Anheuser brews up Busch Gardens

May 26, 1966: Anheuser-Busch opened Busch Gardens, a $4-million theme park and tropical oasis in Van Nuys. The 17-acre spread included a monorail that snaked around the facility and passed windows that gave passengers a look at stages of the brewing process.

“A 25-cent fee is charged for parking and 50 cents for a 20-minute boat ride along a lagoon and through part of the gardens,” The Times reported. “Lagoon banks are populated by flamingos, toucans, macaws, storks, swans, herons, egrets -- more than 1,000 birds in all.”

The park, which gave out beer samples and in later years included numerous rides, was closed in 1979 to make room for a brewery expansion.