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Welcome to Theme Park Review! Photos & Videos of Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, and FUN!
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April 25th, 2015 Tempesto Media Day |
November 23rd, 2013 (Christmas Town Update) by cfc |
June 2011 (TPR Day) by Skycoastin Steve |
December 10th, 2010 (Christmas Town) by cfc |
May 16th, 2010 by chadster (Behind the Scenes) |
August 18th, 2008 by Electerik |
August 12th, 2008 by Hhappy |
May 29th, 2008 by Groteslurf |
March 16th, 2008 by cfc |
September 26th, 2006 by Coaster Palooza |
September 23rd, 2005 by DerekRX |
May 7th, 2005 by CoasterFanatic |
Retro 1992 by Geauga Dog |
Retro 1990 by Bull |
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| Food |
| Busch Gardens offers better-than-average theme-park food in its three main dining locations: BBQ ribs, chicken, and brisket in the Trapper's Smokehouse; German sausage, pizza, and corned-beef and turkey sandwiches in Das Festhaus; and fresh pasta specialties and Asian cuisine can be found in the Marco Polo Marketplace. Families can dine with Elmo and his other Sesame Street friends in Castle O'Sullivan (reservations are required), and the Bistro 205 near Griffon offers a fried-chicken buffet (but this location is only open on busy days). The Brauhaus Craft Bier Room offers a wonderful selection of local brews. You can find great desert items throughout the park |
| Operating Season |
| The park is usually open on weekends starting in late March, with seven-day-a-week operation in the weeks surrounding Easter (then reverting to weekends only). Regular all-week operations usually begin right after Memorial Day and last until Labor Day. The park is open weekends in September and October for Howl-o-Scream. |
| Established Seasonal events |
The park holds a number of popular events throughout the year, but the two biggest are Howl-o-Scream (weekends, late September-October) and Christmas Town (Thanksgiving weekend-New Year's Eve).
All attractions except for water rides operate during Howl-o-Scream.
The park runs Griffon, but not other coasters, during Christmas Town (if the temperature is above 42 degrees), along with, the train, sky ride, and a number of flats.
Glory at the Gardens is a Christian-music festival that usually runs in July, while classic rock bands take over for the Summer Nights series in August. The park has also experimented with Illuminights, a series of brief shows in each country, followed by a fireworks display, in August.
From March-April, the park hosts a Food and Wine Festival bringing unique flavors to the park. |
| Access & Location |
The park is located at One Busch Gardens Blvd. in Williamsburg, VA. Exit 234A off of I-64 will take you right into the park. Note that interstate traffic getting in and out of Norfolk can be very heavy in the summer.
Williamsburg is also served by Amtrak, and there is a city busline that serves the park. |
| Nearby Lodging |
| Hotels are available along Rt. 60 in the Kingsmill area near the park. Note that there is no safe way to walk to Busch Gardens from any local hotel, and staying at Kingsmill can be a bit pricey. The "tourist corridor" on Richmond Road offers a greater variety of hotels and restaurants and it's only a 10-to-15-minute drive to the park from there. |
| Virtual Queue Options |
| Two versions of Busch's Quick Queue are available. Regular Quick Queue gives you one-time front-of-the-line access for all the coasters and water rides, along with Curse of DarKastle and Europe in the Air. Quick Queue Unlimited Plus is exactly what it says for the same rides and gives you one priority ride on Verbolten (save this for a night ride, if you can). Note that some attractions using Quick Queue restrict you to a particular row of seats. Quick Queue also includes mazes during Howl-o-Scream. |
| Shows |
| The polka dancers and band of "This is Oktoberfest" ( in the Festhaus) is Busch Gardens' oldest show, but there are a variety of others: Irish music and dance ("Celtic Fyre"), Italian music and dance ("Festivale Italiano"), and "stupid pet tricks" ("More Pet Shenanigans"). The Sesame Street Forest of Fun also offers "The Sunny Days Celebration" for the little ones. The park also offers more seasonal shows for Howl-o-Scream and Christmas Town. Show schedules are printed on park maps. |
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| TPR Notes |
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With a solid collection of roller coasters, a good variety of flat and water rides, and a wide assortment of shows and special events, Busch Gardens offers plenty of fun for thrillseekers and nonthrillseekers alike—along with elaborate theming based on six European countries. The coasters, which are designed to fit the parks hilly terrain, dominate the skyline, but BG has increased its offerings for riders of all sizes through the addition of an elaborate dark ride and new areas for kids and families.
