Special Events At Busch Gardens In Virginia
On the above note, its nice you dont need a separate ticket to the park for special events. Whereas you need a dedicated ticket to see Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom, for example, a regular park ticket to Busch Gardens will gain you entry to Howl-O-Scream. Simply stay past 5:45pm when the park switches over to Halloween, fright-themed.
Parking: Where And How Much
It was a blessing we were able to purchase our parking online, ahead of time. We simply did this on our cell phones while in our hotel room the night before. It will save you a few dollars and expedite the exchange once you get to the parking gate in your car. All theyll have to do is scan what you purchased and youll be on your way.
There was no need to purchase priority parking. The shuttles to and from the further parking lots run continuously and we went back to our car once. With walking and the shuttle there and back to the park it didnt take more than ten to fifteen minutes.
Busch Gardens Memories: Halloween
In October, Busch Gardens switches to a Halloween theme. Most of the seasonal entertainment begins in the evening, and the shows change from year to year. The brochures used pumpkins to indicate the fright level of a performance. Five pumpkins meant a show had the highest scare level.
An example of a one-pumpkin show was a talented family playing instruments and singing classical country and western songs, such as Tennessee Waltz. A two-pumpkin show had an orchestra in white face and performers singing and acting to songs such as Witch Doctor and I Put a Spell on You.
My personal favorite was a three-pumpkin train ride. The ride was based on Washington Irvings The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. There were invitations to the Van Tassels harvest party. As people waited in line performers in period costumes warned the guests to watch their heads. The train ride had a narration of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as it rode past scenes of the story. The climax was Ichabod Crane being chased by the headless horseman.
The last time we went to Busch Gardens, in October, we watched a four-pumpkin show. It was a song-and-dance routine where the performers wore leather and metal. They performed to songs that had a scary nexus to them such as Chain Chain Chain and One Way or Another. The show could be scary for a small child in the first couple of rows.
“France”, December 2013
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Food And Drink Options
It was difficult to find healthy food options. We know its a theme park! Happily, though, many parks are finding ways to incorporate things like carrot sticks and apples into their snack stands. That being said we had to indulge in loaded French Fries at Les Frites in France, and wanted to have a pretzel in Germany but unfortunately we never made it over there.
We recommend either bringing a snack or simply getting a snack at Busch Gardens to hold you over until you can eat a late dinner after you leave for the night. Luckily, we knew Amber Oxs kitchen was open until 11:00pm so we at there two nights in a row! Its a quick ten-minute drive from the park.
Another good tip is to ask anywhere with a drink machine for a cup of water. Bottled water is expensive there but cups of water are free. Youll need to hydrate during a day or afternoon walking around the park, potentially drinking alcohol .
Please note: we thank Visit Williamsburg for generously hosting us. All the opinions in the post are ours and we bring you genuine content with real facts, photos and thoughts. Always.
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Busch Gardens Bier Fest
Busch Gardens celebrates Oktoberfest with their Bier Fest, complete with two weekends of beer, traditional German food, live music, and more. The event features 75 beer varieties representing 10 countries, including Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. Several selections from Virginia-based craft brewers also will be on tap. Guests walking through the Oktoberfest village can enjoy traditional German music by The Happy Dutchmen. This Oompah band engages audiences with songs like Edelweiss, Schitzelbank, and Ein Prosit and invites the audience to join in traditional German dances, including Der Ententan and the Chicken Dance. Access to Bier Fest is included with park admission.
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Ride The Train During The Day And After Sunset
My family takes a ride on the train every visit to Busch Gardens, this was an especially special train ride since the park was decorated so beautifully for Christmas. One of the best views you can get and experience is a full train ride through the park on the train. If you can plan out a time you and your family can take a ride on this beloved train.
Best Time To Visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg
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Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia is one of the most popular theme parks on the East Coast.
And its popularity is for good reason, too
Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA features dozens of exciting roller coasters, shows, and attractions.
It’s also been ranked as the world’s most beautiful theme park by the National Amusement Park Historical Association every year since 1990.
I’m a longtime Busch Gardens enthusiast and I’ll be sharing with you everything I know about this famous 383-acre theme park, including:
- The best time to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to avoid the crowds
- The best rides, shows, restaurants, and attractions
- Little-known tips & tricks for visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA
- Some interesting Busch Gardens Williamsburg facts and history
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Seven Things That Stood Out On My First Visit To Busch Gardens Williamsburg
by Eric Wooley· Aug 15, 2018
Busch Gardens Williamsburg was stop two on my East Coast coaster road trip. Like my first stop on the trip, Dollywood, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has long been on my list of parks Ive wanted to visit. Ive actually been to the sister park, Busch Gardens Tampa, but that was about a decade ago when it was still Busch Gardens Africa and had free beer.
