I’ve been going to Busch Gardens my entire life but I’ve never been to its food and wine festival. Earlier this week, Robert and I attended and enjoyed sampling the food and drinks at the event. It was fun walking around the park and choosing things we normally don’t eat. Of course, I was the one sweating buckets as soon as we walked inside the park.

Don’t get overwhelmed but there is a lot of options to choose from at the Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival. It features 35 food samples alongside 65 fine wines and over 50 craft beers and cocktails. This was not the time for me to peruse the menus before going. I wanted to be surprised when I got there and not limit myself to just a few things. The food options are healthy. Foods are marked as either “plant-based”, “gluten-free”, or “vegetarian”.

Going to the Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival is a nice departure from going to the theme park strictly for the rides. Neither one of us knew where we were going initially until I asked how to get to the festival; we were close so it wasn’t a far walk.

One thing I like to do with a huge event like this is to see what’s available first before I make my first move…didn’t do that here. As soon as we walk in to the festival, it all hits me at once. For some reason, I felt Alice in Wonderland vibes because the area of the park the festival is in looks completely different from the rest of it. Florals, small booths, and intricate topiaries send you on a maze.

Robert and I walked around for a couple hours sampling about 20 different things. Out of everything we ate, my favorite sampling is the Habanero Infused Baklava because it’s the most out of character thing for me. I don’t do too many spicy things but the spice of the habanero pepper with the syrupy honey, flaky layers, and fresh pomegranate seeds is something I’ll probably search for more of.

I had the best time at the park and I already see myself going back next year for more samples and more libations. The festival ends at the end of this month and is only on Saturdays and Sunday.

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