The park is ideal as a destination by itself, or as part of a visit to Virginias “Historic Triangle.” Saturdays during the summer months, and during "Howl-o-Scream" in October, mean big crowds. If you are visiting during the peak tourist season in the summer, go to the park on a weekday, if possible. | |
| Member Reviews |
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| Results 21-37 of 37 for Busch Gardens Williamsburg
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(Log in to post / edit your review)
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Perfect, Perfect, Perfect.
| | 05-19-2011 | |
QueerRudie
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If there were any modern theme park that 'gets it' this would be it. With rides that fit their area, great food and wonderful theming, Busch Gardens Europe is America's best theme-park. The coasters are -primo- and feature unique configurations, and great performance. The Loch Ness Monster is NOT to be missed- especially at dusk into evening. Alpengeist gives it's best rides after dark, and is great to see from under the first drop/Immelman element. A good hint: Start your day at the back of the park (Alpengeist, Mach Tower) and work your way forward towards Loch Ness Monster and Escape From Pompeii- as these two rides tend to have the longest lines early on- and then dissipate as the day goes on.
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My favorite park!
| | 05-05-2011 | |
DECoasterNerd
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Although I live 4-5 hours away (depending on traffic), I can't imagine not having an annual pass for BGW! Although it doesn't have nearly as many coasters as parks closer to me (SFGAdv, Dorney, Hershey), what it does have are excellent (okay, Loch Ness may not be "excellent", but is fun and comfortable for an Arrow). The park is BEAUTIFUL and full of shade. Theming is on par with or maybe only slightly second only to Disney. The food is very good. Prices for food and beverage are at "theme park prices" but much more reasonable than Cedar Fair or Six Flags. The shows are well done and many can be taken in during a meal (very time efficient). Love the reasonably priced Quick Queue as well, and tremendous availability of beer!
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Amazing park
| | 04-15-2011 | |
Geauga Dog
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In my opinion Busch Gardens Europe is exactly what a non-Disney regional theme park should be. That may have sounded biased but the park does have stunning landscaping, great attention to detail in the park's theming, top-notch shows, food that is beyond the typical park fare and a nice selection of rides that blend in very well with their surroundings.
My only complaint is that the park is too far from my house to visit more often.
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Wonderful Park
| | 04-02-2011 | |
chadster
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Busch Gardens Europe is one of the best kept parks in the industry. The care and love put into the landscaping is evident with vibrant lively colors. The rides are equally as well maintained blending in with the landscaping. With their collection of three solid B&M's and a classic Arrow abd their selection of flats, you can't go wrong with this park. For the coaster nerds, invest in the coaster tour, it is well worth the money.
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Very Good, but With a Flaw
| | 03-27-2011 | |
rcdude
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Busch Gardens is an excellent park. The landscaping is the best of anywhere I've been, the coasters are great, the non-coaster rides are generally pretty good, and the theming is second only to Disney. However, the one thing the park lacks is a good collection of family rides. Most of the attractions that have low enough height restrictions for children are either generic or too scary for them.
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Theme park perfection!
| | 03-25-2011 | |
PhantomNick
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Busch Gardens Europe is truly a masterpiece of a theme park. I was blown away with how gorgeous the park was, from the pristine landscaping to the incredibly well-done theming. There really is so much to do here, with a nice ride assortment, great shows, and quite honestly the BEST park food I have ever had the pleasure of devouring! Trapper's Smokehouse is can't miss, as are their fantastic coasters, led by the amazing Apollo's Chariot. We had a blast there, and can't wait to go back!!
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Beautiful is an Understatement
| | 03-24-2011 | |
GwaziBSRider1
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I've been to this park several times and I just love it. It's incredibly beautiful, especially if you can't afford to visit Europe! The coasters are incredible and the food is delicious. You just can't go wrong with this park!
