Busch Gardens deja vu

So here we are again, this time for entertainment.   They've got something here called Illuminights, special evening shows culminating in fireworks.   That's in addition to the shows that run all day.

First up was a acrobatic performance it Italy called Giardino Magico.  Two ladies doing all sorts of gymnastic moves.  At 6 minutes, it was good but too short.

Next was Mix It Up, live music and dance by the cooks and waiters of Italy.  We got spaghetti dinners and sat down to watch the show.  It started to rain lightly towards the end of the show and I think one of the dance numbers was cut, buy it was good.

When the show was over, so was the rain.  Next we hurried to France for Voila, can can dancers and a juggler.  Nice.

We decided the German and Irish shows were too juvenile so we opted to ride the log flume, and Drew took another ride on Griffon.  Then we decided to do some shopping.  Then I  got ice cream, Drew got a smoothie,  and we watched the park shut down for a storm that never really came.  When I say " the park shut down ", I mean the outdoor venues -- the shops, restaurants, indoor attractions and carnival games go on.  There was some distant lightning but nothing else.

None of the cast members (yeah, that's what they're called) could tell us if the fireworks would go on as scheduled.   So we decided to go to our viewing spot at hope for the best.  We'd been told that the bridge between Italy and Germany was a prime viewing spot.

It was.

Not only do you get a clear view of the pyrotechnics in the sky, you can also see the fireworks reflected in the water below.

I liked this park.  It was pretty, nicely themed, clean and generally well run.  Of course we didn't see the park at capacity.

A few things I would change.  Most rides didn't have wait times posted ( though lines were generally short and we never felt the need to purchase priority boarding), there was no central location in the park to see what rides were closed or would open late.  There weren't enough "you are here" maps posted. And some of the older rides in the park were not designed to accommodate a larger person, when similar rides in other parks could easily do so.

But overall a fun experience.