VA coaster trip help?
Just trying to plan a trip for the last week of April (Thurs thru Mon.)to go to VA to hit PKD and BGW. Will have an extra day--is SFA worth the drive up? Any tips for going to PKD and BGW? I have wanted to hit these parks since I became a coaster freak! Anyone know when TA2K might be opening? Thanks in advance :)
Superman and Roar alone are worth the trip at SFA. Do it! Stephanie and I did it last June over a four-day weekend. Our only regret is that we didn't spend more time at BGW. That place has more atmosphere than anyplace I've been!
BGW does have only five coasters, but they're all worth riding over and over again. Be sure to ride Apollo at night... it's dreamy!
PKD has a lot of rides, but other than Volcano, none of them really jumped out at me as being special. I'm sure Hypersonic will change that.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
BGW does have only five coasters, but they're all worth riding over and over again. Be sure to ride Apollo at night... it's dreamy!
PKD has a lot of rides, but other than Volcano, none of them really jumped out at me as being special. I'm sure Hypersonic will change that.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
Well, I would anticipate that Hypersonic would be up an running opening day. They tracking has been complete (as it appears on the website) for a few weeks now. That leaves over a month for testing. The weather here has been great (above freezing, little rain), so i would think that they would be able to do a lot of work. Plus, since H:XLC isnt really new technology (the prototype ran for a couple of years in Utah), i would think that the only real concerns would be the ride's blocking system.
As for SFA, if you just want to do the coasters, you can hit them all in just a few hours, especially on a weekday. S:ROS is S:ROS ('nuff said). Roar is decent (sit in the back for a suprise). And Wild One is a good classic woodie with both a double up and a double down. The SLC, invertigo and Premier 'spaghetti bowl' can be experienced elsewhere, but are still fun nevertheless. Also the Huss Breakdance (Rodeo) is really fun too.
SFA is only about an hour fifteen minutes from PKD (and its almost all highway till you get right near SFA). You should be able to do the park in half a day and then you can either stay, or go and enjoy Washington DC. (note: you can see the Washington Monument from the top of S:ROS..but not vice-versa :)).
If you wish, let me know via e-mail what your final plans are and I would be happy to meet up with you at any of the parks (I'll have passes to PKD & SFA, but I've never been to BGW).
lata,
jeremy
As for SFA, if you just want to do the coasters, you can hit them all in just a few hours, especially on a weekday. S:ROS is S:ROS ('nuff said). Roar is decent (sit in the back for a suprise). And Wild One is a good classic woodie with both a double up and a double down. The SLC, invertigo and Premier 'spaghetti bowl' can be experienced elsewhere, but are still fun nevertheless. Also the Huss Breakdance (Rodeo) is really fun too.
SFA is only about an hour fifteen minutes from PKD (and its almost all highway till you get right near SFA). You should be able to do the park in half a day and then you can either stay, or go and enjoy Washington DC. (note: you can see the Washington Monument from the top of S:ROS..but not vice-versa :)).
If you wish, let me know via e-mail what your final plans are and I would be happy to meet up with you at any of the parks (I'll have passes to PKD & SFA, but I've never been to BGW).
lata,
jeremy
Since PKD and BGW are my home parks, I can offer a few tips:
Try to get to BGW about 9:15 a.m. if possible. You will have excellent parking with little walking, and you can go on inside and be ready to hit Nessie first since HeatherDowns is the first section to open. (Ride while you wait for the other sections to open.)
Be sure to pet the goats,(they are a hoot), and look for Heather and Lady Jane, the Dalmations that stay where the Clydesdales are.
At PKD, try to do Volcano as early as possible. When the park opens, everyone flocks to it, but it is still better than the afternoon. (Even though I foresee H:XLC will change alot of that.)
If you have to skip a coaster, I would suggest it be Shockwave. **I plan on riding H:XLC on March 24th when it opens, so I (and probably a lot of other Buzzers) will post my report to give you the full scoop**
I've never been to SFA, but since it is so close, I am going to try this year. It sounds great.
You will love BGW. Have fun!
*** This post was edited by Lorrie on 2/14/2001. ***
Try to get to BGW about 9:15 a.m. if possible. You will have excellent parking with little walking, and you can go on inside and be ready to hit Nessie first since HeatherDowns is the first section to open. (Ride while you wait for the other sections to open.)
Be sure to pet the goats,(they are a hoot), and look for Heather and Lady Jane, the Dalmations that stay where the Clydesdales are.
At PKD, try to do Volcano as early as possible. When the park opens, everyone flocks to it, but it is still better than the afternoon. (Even though I foresee H:XLC will change alot of that.)
If you have to skip a coaster, I would suggest it be Shockwave. **I plan on riding H:XLC on March 24th when it opens, so I (and probably a lot of other Buzzers) will post my report to give you the full scoop**
I've never been to SFA, but since it is so close, I am going to try this year. It sounds great.
You will love BGW. Have fun!
*** This post was edited by Lorrie on 2/14/2001. ***
Oh, BTW, since you said you will be here the last week in April, I suggest that you go to BGW on Friday, PKD on Saturday and SFA on Sunday, for these reasons:
1. BGW is the only one of the three that will be open on Friday.
2. It will still be early in the season so you wont have a lot of DC/B-more folks treking down to PKD yet.
3. The buses that run out to SFA dont run on Sundays so the crowds should be less than on Saturday.
These are just my suggestions, take them for that and nothing more. Have a blast!
lata,
jeremy
1. BGW is the only one of the three that will be open on Friday.
2. It will still be early in the season so you wont have a lot of DC/B-more folks treking down to PKD yet.
3. The buses that run out to SFA dont run on Sundays so the crowds should be less than on Saturday.
These are just my suggestions, take them for that and nothing more. Have a blast!
lata,
jeremy
I am available to join up for the PKD/SFA portion of the trip. Spend Saturday at PKD, then drive up to Bowie,MD(my home town FYI) and stay at either the Comfort or Hampton Inns. SFA is only 10-15 min from either of them.
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Peace, Love, and Rollercoasters.........we need more of all three.
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Peace, Love, and Rollercoasters.........we need more of all three.
Thanks for all the help! I had thought about doing BGW Friday, SFA Saturday, and PKD Sunday but I guess I will reverse SFA and PKD. Gives us more time to check out DC then neither myself nor my friend have never been there.
Looks like alot of buzzers live near these parks--If anyone wants to meet up with us it looks like the tentative schedule is BGW 04/27, PKD 04/28 & SFA 04/29. This trip is gonna be sweet!!!
Looks like alot of buzzers live near these parks--If anyone wants to meet up with us it looks like the tentative schedule is BGW 04/27, PKD 04/28 & SFA 04/29. This trip is gonna be sweet!!!
hockeyman said:
"Does anyone know how far of a drive it is from BGW to PKD?"
A little less than an hour. It's about 40min from PKD to the BGW exit on I-95. And if I'm not mistaken, BGW is about 15min from the interstate. PKD on the other hand, is *right on* I-95.
jeremy
Sorry 2hostyl, but your time figures are off unless your doing 120mph the whole way. It's close to an hour from I-295 to the park's parking lot.
On our eigth grade trip last year we went to Williamsburg. The hotel we stayed at was very close to BGW. On the bridge crossing the interstate I saw Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariot later on on the way to Virginia Beach. The hotel was a Howard Johnson's.
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Hurricane:Catagory Five- The Beast In The East
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Hurricane:Catagory Five- The Beast In The East
1.5 hours from BGW to PKD, and 2 hours from PKD to SFA. Hope that helps.
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Peace, Love, and Rollercoasters.........we need more of all three.
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