Busch Gardens in 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, complete with a bird show, boat rides, free beer including 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 traveling through the main garden area and crossing 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, and had been buried 8’ below the earth until they were excavated on August 14, 2015.
