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Safari of Fun Sneak Peek

Posted Jan 15, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Jan 15, 2010 at 01:25 PM

I didn’t expect to spend my morning wearing a hard hat and tromping around a construction site in my brown high heels, but how could I pass up the chance to get a sneak peek at the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun exhibit at Busch Gardens?

I couldn’t wait to see how they were revamping Land of the Dragons, which closed Jan. 5, into a play area that would be double the size. My kids, 4-year-old Jay and 18-month-old Chris loved the old area, even though there wasn’t that much Chris could do yet.

That changes with the new area.  There will be a big splash area for toddlers and pre-schoolers, a swing ride, a parade and show with Sesame Street characters, and a chance to take photos with Elmo and the rest of the gang.  The logistics of that posed a bit of a challenge for the theme park designers.  They had to create a special 10-foot-tall door so Big Bird wouldn’t bang his head.

There’s a new kid-sized roller-coaster for the pre-schooler set.  Kids only have to be 38 inches tall to ride this coaster with an adult; children at least 41 inches tall can ride it by themselves.  Air Grover goes a speedy 23 miles per hour and dips and turns above a yet-to-be-planted desert landscape.

Best of all, there’s finally a place to sit down and eat.  You can make reservations online now for Dine with Elmo and Friends, a 192-seat buffet restaurant that will offer lots of kid-friendly food and a chance to interact with the characters.

All of the old Land of the Dragons rides will be revamped.  Here’s a quick look at what they’ll be named after they’re given a new coat of paint and the Sesame Street treatment:

* Little Flivvers becomes The Count’s Zambezi Rally

* Riffle Rapids becomes Zoe-Patra & the Hippos of the Nile

* Flutter Sputter becomes Snuffy’s Elephant Romp

* Dapper Flappers becomes Elmo’s Safari Go-Round

* Eggery Deggery becomes Big Bird’s Whirly Birdie

*Dumphrey’s Dream becomes Telly’s Jungle Jam

* The Tree House becomes Elmo’s Treehouse Trek

* Dragon’s Nest becomes Cookie Monster’s Canopy Crawl

* Dragon Diggery becomes Slimey’s Sahara Sand

* Mizzly Marsh becomes Oscar’s Swamp Stomp

* Dragon’s Tale Theater becomes the Sunny Day Theater

Plus, the theater in Timbuktu will feature a 4-D movie that brings the Sesame Street Muppets’ adventures to life.  We never took our kids to the Pirate 4-D movie because I thought they might be too scared. 

Creating more attractions for younger kids was the big push behind the Safari of Sun concept.  Busch Gardens created Tree Top Trails as part of the Jungala exhibit it opened in 2008, but it’s better for school-age kids. 

“We needed to be doing a better job for families with young children,” said Donnie Mills, executive vice president and general manager for Busch Gardens.

I can’t wait to see the finished product.  Safari of Fun opens March 27.

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