Busch Gardens Williamsburg Help...

Hey,

My parents are planning a summer vacation. I have just about convinced them to visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg because of the parks beauty, landscaping, and overall theme... however, not ever been to the park, I just got a couple quick questions I hope you can help elaborate on...

...how long do you think you need to see the entire park? Can it be done in 1 day, or is 2 preferable? My parents aren't HUGE ride fans, although they do like their share of coasters & themed rides, so as long as it isn't too intense (they are in their late 50's, early 60's).

...take into account the shows, the attractions, and the overall themes of the world they have. If you absolutely wanted to see everything that this park had to offer, how long would it take you? Obviously, a ride/coaster enthuiast can breeze through it in one day... but how about people that like to take it all in & enjoy the atmosphere?

...oh yeah, one last one... is it honestly worth it there? I know it's beautiful there... but is it worth the price of admission?

I think you can have a wonderful time spending one full day at the park. All five coasters (yes, even the Wilde Maus) are delightful, and have varying levels of intensity in case the folks aren't feeling overly adventurous.

Without a doubt, this park is worth visiting. There are a number of neat shows, 3-D programs, live music, etc. that are also worth seeing. The food and landscaping truly are second-to-none (try the Das Alpine and Chocolate Torte at the Festhaus!). Set aside a day for this park, and maybe spend another day at Kings Dominion north of Richmond. Have fun!

If your parents aren't huge ride fans, I definitely WOULDN'T recommend King's Dominion. Sorry, SweetMaggie.

I would instead recommend a day at Colonial Williamsburg.

BGW is a great choice though, and you can hate coasters and still love the park.

Hi DawgByte. Your family seems similar to mine with parents of the same age and also have three siblings with a wide age difference. We have varied interests and that is why we love BGW, and like your family, we like to see and do everything when we visit a park. BGW has great shows, shops, and restaurants in addition to its beautiful atmosphere, and there are rides and attractions for all ages and interests.

On each of the three visits we have taken to the park, we have bought three day tickets which also include admission to their water park. Three days has been just about perfect for all of us to fully enjoy the park during the summer, and we have never visited the water park (it's just not our thing). I believe the three day ticket costs around $70, and they also now have a FunCard allowing unlimitted admission for the summer season which may be a better deal. I think they also have an option to add days to a one or two day ticket for a low fee before you leave if you decide to spend an extra day, but check with the park about that. I hope you enjoy your trip.

And yes, it is well worth the admission price.

It really depends when you go. I went in late September and rode Apollo about 8 times, Alpie 4, Nessie 3, BBW 2, and Wilde Maus once. We also did Corkscrew Hill, Escape From Pompeii, checked out some animals, saw one (terrible) show, and ate a great BBQ lunch. Did all of this in about 7 hours or so. I would imagine that a summer day would be quite different.
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http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com

I'm also planning a trip to Busch Gardens with my family, and I was wondering, when is the best time to visit?

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Emerging from the ashes of Eric 013...

My folks are in their mid-60s, and they had a fabulous time at BGW this past October. They are not coaster fans (anymore), and apart from their rides on Apollo and BBW (had to do a lot of convincing to get my dad on Apollo ;) ), they enjoyed a full day there.

Y'know that MasterCard commercial with the dad 'screaming like my little sister' on Hulk? That was my dad on Apollo. And oddly enough, he rode Hulk, too, last year (after all, he did some artwork for IOA).

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-Vater

Are there animals at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?

I thought it had kind of like a full fledged zoo there... but for some reason, I didn't see it on the map (or maybe I didn't look close enough)... nor did I really see it glorified on their website or broschure. I know that Tampa has one... but how about Williamsburg's?

How are prices in the park?
If you're going there to experience EVERYTHING, you probably gotta sample all the food from around their world-themed areas. Is it expensive (ie: movie theater prices), or average (ie: typical themepark pricing)?

The park can certainly be done in one day, but that's one hell of a day. I've been there twice, and both days we would have liked to have paced ourselves. Not only that, but the terrain is serious, and tires you out. Next time I go, I'd really like to spend two days there and chill.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

You can buy this Patriot Pass or Colonial Pass or something like it, its on an informercial. It gives you like 4 -5 days total at BGW, Kings Dominion, Water Country USA, Jamestown, and Colonial Williamsburg. Tell your parental units to buy the pass, which includes hotels, and you hit the parks, and while they hit the other stuff, if you are old enough to be alone, you can spend more time at the parks.

