Undergoing a recent transition in my professional life, I suddenly had a good deal of free time on my hands. What better way to spend that time then by getting in the car for a solo road trip to the old home park! Check out the recap below for my recent visit to beautiful Busch Gardens Williamsburg:
The morning started early with a 6:30am departure from Raleigh. The drive up 95 and over to the Williamsburg area of Virginia was relatively smooth sailing on this (Thursday) morning. It was a beautiful summer day, with highs forecasted in the mid 70’s! A rarity for this area in June, as we are easily in the mid 80’s this time of year.
I arrived at the parking booth just prior to opening of the parking lots at around 9:45am. There were probably 50 or so cars waiting with me, but after a short ten minutes or so, we were let in to proceed towards the priority lot. Because I am a premium passholder at Busch Gardens, I received this added perk and was able to park in the England section—the closest parking lot to the main entrance gate. After gathering my GoPro and a few other personal affects, I was on my way into the park.
Since my visit happened to fall on a weekday—one that was relatively early-on in the summer no less—the park was not crowded at all. I breezed right through the turnstiles and was on my way to my first attraction of the morning, the timeless Loch Ness Monster. Built in the early 80’s this Arrow designed looper has been thrilling riders for more than five decades. ‘Nessie still delivers an awesome ride—relatively smooth and some great drops over the river. Not to mention the iconic interlocking loops. A fantastic way to start the day.
From Scotland I decided to head counter-clockwise around the park, heading into the Ireland area before making it back to New France and my next set of attractions. I passed over Griffon for a ride on Invadr, as this GCI woodie typically operates at a much lower capacity than the giant B&M dive machine. Unfortunately for me and my well thought out plan, Invadr was having some maintenance issues and I was unable to ride at this time. So, I made a U-turn and headed back for Griffon. This coaster never disappoints. I was able to get two rides, one in the front row and one in the back. I had forgotten how much the back row whips you over the drop after releasing from the holding brake. It was downright vicious! Of course, the front was excellent for the view of staring 90 degrees straight down. Two great attractions in and onto the next!
Continuing on my backwards loop around the park, the legendary beast of the Swiss alps was up next. Alpengeist will always have a special place in my heart, and it has aged extremely well since its opening in ’97. Still ridiculously intense, especially on my back row ride. The cobra roll feels like it’s trying to kill you. I was able to snag a front row ride as well, which is undoubtedly the best row on any invert (for the unobstructed views). Additionally, it was at this attraction that I was given a media pass from one of the awesome supervisors working this coaster, because otherwise I couldn’t have filmed some of the incredible POV’s I was able to capture with my GoPro. Many thanks to the Alpie crew!
I took another quick look at Invadr—unfortunately still no luck of it running. So I continued on my journey to the Octoberfest area of the park to queue up for Verbolten. Always a crowd-pleaser, this was probably the longest wait of my visit, only at 20 or so minutes for an excellent ride in the front row. I will forever miss the legendary Big Bad Wolf, the ride in which this one has replaced. But this is a worthy substitute, and I am a big fan of the indoor twister section, the surprising drop track, and, of course, the dive down to the Rhine River.
At this point I needed a bit of a break, and I was able to get some sustenance in the form of my favorite amusement park snack: a soft pretzel complete with (plastic) dipping cheese. Nothing better, and I was able to get a delicious beer to wash it down. A much needed snack and rest for my feet.
From here, I made my way back towards the front of the park, specifically to the Festa Italia section. Apollo’s Chariot was next up, and this was perhaps my most anticipated coaster of the day. I am a huge fan of B&M hypers, and even though I’ve ridden this attraction more than any other at Busch Gardens, I am always looking forward to my next ride on this beast. Another “older” coaster, this one holds up extremely well. Not a rattle to speak of, fantastic airtime throughout the train, and a fantastic setting to top it all off. I will never get tired of this work of art.
A quick walk to the coaster next door, Tempesto was next for me to conquer. Another station wait, I really enjoyed this attraction. Not the most intricate, but it does have a nice, powerful launch complemented by an awesome heartline roll 100 feet up in the air. The hangtime in the roll is great, and even though I probably wouldn’t wait too long to get on this coaster, I always enjoy the rides I am able to secure.
Prior to my trip, I had accepted that my favorite water ride would probably not be operating on this visit. I had done some research telling me that Escape from Pompeii only opened on the weekends when the park drew higher attendance, but to my surprise, I could hear the screams and laughter coming through the woods on my way out of Festa Italia. I knew I had to get a ride on this classic attraction, even if it meant getting a little wet. Thankfully, my back row ride only yielded a sprinkling of water. It was great seeing all the fire and effects working flawlessly, and I hope this is another ride that sticks around for a long time to come.
At this point, I knew I needed another quick break, so I decided to grab one more beer from Grogan’s Pub in Ireland before heading back to my car for a nice PB&J that I had packed first thing this morning. I was able to get some A/C, change my damp shirt, and recharge a bit before making one more lap through the park.
Upon re-entering, I saw the train pulling into the Scotland station, so I decided to hop on to take in a nice ride around the park. The train provided some awesome views of BG’s newest attraction (that is yet to open), Pantheon. I am so hyped for this thing, and you better believe I will be back up as soon as an opening date is announced.
Arriving at the Caribou station in the very back of the park, I decided to give Invadr one last try, but unfortunately for me, I couldn’t convince myself to get in line. It had about a 30 minute wait at this point in the afternoon, so I opted to skip it for a few more rides on Griffon and Alpengeist.
An hour or so later, I was ready to call it a day, and I ventured through the very middle of the park on my way back to the exit. The area I am referring to is called Grogan’s Landing, and it is the bridge that connects the front & back of the park under the interlocking loops of Nessie. This is an area I hardly ever make it to (it is typically closed in early spring when I make a decent number of my visits), but I am so glad I made the stroll down here. The views of the coasters here are unmatched, and I was able to get some fantastic footy of Nessie, Griffon, and Alpengeist’s nutty cobra roll. The perfect way to end my excellent day at this world-class theme park.
Although we are technically closer to Charlotte and Carowinds, I have always grown-up going to Busch and would consider it my home park. The theming and landscaping is unmatched, and I absolutely love coming up to Williamsburg to visit. The drive is usually not terrible, and the offerings at Busch Gardens are well worth the trip. I would put this park high on your list if you have yet to visit, as it truly is one of my favorites. Thanks for following along on another trip report, and be sure to stay tuned for the next recap–a visit to Carolina Harbor at Carowinds!
– Walker
Texas-Ranger Travels 