Est. 1964 · Busch Gardens Tampa History · Hillsborough County Heritage · Florida Theme Park Architecture
The building at Busch Gardens Tampa that housed the Crown Colony Restaurant was constructed in 1964. August Busch Sr. presented it to his wife Trudy as a Valentine's Day gift — a detail that became part of the venue's identity. The colonial-style structure featured several floors with views over the Serengeti Safari area, and the upper levels housed private dining rooms and executive offices.
The restaurant operated under various iterations for nearly five decades, closing and reopening during a 1982-1990 renovation period. Reports of unexplained activity began circulating among staff after the 1990 reopening. Park records, according to accounts published at the time, contained no documented incident that would explain the reported phenomena.
Busch Gardens made a notable exception to its usual policy in 2008 when it permitted ghost-hunting group Haunted South — led by investigators Ray and Lisa Abney — to conduct the first documented paranormal investigation of its grounds. Jill Revelle, then senior communications manager, confirmed the park's permission at the time. The team documented electronic voice phenomena and electromagnetic anomalies during the investigation, though the researchers noted the importance of careful scrutiny before drawing conclusions.
The Crown Colony Restaurant permanently closed August 19, 2013, when the park announced the simultaneous closure of the Crown Colony and Garden Gate restaurants. The Tampa Bay Times reported the closures were attributed to a summer attendance decline. The building currently operates as Oasis Pizza, a counter-service pizza venue within the park.
Sources
- https://www.usforacle.com/2008/10/29/the-haunting-of-crown-colony/
- https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/busch-gardens-in-tampa-to-close-two-popular-restaurants/2132958/
Child apparitionElevator malfunctionPhantom piano musicEVP recordingsCold spotsFalling objectsCigar smell
The primary figure in Crown Colony's haunted lore is a child staff members called Wendy — described as an 8-year-old girl whose presence Busch Gardens records never explained. Reports describe her laughing audibly with no visible source, materializing as a fog in the dining room, and stopping the building's elevators between floors as a recurring nuisance. No historical incident at the location has been publicly tied to a child's death or injury.
Staff accounts also described a man seated at the piano, visible only as a reflection in the window; when witnesses turned to look directly, no one occupied the bench. Cold spots, falling trays, flickering lights, and the smell of cigar smoke appeared in multiple independent staff accounts gathered by the University of South Florida student newspaper in 2008.
The Haunted South investigation that year — the first Busch Gardens permitted on its grounds — documented EVP recordings and electromagnetic field anomalies during their session. The investigators were deliberate about methodology, emphasizing that all audio and video had to be scrutinized before presentation.
After the restaurant's 2013 closure, Bay News 9 noted in 2020 that staff working in the building after-hours still reported children's laughter and overturned tables. The paranormal reports thus outlasted the restaurant's operating life by at least seven years.
Notable Entities
Wendy (child apparition)
