Busch Gardens, Williamsburg planning websites

jetprincess

Someday I'm gonna live closer to The Mouse.
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
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380
I'm looking for a place like Disboards for Busch Gardens.

Don't get me wrong, I :love: Disney like the rest of you but we are sticking a little closer to home this Spring Break. My children are at odd ages to be able to fit into either big kid/little kid categories. I think our trip will be a bit more pleasant if I can do some planning and figure out what will be nixed before we get there!!

I didn't think this would be difficult but I'm having a hard time finding a lot of information. I feel like I'm missing something....
 
We are planning a Williamsburg/Washington DC trip in May and I too have been looking for something like that. I've had no luck so far. :sad2:
 
I used to live in Williamsburg, but it has been (OMG!) 13 years. I don't know if I would be of any help. I can recommend the Cheese Shoppe (colonial area) and Sal's Italian (the one on Richmond Road) as great places to eat, if they are still there!
 
I know BG has a website. There is no discussion board, but you can at least get info. Same for Colonial W'burg and Jamestown. Just google them and you'll find TONS of info. I grew up about 30 minutes south of W'burg and now live 40 miles north and we have passes to BG.

BTW, the pp mentioned Sal's....it burned down w/in the last year :scared1:. I heard rumor that they were rebuilding but I'm not 100% positive of that. Oh, the Yankee Candle Flagship store on Richmond Road is fun too for a visit. And there is a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum right across the street from that. And of course the Prime Outlets for shopping :)

Oh, Great Wolf Lodge is right there in W'burg too and then you can shoot over to Pierce's BBQ. YUMMY!!!! Eating at a Tavern in Colonial W'burg is a neat experience too.

Good luck!
 

We are about 40 minutes away and honestly I couldn't recomend any places even if I wanted too. We occasionally go to Williamburg for the huge yankee candle store and sometimes the outlets but as far as resteraunts I am clueless. I know they have a Jamestown Pie Company which I love but there is one closer to me so I have never been to that one. We do have season passes to Colonial Williamsburg and thought that was cool.
 
BTW, the pp mentioned Sal's....it burned down w/in the last year :scared1:. I heard rumor that they were rebuilding but I'm not 100% positive of that.

Oh no! Well, that did prompt me to look it up, and the website has a popup that it has reopened in a temporary location at 1425 Richmond Rd Williamsburg, VA 23185-2802, next to Black Angus Grille.

Taverns are a great experience. DH worked at Shields Tavern when we lived there. (I worked at the Cascades at the Woodlands.) There was one (Chownings?) that had a rollicking game night periodically, complete with colonial minstrels and jesters/magicians. Not so kid-friendly, though!
 
We also like the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. The Mariner's Museum is also very well done, but just not my cup of tea.
 
I guess I am looking for more of a Q & A site... like what we do here in DIS.

I've been on the BG site but it is nowhere as detailed in comparison to what you find here. And honestly, there seem to to be a lot more big rides/shows there so I know that many of them will be off our list simply due to height restrictions.
 
I guess I am looking for more of a Q & A site... like what we do here in DIS.

I've been on the BG site but it is nowhere as detailed in comparison to what you find here. And honestly, there seem to to be a lot more big rides/shows there so I know that many of them will be off our list simply due to height restrictions.

I would try the tripadvisor forums for Virginia, they can be very helpful on that site too, have a great vacation:goodvibes
 
I guess I am looking for more of a Q & A site... like what we do here in DIS.

I've been on the BG site but it is nowhere as detailed in comparison to what you find here. And honestly, there seem to to be a lot more big rides/shows there so I know that many of them will be off our list simply due to height restrictions.

If you have an specific questions about the park, feel free to ask me. Like I said, DD and I have season's passes and during the summer, we probably go 2/3 times a week to "play" :). I'll be happy to answer questions you have!
 
I've been looking for the same, as we are going next week, and haven't really come up with anything. The Trip Advisor forums have posts few and far between- I've gotten more information from reviews on TA for Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and the hotels.

We haven't been to Busch Gardens in almost 10 years and I never knew about the Yankee Candle store, so we are excited for our mini-vacation.

We bought the Sesame Place Super Grover passes and will be using them at Busch Gardens for the first time. (Sesame Place isn't even open yet.) I've been able to log into the BG website as a Platinum Pass holder for ticket and food discounts.

We're considering doing an Elmo character lunch or dinner. I think this was new last year. Has anyone tried it?
 
We live near BG and spent lots of time there last summer and will again this summer (after we visit WDW). My DD was 4 las tsummer and we did the Elmo breakfast twice and had lots of fun. Being local we scheduled our days for mid week but neither time we went was a sell out like the character meals at WDW. The characters come out and interact with the kids and each character comes around to the table. They were a little surprised when we asked for autographs but maybe that was because it was the first season.

The Seasame Place section of the park is fun for kids 8ish and under. They have Grover's Alpine Express Rollercoaster and Oscar's Whirly Worm (something like that). DD liked both but in her eyes nothing lives up to the Barnstormer at this point. It has also has a water section where kids can get soaked and cool off if the weather is warm enough.

