Next week, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Discovery Cove in Orlando will both announce major new attractions coming to the parks in 2011.

Howl-O-Scream is a time of year when the park takes on a whole new look and immerses guests in a Halloween atmosphere. Did you know that we custom-create much of the park’s Halloween decor? Drawing from traditional theatrical scenic painting and construction methods, extra steps are made to ensure durability, especially since most items are outside in the elements for more than a month. Check out what we're crafting for the 13th annual Howl-O-Scream and all the effort we put into the creations.

Sesame Street’s Bert celebrates his birthday on July 26, so Busch Gardens Tampa is hosting a party for him in the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun on Saturday, July 24. Ernie's straight-laced sidekick will be the guest of honor during a breakfast and a lunch dine. Breakfast is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

On Nov. 17, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s summer hit, Kinetix, was selected as the Brass Ring Award winner for "Best Overall Production" in its budgetary category at the 2010 International Association o

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is sponsoring the 23rd Annual Clean the Bay Day on Sat., June 4, and once again we are doing our part to show support for this worthwhile event.  Because the park is in its fulltime operation on June 4, we wanted to make sure we were able to contribute so we began the clean-up effort a little early.

Last Friday, 11 year old Luke Ralston won the first Summer Nights Dance Challenge of 2011. He has had quite a bit of practice as he and his father have been coming to Summer Nights for the past three years and have participated in the dance contest nearly every weekend.

Picture yourself standing in front of a life-size replica of the locomotive engine from the family favorite holiday film, The Polar Express. At SeaWorld Orlando, you can do just that as the whistle blows and steam descends from above.  It’s the perfect place for fun, family holiday photos. Then, jump aboard The POLAR EXPRESS Experience and take an unforgettable train ride to the North Pole to meet Santa himself and plenty of “cool” animals –- polar bears, walruses, beluga whales.

We would like to welcome Casting Crowns, Matt Maher, Donnie McClurkin and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 as this weekend’s Glory at the Gardens artists. Casting Crowns will be performing with Matt Maher on Saturday, June 18. Trin-I-Tee 5:7 will open for Donnie McClurkin on Sunday, June 19.

Glory at the Gardens’ final weekend is coming up with performances by CeCe & BeBe Winans, TobyMac and Sanctus Real. Be sure to stop by the Royal Palace Theatre on Saturday to see the chart-topping brother and sister duo, CeCe & BeBe Winans. Sanctus Real will open for TobyMac for the final concert on Sunday. Both concerts begin at 6 p.m.

Celebrate your independence from a boring summer! Bring your family to the fun July 2, 3, and 4 where you can see huge colorful fireworks light up the sky over SheiKra each night. Our returning favorite Kinetix will start at 9pm and the booms and bangs will begin directly after the show. So come get pumped up at Gwazi Field and see the stage explode with thrilling acrobats and colorful dancers before you look to the skies for the for the breathtaking fireworks encore.