Busch Gardens Virginia - Anyone been?

[curlyjbs]

We will be visiting over Easter Weekend. Does anyone have any touring tips or hints for this park. We've never been there before and unfortunetely only have time for one day in the park (Good Friday )

Appreciate the help!

curly

 

[Bichon Barb]

We went a couple of years ago during April break and just for one day. At that time, I think they were only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the spring.

Make sure you get a map when you go in. It's pretty big, and we did get lost once when trying to find a quick way out. Choose what you want to absolutely do and do that first. We never got a chance to check out the animal park, because there were just so many rides. LOL.

 

[kpgclark]

Fun. Beautiful grounds. A lot of hilly walking. Hot, hot, hot in the summer.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

It has been years since we went but the kids are going the week after Easter with a band trip.

Bichon Barb has good suggestions. There are a lot of coasters, if you like them. It isn't WDW though. Both times we went it was the last weekend they were open in October so there were no crowds at all.

 

[damo]

It's a great park with excellent food, very fun rides and entertaining shows. It is also very nicely landscaped.

 

[luv2nascar]

there is an old fashioned steam engine train to take you around the park like the one in the MK
take the train to the back of the park and start there and walk towards the front
the train stops in different locations so you wouldn't have to walk the whole way if you don't want too
take a walk in the stables and check out the clydesdale horses
usually a baby at this time of the year and the dalmations are usually hanging round too
we love to eat in Germany and watch the Octoberfest show

 

[curlyjbs]

Thanks everyone!

Are there any must see/do attractions? They don't have a fast pass system right?


curly

 

[Blondie]

Originally posted by Bichon Barb
We never got a chance to check out the animal park, because there were just so many rides. LOL.

The petting zoo has been closed for some time now. They used to have the mose adorable Cinnamon Bears on loan from Bear Country too.

If you like coasters, Apollo's Chariot rocks, as does the Loch Ness Monster and The Big Bad Wolf. I don't have the guts to try Alpengeist!

If you don't like coasters, in Ireland Corkscrew Hill is really cute.

BG-Williamsburg is one of our favorites. We've never had a bad experience there in regards to lines, crowds, etc. We were there last August when it was extremely hot and it wasn't that crowded at all, much to our surprise! It's a beautifully landscaped park and has always been very clean when we've visited.

Have fun!

 

[Blondie]

Oh...and no Fastpasses!

 

[damo]

There is, however, a single rider's line for Apollo's Chariot. We used it extensively!!! Check with the ride op at the front of the ride if it is open and then squeeze through the regular line to get to the single rider's staircase.

 

[buzzlady]

Not sure if it's still there but they also had the Anheuser Busch brewery there.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

If anyone gets motion sick, beware of Alpengeist. I made the mistake of riding it first and it almost did me in for the rest of the day! Like others have said, do the biggies first before it gets crowded. It really is a beautiful park, and very clean. After you've done all the rides, just walk around and take it all in. Have fun!

 

[HappyMommy2]

We went last summer (free admission for military families--thanks Anheuser Busch!). I was very pleasantly surprised by how gorgeous the park was. The landscaping was absolutely lovely. Everything seemed very clean and organized, and the shops were fantastic. There were lots of nice touches--swings and benches to sit on to watch the rollercoasters, the clydesdale barn for great horse viewing, a high-energy music-and-dance show out in the open where you could just walk by and watch for a few minutes, etc. We ate at the BBQ place (can't remember the name)--TONS of good food for a reasonable price. I'm not a big coaster fan but DH rode Alpengeist and a couple others and declared that they were fantastic. I especially enjoyed the train ride around the park and also the wolf demonstration and the sky ride.

Like someone else said, be prepared for the hills--I wasn't! Bad shin splints the next day, ouch!. Also, I'm not sure if you're going with small children or not, but we were disappointed by the lack of "family" rides--with a few exceptions the rides were either "big" rides (rollercoasters, etc. with height restrictions) or "kiddie" rides (tiny carnival-style rides that really don't accommodate adults). We sorely missed the many, many rides at WDW that our whole family (DH and me plus DS 3 and DS 1) could ride together.

One other thing I might mention is that beer is everywhere (it is Busch Gardens, after all). We went on a busy day and by the end of the day there were quite a few people who were getting loud and obnoxious from too much to drink. DH (who enjoyed the Beer School but stuck to Cokes after that) almost socked one guy who was making loud comments about my chest. I'm sure it's not like that there every day but that did sour our day a bit.

Overall I think Busch Gardens is great! We will probably go again this spring. I hope you'll have a wonderful trip--enjoy!