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A Coaster has never been so beautiful
| | 03-24-2011 | |
Team Thriller
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Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It is indeed a famous park with a big hype. It has been voted most beautiful park in the world for many many years now. Before I went, I was definitely expecting a lot. Did it live up to its hype?.... YES!!!. It is a top notch park. The coasters and quality is for sure their strong point. I just felt like the park wasn't complete when it came to ride selection. I felt like I was repeating rides for hours... but that wasn't a horrible thing since the rides are awesome!
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A Wonderful Park!
| | 03-24-2011 | |
imawesome1124
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From dropping 210 feet on Apollo's Chariot, to the highly elaborate theming, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is easily my favorite park. I haven't been since 2004, but I can tell that the park has only gotten better. The theming an landscaping is top notch, and the ride selection is great too. While nothing can replace the Big Bad Wolf, I am excited to see what will come in 2012.
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A truly beautiful park
| | 03-24-2011 | |
Bamitspat
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Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a totally different animal than its sister park in Tampa. It is beautifully landscaped and has a much larger range in rides with a killer dark ride, a hyper coaster, and many more flats.
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| | 03-23-2011 | |
154bmag
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Its a great park with great rides, its just kind of small, but its still a fun trip
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Good rides, good food, beautiful theming
| | 03-06-2011 | |
andy2840
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My favorite of the parks within easy driving distance of my home. The "garden" part of Busch Gardens is a real standout. The theming is elaborate and cohesive. What it lacks in quantity of coasters it makes up for in quality; there ain't a bad one here: Apollo's Chariot, Griffon, Alpengeist, which is best? You decide. Plus they sell beer and sausage!
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Great "Home Park"
| | 03-06-2011 | |
cfc
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Although the coaster lineup isn't as strong as its cousin's in Tampa, BGW is a great park. It's a popular Friday night hangout for annual passholders and families, and the park offers a number of events (such as Howl-o-Scream and a regular concert series) that tend to pack in the guests. Food is better than average (the Italian restaurant is probably best, followed by the Festhaus), and it has a very good dark ride to augment its coaster selection.
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Best park in the country
| | 03-03-2011 | |
skycoastin steve
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I've been going there since I was a kid, and I've never had a single bad day at the park. They knock the "quality vs. quantity" comparison out of the park, as they boast three world-class coasters in a fairly limited collection. They have terrific live shows, Trapper's Smokehouse boasts some of the best park food you'll find anywhere (at a reasonable price), and it takes the cake as the most beautiful park around.
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Great Park
| | 03-03-2011 | |
wood dragon 1988
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Busch Gardens Europe is an anomaly in the theme park industry and thrill seekers seem to love it: A well themed, beautifully landscaped park that has lots of huge coasters.
Pros: Themeing, landscaping, Apollo, Griffon, & Pompeii are great, Loch Ness is a ridable Arrow, lot of animals, shows, growing kids areas.
Cons: Lots of walking, Brewmasters Club, BBW, and other little things have left the park since A-B sold it, operations are hot and cold, and expensive admission.
Top 5 park for me.
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Great day for the whole family!
| | 02-28-2011 | |
Erik Johnson
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One of the nicest parks in the country. While I do not think the coaster collection is as strong as the one in Tampa, every other aspect of this park is a step above.
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My favorite park in the US.
| | 02-26-2011 | |
JimmyBo
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Last time I visited this park was in 2005 and it was an amazing experience. The atmosphere and the way the park is situated along the river is amazing. All the themed lands have great detail and can rival some Disney parks. The coaster selection is quite amazing and has a good variety of different coasters. The shows are fun to watch and especially entertaining after having a couple beers.
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| Pros |
- Beautifully landscaped.
- Better-than-average park food.
- Good assortment of special events during the season.
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| Cons |
- Summer days can be very hot and humid.
- Confusing layout for a newcomer to navigate.
- Kids areas are concentrated in just two parts of the park.
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| Admission Policy |
Pay One Price
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| Recent TPR Updates |
No Infomation.
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