We Speak Attractions & Activities

Five Lion Brothers and Two Hyenas Take Over a Transformed Edge of Africa in Tampa

Published

3 months ago

July 27, 2026

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay officially opened Lion & Hyena Ridge on Saturday, July 25, 2026, unveiling a world-class new animal habitat as part of a $200 million planned five-year investment in the park. The park calls the habitat one of the world’s most immersive animal habitats and the newest addition to its award-winning zoological collection, anchoring an ongoing transformation with more attractions and enhancements planned.

The numbers make the statement. At 38,000 square feet, the habitat in the park’s Edge of Africa area is home to a coalition of five lion brothers — America’s largest coalition of lions in an Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) accredited facility — alongside a pair of spotted hyenas.

“This immersive experience brings guests face to face with these incredible animals while showcasing our continued commitment to exceptional animal care and creating unforgettable experiences for our guests,” said Jon Vigue, Park President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, in the park’s announcement.

The design is built around sightlines: expansive 270-degree glass viewing areas, interactive cave spaces and overhead bridges give guests a different vantage point at every turn. For the animals, the habitat packs in climbing structures, water elements and specially designed heated and cooled rocks — and the lions and hyenas can rotate between different areas of the habitat for enrichment and variety.

One rule of the wild holds here: because lions and hyenas are natural rivals, the two species never occupy the same habitat areas at the same time. The opening also extends an already large footprint — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay covers 300 acres and is home to an AZA-accredited zoo with more than 16,000 animals representing more than 200 species. For Tampa Bay, Lion & Hyena Ridge is the clearest proof yet that the region’s attractions race is being run just as hard on the animal side as it is on the coaster side.

We Speak Attractions & Activities

The Call Me Mother Experience Brings Immersive Art and Maternal Health Stories to Houston’s Health Museum

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Artwork from The Call Me Mother Experience at The Health Museum in Houston

The Call Me Mother Experience, an immersive multi-site art exhibit dedicated to the stories of the Black maternal health crisis, is now open at The Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive in Houston. The exhibition runs through February 28, 2027, and tickets range from $12 to $15.

Visitors should prepare for an immersive experience that includes poetry, film, performance, 3D sculptures, and original paintings created by a collective of nationally and internationally recognized artists, including D.E.E.P., Omari Maynard, Stacey Allen, Keda Sharber, and many others.

The exhibit walks visitors toward an opening question and into a reimagined waiting room, showing perspectives that range from father to mother and from despair to healing. Each site displays familial love and the grief that comes with the Black maternal health crisis in America, ending in a call to action.

“After two years working in the community to amplify local stories, I hope people see this exhibit as a celebration of our collective voices in the fight for maternal equity,” says D.E.E.P. “Every artist in the collective has had their own personal experience, be it infant death, fibroids, or birth complications. We have lived through these losses. We are using our art to demand better maternal healthcare practices in our lifetime.”

The stakes behind the exhibit are stark. As of 2024, Black women are three times more likely to die a pregnancy-related death than white women, and more than 80% of these deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Call Me Mother Experience is a Deep Ink project, fiscally sponsored by Fresh Arts, a Houston-based 501(c)(3) arts service organization, with generous support from H-E-B and several other philanthropic organizations. Additional satellite activations are planned at community sites and faith-based organizations throughout the Greater Houston area.

Learn more at callmemotherexperience.com.

Follow The Call Me Mother Experience on Instagram: @callmemotherexperience