operating. Bring comfortable shoes; and, remember, you will get wet on some of the rides, so wear or bring appropriate clothing (shops near the rides sell plastic ponchos for $5 or $6, but they're cheaper in the outside world). There are lockers throughout the park where you can stash your gear.

As soon as you're through the turnstiles, pick up a map and the day's activity schedule, which tells you what's showing and when, at the 14 entertainment venues in the park. Then take a few minutes to carefully plan your time -- it's a big park with lots to see and do.

Although you'll get close to Busch Garden's predators, hippos, and elephants in their glass-walled enclosures, the only way to mingle with the grazers is on a tour. The best is the VIP Elite Adventure Tour, which lets you roam the plains in the company of a zoologist. The 8-hour excursion costs $60 per person, $55 for kids (in addition to the park's entry fee), and usually leaves at about 1:30pm daily. You won't have to wait in line, and you'll receive a complimentary continental breakfast and lunch at the park's Crown Colony Restaurant. The tours can fill up fast, and you can't call ahead for reservations, so as soon as you enter the park, go to the Expedition Africa Gift Shop, opposite Crown Colony Restaurant in the Edge of Africa, to reserve a spot. An option (though less attractive) is the 30-minute, zoologist-led Serengeti Safari Special Tour, in which you ride among the grazers on the back of a flatbed truck. This is worth the extra $30 per person regardless of age. You can make reservations for the morning tour at the Expedition Africa Gift Shop, but the midday and afternoon tours are first-come, first-served. Note that children under 5 are not allowed on either tour.

Step Right Up . . . Lobster Boy Slept Here--If you're looking for a true attraction -- one not of the animatronic, electronic, or supersonic ilk -- deviate off the beaten path and head straight to the little seaside town of Gibsonton. Best known as "Freaktown, USA," this town of 7,000 boasts the country's largest concentration of carnies (people who make a living by working in traveling circuses and sideshows). Today, these people, once proudly known as "professional freaks," primarily work as ticket takers, clowns, acrobats, and animal trainers, but over 50 years ago, some of them were better known as "The Bearded Lady," "The Blockhead," "The Hermaphrodite," and "The Three-Legged Man." At one point in this colorful town's history, the police chief was an 8-foot, 4-inch giant, while the fire chief was a dwarf. Gibsonton was also the home of Lobster Boy (the frequent Jerry Springer Show guest who was born with a genetic condition that caused his fingers and toes to fuse into two-digit claws). Surprisingly, the town wasn't very pleased with his penchant for self-exploitation and appearances on trash television. Although the sideshow stars are, for the most part, gone from Gibsonton (thanks to advanced depilatory techniques, the Bearded Lady is now clean-shaven), if you're lucky you may stumble upon a bona fide barker who'll invite you to step right up to his mobile home so he can regale you with tales of the sideshow days of yore.

A Free Attraction--The Tampa Electric Company is a hot spot, not just because it provides the juice that makes the city tick, but also because the warm waters surrounding the plant are a haven for manatees -- they need to be in temperatures of at least 68°F. The Manatee Viewing Center (tel. 813/228-4289; www.tampaelectric.com) is open November 1 to April 15 from 10am to 5pm.