BG was sold and there are some changes this year. The AHB Clydesdales left at Christmas but we've heard there other horses in the barn in their place. Big Bad Wolf also closed last year.

You mention height requirements. My DD is 42" and I still have to ride many rides with her. The height requirements are a bit taller at BG than WDW.

I don't really know which hotel to recommend but there are plenty on Richmond Road. If you stay in that area and need a burgers and fries night do check out 5 Guys. They have the best burgers.

You also have Water Country nearby.

Hope you have fun!
 
I've been looking for the same, as we are going next week, and haven't really come up with anything. The Trip Advisor forums have posts few and far between- I've gotten more information from reviews on TA for Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and the hotels.

We haven't been to Busch Gardens in almost 10 years and I never knew about the Yankee Candle store, so we are excited for our mini-vacation.

We bought the Sesame Place Super Grover passes and will be using them at Busch Gardens for the first time. (Sesame Place isn't even open yet.) I've been able to log into the BG website as a Platinum Pass holder for ticket and food discounts.

We're considering doing an Elmo character lunch or dinner. I think this was new last year. Has anyone tried it?

Hello are you back yet? how was it? can you give us any insite? I'm going with my family mid July (hubby, dd 16.5 and ds 13.5) thanks
 
Hi! OP here!! We are back from BG and CW. We had fun but I will say that it was not Disney. Even my husband (who I feel like I have to drag to WDW, said it wasn't the same) I will say that it was clean and beautiful. It also offered something that Disney does not have - shaded areas and lots of trees.

Sooo, I guess this will serve as a mini trip report:

BG - I felt like I was going into this blind as I had only a vague idea of where we would be headed. There are a lot more rides at BG - big coasters as well as kiddie rides. Plenty to occupy everyone. When you go through the gates there is a height check station (2 red telephone booths((like at Epcot)) There they will measure your child, give them a color coded wrist band and a sheet outlining all the rides that the child is able to ride. You don't *have* to do this but it did make riding easier as we didn't have to check every time we rode something.

The park is laid out in countries. Not every country has rides, some just shows and stores. There are also a lot of carnival type rides and midway type games scattered here and there. Basketball shoots, Pick the Duck etc... There is also a ride area for the preschool set in Scotland but there are plenty of preschool rides all over the place too! It is a pretty big park!

My family enjoyed the Pet Shenanigans Show, Celtic Fyre and the performance at the Festhaus. We also liked hanging out in the Highland Stables. They have lambs! I did not see this but I heard that the Wolf Show is "still working out the kinks" ;)

Colonial Williamsburg - We had 2 day tickets and I was glad we did. There is no way to see it all in one day. We put in one full day and then another 1/2. We didn't even begin to see it all.

I have 2 little ones so we let them rent costumes at the Visitor Center for about $20 each. You have to buy the bonnets and they are about $10 more. This was great because when you rent the costumes, the girls get sent on errands through out the town. The cast members know this so they play with it a bit. It was so fun for them and made them so much more involved in the surroundings!

We also walked from the visitor center (instead of taking the shuttle buses) so it took us by the farm and straight into the children's area (it looks like a small farmhouse.) During the walk you have to go over a bridge that "takes you back in time" every few yards. There a plaques on the ground that say Year: 1975 You no longer have a computer. 1863: You know people who own slaves. etc... They actually have a children's tour that is totally worth your time! I think the first one left at 10:45. The tour guide (Judy) was great with the kids and really brought things down to their level. She also kept things short, sweet and moved along quickly. She will also point out "Felicity's" house for all of you AG fans!

Also, we went to The Movie Tavern on Saturday AM for Flapjacks and a Flick. We saw How to Train Your Dragon at a 9am movie and had pancakes too! It was $10 for adults and $8 for kids. It was a steal and the kids had a great time!!

If you have any specific questions, I'll be glad to answer!!
 
That's really neat! Sounds like they have added a lot since we moved away. Good to hear. We actually booked a trip back in August and I'm really looking forward to it.
 
p.s. Did you know that there was almost a Disney park there? Back in the mid-90s, Disney wanted to build a park along the I-64 corridor between Richmond and Williamsburg, but the locals protested it as being contrary to the historic character of the area. Of course, now I look back at that and think, "Bummer!" because we'd be there several times a year if there were a Disney park that close!
 
p.s. Did you know that there was almost a Disney park there? Back in the mid-90s, Disney wanted to build a park along the I-64 corridor between Richmond and Williamsburg, but the locals protested it as being contrary to the historic character of the area. Of course, now I look back at that and think, "Bummer!" because we'd be there several times a year if there were a Disney park that close!

They wanted to build near the battlefields of Manassass a few years back.
 
OP - thanks for the review... my family is really looking forward to our vacation there in July even if it's a 12 hr drive from home.. :goodvibes
 
OP-Just curious where you stayed and if it was nice. We are planning a trip for the summer and I am having a hard time choosing a place to stay. Also how many days does it take to do Busch Gardens?
 

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