Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA

[MickeyMom2Boys]

We're trying to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg next weekend. It has been several years since I have been there. Can anyone recommend a place to stay?

Thanks!

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

How about the Great Wolf Lodge? We are going at the end of August and plan on staying there.

 

[autumnl78]

How about the Great Wolf Lodge? We are going at the end of August and plan on staying there.

GW is nice but EXPENSIVE. most anything w/ a good AAA rating in the burg is nice. If you drop down into Hampton (which puts you midway between the burg and VA Beach) theres a bunch of nice places the air and space museum etc. IF you want to PM being a Hampton Roads Local and born and raised native I have no issue helping ya out

 

[M & M's Mom]

Absolutely love GWL...just visited at the beginning of June, but it is expensive if you are only looking for a hotel & not interested in the waterpark itself. There is a nice Marriott that is 5 minutes or less from Busch Gardens & some nice hotels closer to downtown also.

As PP stated, Hampton Roads has some fun family-oriented things to do...we spent a couple hours in the Air & Space museum. We've also done the VA Living History Museum, which our kids really enjoyed. Neither are very expensive.

Have fun!

 

[luv2sewtjr]

Hubby and I stayed at Kingsmill Resort and really liked it. We got a villa with a kitchen but there are all sorts of room types there. The property is beautiful and we had a great dinner in one of the restaurants (we ate the rest of the meals in our room).

 

[momto2js]

When we go to BGW we stay in Newport news a the Marriott Residence Inn. There is a lot of places to eat near by and since BG is that side of Williamsburg, Newport News isn't really that far. It takes about 10 minutes parking lot to parking lot as long as there is no traffic. However, if you stay on the far side of Williamsburg, it could take just as long.

 

[autumnl78]

ill also add. it is balls HOT here right now. ungodly not normal hot. if you can avoid the parks until the heat waves end or until sept go for it.
air and space is great, i volunteered there in high school, and they sponsor the blackbeard festival in june, the hampton history museum is just across the street. the living museum and mariners in newport news are awesome very family and education friendly. the childrens museum in portsmouth is very hands on. nauticus in norfolk is wonderful. theres more museums than you can shake a leg at here honestly. also if you can do the downtown hampton miss hampton boat tour you get to see the carriers in the river, and go to fort wool. the casemate museum on monroe is worth doing as well as jefferson and poe were there once and with the army change over things are in the air about WHAT will occur w/ the island come mis sept. theres also some WONDERFUL local owned eateries.

 

[autumnl78]

OH!!!!!!!! check out the busch gardens, colonial williamsburg, jamestown, yorktown sites. sometimes they offer stay and play/learn discount hotel/ticket package offers. and the hotels that are a part of the deal are always very nice

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

Thank you for all the tips! I will definietely check these out. Unfortunately, next weekend is our only opportunity to go as 2 of my boys are having their tonsils out on August 5th and we were told they have to stay calm for 2 weeks I feel bad that they are losing the last couple of weeks before school starts so was hoping to do one more big summer weekend before the surgery. Now I'm not sure since the weather is so hot right now. I was hoping we would get some relief by next weekend, but that doesn't look likely. I'm worried mostly about my 6 month old dealing with the heat. Does anyone know if there is much shade in the park?

 

[princesspwrhr]

. Does anyone know if there is much shade in the park?

Busch Gardens does have quite a bit of shaded areas. They've kept as many of the trees in the landscaping or purposely planted more once attractions went in. There is only one large indoor air conditioned eatery though. Das Festhaus in Germany. The food is decent (the little sandwich grille at the end is FAR better than the regular areas) but during the hottest parts of the day it will be crowded in here because of the A/C. You can get free cups of ice and ice water at every location with a drink fountain. Just ask. Make sure you stay hydrated. Every day we've gone to either park in the last week or so we've seen at least one person being tended to for heat exhaustion/stroke.

Oddly, the Sesame Street Forest of Fun (where the splash area is) has very little (practically none) shade. Dragon Land an area I can't stand has a ton of shade. It's very easy to lose your kids in Dragon Land and there are a lot of entrance/exits.

Water Country has less shaded areas than BG, but still has several covered areas around the park. There are not many shaded areas at Colonial Williamsburg. I would bring a mister fan and floppy hat for the babe. You can use the fan part without the mist, but can also use the mist if needed.

We're supposed to get rain the early part of this week and that will cool things off to the mid-upper 90s next weekend. It should also drop the humidity which will make your trip more pleasant.