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"Every Man Has Got to Know His Limitations"

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DawgByte II said:

Are there animals at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?

How are prices in the park?

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There is a petting zoo/small zoo area, and there is an area with wolves, bald eagles, and a walk through aviary where the birds can land on you and you can feed them. There is also a bird show. These are nice features, but the animal aspect of the park is minimal as compared with BGT.

I found prices in the park to be reasonable for a theme park and the food is very good and better than you will find at most other theme parks. I especially liked the Irish food, the sausage and German potato salad at the Festhaus, and the Italian restaurant at the outdoor amphitheatre was good...and oh yeah, the barbeque in New France, too. My dad likes the fried chicken in France. It's easy to eat at BGW and never eat typical park food of burgers and pizza.

*** This post was edited by gardener14 on 1/28/2003. ***

It's absolutely worth the price of admission. Alpie and Apollo might be a litte too hardcore for your parents though. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales yet. As Jeff said, the terrain is a little tough at times, but they do have a skyride that goes in three directions, and a train that circles the park with a couple of stops. I do think you can do it in one day, if you don't have a four-hour drive like I do. But then again, 2Hostyl has accused me of driving slow (under 90mph:).
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This is counter culture from the underground eternal revolution this is our sound KMFDM better than the best Megalomaniacal and harder than the rest

I liked the park... Jeff is right. Get ready for the terrain walk. The thing I didn't like is that there are essentially two paths to follow through the park... Left and right. Once you get to Loch Ness Monster, you can choose left or right, and basically have that direction to go... Personally, I think PKD was a better value, but I was in town to ride, so thats what I did. (both parks, 1 day, all major rides.)

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CBClub member #30 and #364 (renewal)

The one thing that killed us the first time, in trying to get to Alpengeist, was the opening under the one building (just north of the Wild Maus) next to the ice cream shop and the fountain with the peeing animals. We couldn't find it, and got really irritated!

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

What exactly do you guys mean by "terrain"? That sounds a little scary.... Is it steep and hilly?

Maybe a less hot month is the best time to visit?

Do they have any night-time shows or anything? What is all in Coloniel Williamsburg?

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...Agghh, gimme a break will ya?

It is quite steep and hilly in places. There are also a couple of long, steep staircases on either end of the 'pier' that crosses the Rhine river. I'm used to walking the whole park several times during a visit, and it can be murder on the legs if you're out of shape!

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-Vater
Take a ride...

Lol... do all of you live in Florida or Kansas where everything is flat? My aging parents avoided some of the coasters at BGW, but even in the summer heat, we didn't have a problem with the terrain. Life is full of hills.

On the other hand, I was amazed at the view from the top of Kraken at SWO. You just have to get over the treetops in Florida and you can see for miles...amazing.

BGW is an excellent park and well worth the visit. Although on my second visit to the park, i spent like 5 1/2 hours riding Apollo(which by the way was an *awesome* ride).

Also, BGW is more familiy oriented, and there is likely to be more places to watch shows and such. Also a nice place to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere...deffinately not your average park.

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2003 season kicks off 3/22 w00t!! PKD here I come!
CoasterCount: 42

I did it in one day but wished I had two days to spend. It is hard to navigate your way around the park- it is literally a maze. Take your time and enjoy it! There are plenty of things for your parents as well...such as drinking beer all day at the German Brew Hous. The day after BGW we drove an hour to Kings Dominion. Again, I wish I had two days at each park to soak it all in without rushing and get in all the multiple rides, etc. As for discounts, I know AAA offers discounts to BGW. For Kings Dominion we stayed at the dumpy Best Western next to the park and purchased tix at the hotel.

Jeff, I had a hard time finding Alpengeist too. I had to ask where the heck the enterance was... and the first employee had NO IDEA what I was talking about.

But I agree that both parks need soak time. Since I was in VA to shoot a short film, I didn't have much time, so I raised my coaster count at BGW and spent 90% of my day at PKD. After dealing with the PKD employees on Hypersonic, I'll definitely make sure I go back! They were fantastic!

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CBClub member #30 and #364 (renewal)