The Wandering Disciple

Tampa, Florida: Egypt is one of Busch Garden’s newest land and home to one of its wildest rides, the Montu. Themed to look like an Egyptian marketplace, the region is one of the smallest in the park, second to Crown Colony. Opened in 1996, Egypt contains only one ride attraction, Montu. The 150 foot high inverted roller coaster takes riders through seven inversions at more than 60 miles per hour. Montu features more inversion than any other inverted coaster and was ranked as high as third for the Best Steel Coaster. Montu is named after the Egyptian God of War. Egypt is also home to King Tut’s Tomb. Here you will find a re-creation Howard Clark’s excavation of the tomb. Travel through several rooms of the tomb and see replicas of the riches that were uncovered in the tomb. Sifting Sands is located across the way and provides a great place to take the younger kids not old enough for Montu. Here kids can dig through the Egyptian desert sands in an attempt to uncover missing tre...

Sarasota, Florida: With the best of three divisional series tied 1-1, all eyes were focused on the Ed Smith Stadium when the Sarasota Reds faced off with the Clearwater Threshers. Despite a hard fought contest, the Reds faltered in the late innings and lost 4-3. The Threshers jumped out to an early lead in the third inning, posting two runs on the scoreboard. The Reds bounced back in the bottom half of the third, tying the game 2-2. The Threshers offense mounted a rally in the sixth inning. A bases loaded jam results in two runs and Clearwater taking a 4-2 lead. The Reds pushed across another run in the ninth inning but it wasn’t enough as they fell 4-3, putting an end to a great season by the Sarasota Reds. Clearwater advanced to the Florida State League Championship Series to face the Brevard County Manatees. Click on the photo above to visit my Game Three Reds/Threshers photo gallery.

Clearwater, Florida: The Clearwater Threshers are the Class A-Advanced affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Threshers play in the North Division of the Florida State League. The Clearwater franchise was established in 1985 as the Clearwater Phillies. The club was rebranded as the Threshers in 2004 in conjunction with their move to a new ballpark. Many major league stars have passed through Clearwater on their way to the big leagues. This list of stars includes Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and more. They were even managed by a Phillies great and hall of famer, Mike Schmidt during the 2004 season. The franchise has just one league title in their possession. In 2007, the Threshers defeated the Brevard County Manatees to win their lone title. The Threshers play their 70 game home schedule at Brighthouse Networks Field. The 7,000 seat stadium is one of the best in the Florida State League. Click on the photo above to visit my Clearwater Threshers photo gallery. He...

Tampa, Florida: The Crown Colony region of Busch Gardens is the smallest portion of the park. Nestled between Nairobi and Egypt, the Crown Colony is home to the only table service restaurant in the park. It is also home to the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales. Opened in 1966, Crown Colony opened with the introduction of the monorail. The monorail provided a half mile ride through the Serengeti Plain. Due to mechanical problems, the monorail was closed for good in The Skyride was added to the park in 1974. Here guests ride in a gondola thirty feet over the safari, giving riders a birds eye view of the Serengeti. The Skyride is a one way trip from Crown Colony to Stanleyville or vice versa. During the thirtieth anniversary of the park, Busch Gardens opened the Clydesdale Hamlet. Here you can get an up close look at the signature Budweiser Clydesdales. The Hamlet also includes a museum of pictures looking back on the history of the Clydesdale. Most recently added to the Hamle...

Sarasota, Florida: The Sarasota Reds regular season came to an end in nail biting fashion as they fell to the Tampa Yankees 5-4. The Sunday afternoon season finale was a great warm up for postseason play. Despite the loss, the Reds head to the Florida State League playoffs, facing Clearwater in round one. Click on the photo to view the Reds/Yankees game gallery.

Tampa, Florida: The Tampa Yankees are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees. The T-Yanks are five time league champions and have sent many notable players to the big show including Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain to name a few. The Yankees began play in the Florida State League in 1994. Since then the club has been a breeding place for young talent as well as a rehabilitation stop for major leaguers that are on the disabled list. George M. Steinbrenner Field is the home of the Tampa Yankees as well as the spring training home of the parent New York Yankees. The T-Yanks play their 70 game home schedule in this iconic stadium that resembles the footprint of Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are five time Florida State League Champions and have one the past two titles back to back. They won the title in 1994, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2010. Click on the photo above to visit my Tampa Yankees photo gallery. Here you can see game pictures as well as player pict...

Tampa, Florida: Tucked away in the heart of downtown Tampa is a bustling city. No its not Y’bor City, but rather its Kid City, a miniature city replica for the kids to recreate city life. From City Hall to McDonald’s, it is all here for exploration. Originally opened in the 1960’s as a place to teach safe bike riding, the facility has grown to a working city. Today there are several interactive exhibits in which the children can pretend to run the city. Kid City has a fire station, police station, post office, art museum, McDonald’s, Publix grocery store, doctor’s office, city hall, bank and more. Each of these building are equipped with dress up outfits and equipment to make the experience more realistic. In 2008, the City of Tampa decided to close the aging facility. Construction of a new children’s museum in downtown Tampa had begun and there are plans to incorporate and enhance some of the exhibits found at the original Kid City. The much anticipated Glazer Children’s Museum...