 

[momto2js]

Not that you asked, but I just can’t resist giving a little unsolicited advice My son, age 4, had his tonsils removed 3 weeks ago, I can’t imagine having 2 kids that miserable at one time. I will admit that he had several post-op complications but I have come to learn that it is not that uncommon. We are not a cosleeping family. But he slept with us for the first week. We also needed 3 additional IV’s for fluids and several follow up appointments. He needed one on one attention for the first 10 days post-op. I think the length of time it took was extreme, but a week of misery isn’t all that uncommon.
My point is that I would consider doing one at a time just in case you run in to trouble. You will learn from the first one and then can use that knowledge for the next one. Here are some of the things I learned. First, Tylenol comes in suppositories. You can get them at pharmacy but you have to ask for them. I’d have a few on hand, in case you can’t get the lortab down. We had some vomiting so it was useful for that too.
The other thing I would do differently was I would not leave the surgery center until they have consumed something. My son was screaming and was so agitated following the procedure, they sent us out the door with a bottle of juice and instructions to have him drink it in the car. I did insist that they run the remained of the IV fluid that likely bought us another 12 hours at home before we had to go back for more.
I would do it again if I had to because he is now sleeping better and for the first time in his life does not need his allergy meds and doesn’t have a runny nose. But I would be better prepared, bring in extra help, like grandma.
There is no way we could have taken care of 2 sick kids and a baby between my DH and I. He was WAY more miserable than I expected. No one told me that it could be that bad so I’m just sharing!! Best of luck.

 

[homemaker]

Busch Gardens has a lot of shady areas. If you plan on going to the water park I would suggest renting one of the cabanas. We rented one last year and it was well worth the extra money to have a guaranteed shaded place to take a break. They also give you towels, sunscreen and 2 drinks per person. I believe I saw on Busch Gardens website that they are now renting cabanas in the theme park as well. With the excessive heat and a six month old you may want to look into renting one. Have a great time!

 

[dsneygirl]

last summer we went to BG and Water country and got a combo ticket. We did Water Country in the day and went to BG about 5 or 6 pm when it was much cooler. We really enjoyed it, it is a beautiful park.

 

[tjkatie1014]

We are also going in a couple of weeks (camping), but was wondering if anyone had ideas on discounts for tickets?? Thanks!

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

Not that you asked, but I just can’t resist giving a little unsolicited advice My son, age 4, had his tonsils removed 3 weeks ago, I can’t imagine having 2 kids that miserable at one time. I will admit that he had several post-op complications but I have come to learn that it is not that uncommon. We are not a cosleeping family. But he slept with us for the first week. We also needed 3 additional IV’s for fluids and several follow up appointments. He needed one on one attention for the first 10 days post-op. I think the length of time it took was extreme, but a week of misery isn’t all that uncommon.
My point is that I would consider doing one at a time just in case you run in to trouble. You will learn from the first one and then can use that knowledge for the next one. Here are some of the things I learned. First, Tylenol comes in suppositories. You can get them at pharmacy but you have to ask for them. I’d have a few on hand, in case you can’t get the lortab down. We had some vomiting so it was useful for that too.
The other thing I would do differently was I would not leave the surgery center until they have consumed something. My son was screaming and was so agitated following the procedure, they sent us out the door with a bottle of juice and instructions to have him drink it in the car. I did insist that they run the remained of the IV fluid that likely bought us another 12 hours at home before we had to go back for more.
I would do it again if I had to because he is now sleeping better and for the first time in his life does not need his allergy meds and doesn’t have a runny nose. But I would be better prepared, bring in extra help, like grandma.
There is no way we could have taken care of 2 sick kids and a baby between my DH and I. He was WAY more miserable than I expected. No one told me that it could be that bad so I’m just sharing!! Best of luck.

Thank you for the information. I have heard everthing from "It's not bad - my kid was back to normal in 3 days" to stories much like yours. We are going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst! Since both need to be done soon and my oldest needs to have his done before school starts, we decided to do them together. Also, doing them separately means 2 weeks off of work for me - which isn't really an option. I am going to ask the Dr at the pre-op what it would take for them to stay overnight if they aren't drinking like they should after the surgery. I'll be on the lookout for dehydration and have already started explaining to them that their throat will hurt but it is important for them to drink or they will have to go back to the hospital. Hopefully this will help. I'm really dreading this, but I know it has to be done.

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

We are also going in a couple of weeks (camping), but was wondering if anyone had ideas on discounts for tickets?? Thanks!

The best we found was the flex ticket on the Busch Gardens site. Unlimited admission to Water Country and Busch Gardens for 7 consecutive days for $75.

 

[RooRach0906]

This is a lil OT but there is a new resturant in front of Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg called Jungle Jim's and its really good! Just wanted to put it out there for anyone going to Williamsburg soon! (I ate there Saturday when we took a day trip to the outlets)