My knowledge of Busch Gardens Williamsburg was basically limited to knowing that it had a lot of roller coasters that frequently ranked highly on peoples lists of best coasters, and that it was at least vaguely European themed. Its safe to say I didnt quite know what I was getting into beyond that. Here are seven of my reactions to the park from my first visit, and some of the reasons that BGW is now one of my favorite theme parks.
Interested In Jumping To The Front Of The Lines
Quick Queue is great for jumping to the front of the line at the big rides on busy days but don’t spend the money to skip the lines if the park isn’t busy. Sounless you’re planning your Busch Gardens Williamsburg trip for a busy day in the summer, then you don’t necessarily need to pre-order Quick Queue. Instead, buy it at an in-park vendor only after visiting the park and seeing how busy the rides are.
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Verbolten Is A Special Ride
When I think about picking a favorite ride from the park, I keep leaning towards Verbolten. There are two main reasons for it.
First: its really the only coaster of its kind in North America . Beyond the unique element, the launches were exciting, the indoor section as as good as any twisted indoor coaster, and the dive off the bridge towards the river was a great finish.
Busch Gardens Memories: Christmas Time
Busch Gardens Williamsburg first opened for the Christmas Season in 2013. With a Perks at Work discount, I bought the tickets for $12. The low price concerned me a bit because I didnt know if that reflected an open park with little to see and do. This was not the case. At the time, the park opened in the mid-afternoon. The current Christmas time schedule has the park opening at 2pm on most days and noon on Saturdays.
Some of the rides were closed, but many were open. The Escape from Pompeii ride was closed. It was transformed into a magnificent light display. The area of the park with the theme of Marco Polos journey was transformed to a theme of Americana. This display had classic American Christmas displays. The park boasts 10 million lights and that its the largest light display in North America.
There was also a live penguin exhibit. It was there that I learned most species of penguins dont live in Antarctica. The line to the exhibit was long. Another long line was to see Santa Claus. Since our group was composed of teenagers and adults, we decided to spend the time seeing other sites and rides. Outside the Festhaus in Germany, there was a magnificent Christmas tree light show. Inside there was a Christmas music show.
No matter the season, Busch Gardens is a fun place to visit., but if you want to get in a holiday mood Busch Gardens does its best to get you there.
The Busch Gardens web site, last accessed 8/11/20.
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Visit All Of The Christmas Trees Through The Park
Each country boasts its own beautiful Christmas Tree that you just have to see. This tree was one of my kids favorites, they loved seeing the beautiful lights and the dancing light show O Tannenbaum located just outside of Das Festhaus®. Make sure you snap some wonderful photos of your family in front of the many trees. Who knows they might make it on your Christmas Card this year.
Simplify The Busch Gardens Experience
Depending on what sort of park experience you have in mind, you might want to buy ticket add-ons in advance. If you want great seats to Celtic Fyre, an Irish step dancing show, paying a little extra will be well worth a reserved seat. And if you already know you and your crew are all about the food add on an All-Day Dining Deal + Drinks, which will ensure you can get an entree, a side or dessert, and a drink every 90 minutes. Virginias Busch Gardens also offers quick queue access so you can enjoy priority status at your favorite rides and roller coasters.
To make life even easier, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has a Transferable Ride Locker Pass so you can secure your belongings while you hop on a ride, and a Quick Pay Cashless Wristband, so you can make purchases without fumbling for your wallet.
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The Coaster Collection Is A+
I knew that BGW had good coasters, but I dont think I expected the catalog to be this good. In particularly, every coaster integrates with the terrain, landscaping, and layout of the park beautifully. I love the way Apollos Chariot drops further than it climbs, the way Alpengeist flies under the bridge and hugs the ravine on the second half, and the swooping dive Verbolten makes towards the river. The line-up also consists pretty much of all of my favorite coaster models . They also all offered excellent night rides, particularly because of how well they all interact with the landscape . The one coaster that isnt really surrounded by woods , Griffon, offers amazing night views of the park, and was beautifully lit for their Summer Nights program.
Im still struggling to decide which of these coasters was my favorite, because I think Id be happy to ride all of them over and over.
