Air Grover

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay spent four years developing its first Sesame Street children's area, retheming several existing kiddie rides from the former Land of the Dragons and adding one brand-new attraction: a junior coaster designed specifically as a young child's first roller coaster. German manufacturer Zierer supplied an off-the-shelf Force 190 model — the same coaster later installed at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg as Grover's Alpine Express — themed here around Grover, with his head decorating the lead car.

Air Grover and the surrounding Sesame Street Safari of Fun opened together on March 27, 2010, giving the park its first character meet-and-greet area alongside the ride itself. With a 38-inch height minimum, the coaster is built to be rideable by an average three-year-old, its roughly 30-second circuit including a handful of mini dives and sharp turns gentle enough for first-time riders while still delivering genuine airtime.

The ride's design brief was explicit from the start: park design vice president Mark Rose described it publicly as meant to be a child's first roller coaster experience, prioritizing approachability over any of the thrill elements found elsewhere in the park.

Air Grover remains the entry point to the hobby for many of Busch Gardens Tampa's youngest guests, a low-intensity credit that shares its exact ride system with its Virginia sibling nearly 700 miles away.