Van Nuys in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Busch Gardens

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Busch Gardens Marker

Inscription.
Busch Gardens, Van Nuys, opened in 1966 at a construction cost of $4 milion dollars. In 1979, the park closed to make way for a major brewery expansion. At its peak attendance, it was a major San Fernando Valley tourist attraction which was complete with a bird show, boat rides, free beer (Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch Bavarian), and a monorail tour of the brewery facility. In 1972, a 5-acre parcel was added that included a log flume ride that traveled through the main garden area then crossed over the Union Pacific railroad to a large netted bird sanctuary. The rocks below were excavated from the existing tractor-trailer lot which previously held the bird aviary. These rocks were buried 8’ below the earth and were excavated on August 14, 2015.

Erected 2018 by Anheuser Busch.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1966.

Location. 34° 13.245′ N, 118° 28.649′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Van Nuys. It can be reached from Roscoe

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Boulevard west of Interstate 405, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15800 Roscoe Boulevard, Van Nuys CA 91406, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s The Valley — the San Fernando Valley

and in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Van Nuys Airport (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named Van Nuys Airport (approx. 1.6 miles away); Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society (approx. 1.6 miles away); National Day of Remembrance (approx. 1.7 miles away); El Encanto (approx. 2 miles away); United States Armed Forces (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Baird House (approx. 2.7 miles away); Birmingham Army Hospital (approx. 2.7 miles away).

Photographed by Craig Baker, August 5, 2018

2. Busch Gardens Marker

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

More about this marker.
The marker is located within the brewery property, which is not open to the public. The marker can be seen from a distance through the front gate.

A mistake on the marker says the log flume ride crossed over the railroad, but it never did. It’s the tram ride that crossed the railroad, with a track painted blue that looks similar to the flume ride in photos. The tram ride and the flume ride each traveled through the bird aviary. (I grew up visiting Busch Gardens, then worked on the brewery expansion. -CB)

Many people believe the park’s birds escaped or were released when the park closed, but this story is not true. The parrots living in the community today were released during a Pasadena pet store fire in 1959.

The first Busch Gardens was 30 miles east of here, in Pasadena, at the home of Adolphus Busch, whose garden was a tourist attraction from 1905 to 1937. Some features of those gardens can still be seen today, in the residential neighborhood surrounding Busch Garden Drive.

Also see . . . Busch Gardens -- California’s Gold, with Huell Howser.

Budweiser Brewery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, August 5, 2018

3. Budweiser Brewery

The marker is at the center of this photo. The supports for overhead pipelines were originally for the monorail brewery tour.

A half-hour video produced in 2004 for local PBS television stations. The first five minutes feature Bush Gardens in Van Nuys, then Huell visits the location of the original Bush Gardens in Pasadena. (Submitted on July 14, 2025.)

Photographed by Craig Baker, May 27, 2023

4. Busch Gardens Marker

Viewed from outside the front gate.

Busch Gardens image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

5. Busch Gardens

What looks like a flume ride crossing the railroad is actually a tram ride with a blue track. The flume ride and bird aviary are at lower right.

Tram Ride through the park image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

6. Tram Ride through the park

Monorail Tour through the Brewery image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

7. Monorail Tour through the Brewery

The free monorail ride was separate from the gardens.

Public Domain

8. Busch Gardens

Pedestrian Bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, May 10, 2025

9. Pedestrian Bridge

The bridge connecting two sections of the park still exists above the railroad tracks, abandoned.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 107,252 times since then and 1,358 times this year. Last updated on October 28, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. It was the Marker of the Week August 11, 2024. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 11, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on August 5, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on June 2, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 5. submitted on May 11, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 6. submitted on January 21, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 7, 8, 9. submitted on May 11, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.