Which one? Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion, VA?

[gerberdaisy1234]

DH and I have not been to either one of these in...wow...are we really that old...well, a long time. We wanted to take DD(11) and DS(8) to one this summer.

Which one would you recommend? Pros? Cons?

They both love exciting rides. However my DS is only 51 1/2" tall which may limit some rides. So we may need to wait another year or two but we were looking for something new to make the wait for Disney easier.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Christine]

Overall, BG is the nicest park. However, for hardcore "riders", KD might have more thrill rides. It just doesn't have the beautiful atmosphere. KD also has a waterpark that's included with your admission. It's always real crowded.

 

[marcyinPA]

We just got back from W'bg last week...were you looking for just a day trip, or were you going to stay overnight? The reason I ask is that BG has a bounce pass that you can buy...it includes BG, Water Country and Colonial W'bg. If you buy it online, it is 98-something for adults and 82-ish for kids under 17. We found it to be a really good deal, because it also included parking at both BG and WC, and it was good for 7 consecutive days.

We loved BG and WC. WC especially is a really nice park. Well, BG is really nice too, but for a water park, we were impressed with WC.

I've never been to Kings Dominion, but my DS15 has been there and he liked BG better (he is not into thrill rides).

Feel free to PM me if you want more tips!

 

[Skatermom23]

Also, more smokers wandering around KD. At BG they tend to stick to designated smoking areas.

 

[Christine]

Also, more smokers wandering around KD. At BG they tend to stick to designated smoking areas.

In addition, at KD there are probably more packs of unsupervised teens roving around. It is a more affordable park and many teens go there. It's an easy trip from the Northern VA area and I know that lots of high schoolers go there in the summer. BG is more expensive, more "resort-ish" and I don't notice the unsupervised teens as much.

It's not really a big deal--the two parks just have very different atmospheres. BG is more high end.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I agree with the above post, King's Dominion is geared more toward thrill rides. The atmosphere isn't as pretty either and yes, it's very crowded. We also think the food is below amusement park standards too. But that's just us.

Busch Gardens is more family-ish in that there are rides that eveyone can go on together. There are still thrill rides but it's more laid back. Food tastes better here and the park is so beatiful. Personally, I'd pick Busch Gardens and if you live near a Subway restaurant, they have coupons.

 

[wvjules]

Also, more smokers wandering around KD. At BG they tend to stick to designated smoking areas.

We were just at KD on June 12 and I didn't notice ANY smokers. Odd.

Anywho, I've never been to BG but as stated above was at KD 2 weekends ago. Somewhere along the line my DD15 has become a thrill seeker. She rode every coaster/thrill ride atleast once; including Volcano (makes me ill just looking at it) and Intimidator. If you want thrill rides then KD might be for you.

Yes, there is a water park. We got there as it opened and got our seats. DBF and I rode a few of the smaller slides and did the wave pool. It was crowded but not unmanagable.

We were at the park from open to close.

 

[wvjules]

I agree with the above post, King's Dominion is geared more toward thrill rides. The atmosphere isn't as pretty either and yes, it's very crowded. We also think the food is below amusement park standards too. But that's just us.

Busch Gardens is more family-ish in that there are rides that eveyone can go on together. There are still thrill rides but it's more laid back. Food tastes better here and the park is so beatiful. Personally, I'd pick Busch Gardens and if you live near a Subway restaurant, they have coupons.

We ate Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express. lol

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I've been to both hundreds of times. I like both, Busch is definitely a cleaner, more beautiful park. KD has a lot more rides therefore the lines tend to be shorter than waiting for the 4-5 thrill rides at BG. KD is cheaper. Both have great rollercoasters, KD has more, but Busch has the best (IMHO). Food and shows are better at Busch, Busch has more narrow walkways and can be a hassle to navigate when it's packed. If you had time to do both Water Country and BG I would recommend that over KD.

Employees can be hit or miss on service/friendliness (I should know, I worked there when I was 17 and had an attitude problem ).

I don't know which one I'd pick. I like both of them for their own reasons and I've had a season pass to Busch since I was 3 so it's hard to view it from a perspective of someone who's never been.

 

[LukenDC]

I have been to both parks and enjoyed both of them, but neither BG nor KD is at the level of Disney.

I like thrill rides and on that note I preferred KD. They have several exciting rollercoasters, including a few that are quite innovative. BG has coasters too, but nothing that wowed me.

BG is a more attractive park than KD. The landscaping is nice and it just seems a bit cleaner than KD.

Regarding food, I'd say both parks are even on that account.

KD does attract a seedier crowd than BG, but nothing too alarming. KD allows guests to wear swim attire due to the waterpark on the premises. Some guests use poor judegement and display raunchy tattoos and skimpy bathing suits while walking around the park. I also noticed far more inappropriate PDAs at KD than any other amusement park I have visited.

 

[JessicaR]

Been to both a few times and I really like BG best. It is a beautiful park.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Just back from Williamsburg a few weeks ago.

GREAT trip!!!! ( But soooooo HOT!!! Triple digit heat index already at the end of May)

We are not hard core 'coaster' thrill riders...
For me, for an 'all around' Park, I would choose BG, hands down.
With the week pass, unlimited admission and parking to both BG and Water Country for the duration of your stay, up to a full 7 day week.
With the BOUNCE pass, this also includes the Historic Williamsburg area.

I recommend that you visit Tripadvisor and pull up Williamsburg, which, of course, will cover BG and WC.

Okay, Roman Rapids at BG, and the Wave Pool at WC, are not that greatest versions of this type of ride/attraction.... But, overall, we so enjoyed our visit to the area and both of these parks! PS: water sock/shoes are very necessary at Water Country.

 

[kirstenb1]

BG is a more family-oriented park.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like BG might be the better option for now. While there are less thrill rides there are only 2 rides that my DS is not tall enough for...and that is the hard part...not getting to ride a ride that is right there looking so awesome. There are 5 rides at KD that heis not tall enought for yet.

Also the cleanliness was mentioned several times. This was a turn off at Six Flags in MD. There were many other problems there like half the rides being closed. But still it sounds like KD might be a similiar level to Six Flags. We love DISNEY, Hershey and Dutch Wonderland. So clean is one of our expectations.

Thank you for all the replies.

 

[chisnpeke]

I work at a sister park to KD, Kings Island, and if you are looking for a family park I would skip KD especially if your son is at that in between age where not big enough for the really big rides but too big for the kid rides. Even working at my park there isn't much I ride since I don't like coasters and spinning rides make me sick. I have never been to Busch Gardens but have heard wonderful things about it! Just from word of mouth alone I would personally pick BG.

 

[LukenDC]

still it sounds like KD might be a similiar level to Six Flags.

KD is far superior to Six Flags America. Six Flags America is dirty, run down, and depressing. KD is well maintained, but BG is a notch above on the cleanliness factor.

 

[Christine]

This was a turn off at Six Flags in MD. There were many other problems there like half the rides being closed. But still it sounds like KD might be a similiar level to Six Flags. We love DISNEY, Hershey and Dutch Wonderland. So clean is one of our expectations.

Thank you for all the replies.

Not at all. No comparison.

If you ask me which park I prefer, I would tell you Busch Gardens. If you told my 15 y/o and 18 y/o they would have to make a choice between BG and KD, they would have a hard time.