Tropical section
While talking with my Mom on the phone this morning she mentioned Marine Land...."Marine Land? Oh, yeah, I remember that place..." I said. Which led me to my next childhood theme park memory, Busch Gardens in Van Nuys, CA. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and one year my Dad bought season passes to Busch Gardens. Almost every night after school we would head over there. My Dad would give me a couple of bucks (usually spent on a slice of pizza or some delicious fudge from the old fashioned candy store) and pretty much set me loose in the park, with an hourly check in time, of course. (oh those were the days!) I must have been about 9 years old and it's one of my fondest childhood memories, I'm actually getting a little teary as I write this.
My all time, favorite ride was the Yahoo Flume ride, although I remember it as the "Log Ride". This was a water ride which meandered through the park but also had a thrilling drop at the end. My favorite part was the Tropical section where you would enter a bird aviary filled with beautiful, exotic birds. It was a truly unique experience.
By the end of the year Busch Gardens was like my own backyard, I knew every nook and cranny of the place and had free reign. Oh what I wouldn't give to relive that year of my life!
