Carnival of Terror Horror Bus
Step right up... if you dare.
Most people who live in Tampa Bay have driven past Gibsonton their entire lives without stopping. For over 100 years it was the winter home of America's circus performers, sideshow workers, and traveling showmen. The zoning laws once allowed exotic animals and carnival rides in residential yards. The Showmen's Association built a retirement village there for performers who spent their lives behind the curtain. It is one of the strangest places in Florida and almost nobody knows it exists.
The Carnival of Terror Horror Bus takes you inside that world. Three stops. Four hours. 22 guests on a luxury mini-bus departing from Safety Harbor Resort.
Stop 1: The Showmen's Museum, after hours.
Private after-hours access to one of the most unusual museums in Florida, dedicated entirely to the history of traveling carnivals and the showmen who made Gibsonton their permanent home. Most Tampa Bay residents have never been inside.
Stop 2: Showtown Bar and Grill, Gibsonton.
The bar and grill where the performers and showmen of Gibsonton have gathered for decades. Still operating. Still steeped in the culture that made this town unlike anywhere else in America. Drinks available for purchase at the bar.
Stop 3: Showmen's Rest Cemetery, Est. 1951.
The final resting place of hundreds of circus and carnival workers beneath a monument reading "A Tribute to All Showmen Under God's Big Top." Buried here is Edmondo Zacchini, the Italian-born pioneer who invented the Human Cannonball act — and his daughter Duina, who performed it for over 20 years, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, and was personally invited by NASA to try out as the first female astronaut. She turned them down. This is not a re-creation. These are real people in a real place most Floridians have never heard of.
Between stops the bus becomes a rolling midway — carnival and true crime trivia with prizes, cinematic themed snacks, music rounds, games, and the kind of conversation that only happens when you're moving through the dark together. BYOB welcome on the bus. No glass containers. All beverages stay on the bus at every stop. Please drink responsibly — we are visiting historic and residential locations that deserve our respect.
Past Horror Bus events have all sold out. This one will too.
Pickup and return: Safety Harbor Resort, Safety Harbor, FL
Ages 21+ / Limited to 22 guests / Apr 25th only
From $175 per person