If there was one thing I felt was lacking from the coasters, its that most didnt have as much detail in the theming as there was in the lands themselves. There were nice small touches, like the skis on the back of each Alpengeist car or the diving equipment near Loch Ness, but they werent really immersive attractions. With one obvious exception
You Need To Read This Before Visiting Busch Gardens
It was nearly total darkness as the rollercoaster climbed towards the sky before an abrupt descent to the tracks valley below. We had finally gotten on a thrill ride after an afternoon of walking around the park and were excited to feel the rush of exhilaration riding the coaster. Yet it was the only true thrill ride we were able to get on that day and we left with the knowledge of what wed do differently next time to make our visit more enjoyable.
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Jack Hanna’s Wild Reserve
Along with various birds that inhabit Jack Hanna‘s Wild Reserve, attractions here include bald eagles and wolves. Eagle Ridge is a 3,000+ foot area set aside for housing and rehabilitating bald eagles and providing education to visitors. Wolf Haven is a viewing area where guests may observe one of Busch Garden’s pairs of wolves. One pair is on exhibition at a time. Busch Gardens also provides Wolf Valley for those wolves not on display. Over 8,000 feet of natural habitat is intended to ensure the animals’ health and well-being. In recent years, animal attractions at the park have been extensively removed, though the staple attractions remain.
Busch Gardens’ Highland Stables features Scottish Blackface sheep, Border collies, black Clydesdales and a European barn owl. Guests can interact with the animals during daily demonstrations.
Attractions At Busch Gardens
- The thrill attraction Tempesto debuted April 25, 2015. The ride propels riders forward and backward through the station house at more than 60 miles per hour. Riders then climb 154 feet in the air for the signature loop-the-loop inversion.
- In May 2014, Busch Gardens opened a new stage with super powerful video projectors and nearly 2,000 audio speakers at the Globe Theatre.
- In 2013, Busch Gardens introduced its first ever food festival featuring authentic tastes of Europe paired with family-friendly activities and entertainment. This annual weekend has become a favorite of visitors.
- Also, enjoy world-class thrills aboard Verbolten, Busch Gardens attraction located in Oktoberfest. This multi-launch, indoor/outdoor roller coaster sends guests on a fun and mystifying family adventure through the Black Forest.
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The Williamsburg Winery Williamsburg Virginia
The Williamsburg Winery gained attention from locals and visitors in 1988 when it released its first critically acclaimed wine. Today the winery consists of a tasting room, several restaurants, and an inn. Two main tastingsa fine wine tasting and a reserve wine tastingare available for Williamsburg Winery guests throughout the year.
Tours and restaurant meal packages are also popular options among winery visitors. Wedmore Place, the winery’s main hotel, is a European-style inn with 28 custom-designed rooms. Guests can enjoy scrumptious meals paired with fine wines at the hotel’s Cafe Provençal.
5800 Wessex Hundred, Williamsburg, VA 23185, 757-229-0999
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Walk Through The Polar Pathway
During the winter they transformed Italys Escape from Pompeii® into the Polar Pathways. The smell of Christmas trees coupled with the dazzling light display of Polar Pathway will make you feel as if Christmas is here. Featuring a cascading icy wonderland that shimmers in the moonlight and fun polar bears you can catch a selfie with.
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Busch Gardens Williamsburg Virginia
Busch Gardens Williamsburg will bring out your inner child regardless of your age. This thrilling theme park is designed to send you to Europe with beautiful landscaping and recognizable sights from Italy, France, and Germany. The Gardens have over 30 attractions of all kinds, from heart-stopping roller coasters to exciting Broadway-style shows and live animals. Special attractions for the kids include Land of the Dragons and Sesame Street Forest. If you are looking for fun things to do in Williamsburg, Virginia with kids, this is a great place to visit.
The rides at Busch Gardens are among the best in the world and include monsters such as Tempesto, with a famous loop the loop. Check out the popular Griffon, which will take you at speeds of over 75mph and up 205 feet in the air before dropping you down screaming. If you are not an adrenaline-junky, try Verbolten, which will take you on a tour of the Black Forest and drop you 80 feet over the Rhine River. The Bush Gardens are famous for their excellent restaurants, which is another exciting aspect to check out once your stomach settles down.
1 Busch Gardens Blvd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, 800-343-7946
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Drink Their Signature Cocoa Or Something For The Adults
I personally loved the Hot Cocoa at the Cocoa and Cookies shop. My kids loved it as well and couldnt get enough of it. Although I didnt drink during this trip there were some insanely delicious drinks on tap and from the bottle available throughout the park. If you really enjoy the wine you tasted, Busch Gardens offers a buy now pick up at the Exit when you leave the park option. That way you arent carrying a bottle of wine during your visit to the Park.
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