I loved our visit as the park was not all about the rides like most theme parks, and not all about the animals like zoos. It was a great combination of those. The roller coasters, or thrill rides if you will, were fun. The animals were interesting and varied (note for animal lovers like me... The enclosures are very nice, not too small and plain like you'll see at some zoos).
We did visit on a Wednesday, which was nice as lines were relatively short, and there weren't many crowds anywhere. I'm sure weekends, especially closer to summer, are different.
Overall Busch Gardens is an excellent alternative to more expensive parks like Universal Studios (we went there last year).