Reviews: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Review

Posted at 5:37 PM EST (2237 GMT)

Apr. 1st, 2004 -- Busch Gardens Williamsburg bills itself as an action-packed, European-themed adventure park with 17th-century charm and 21st-century technology. Squeezed inside over 100 acres are over 50 rides and attractions, including four roller coasters. These coasters aren't just your typical coasters, they feature unique layouts that hug the park's rolling terrain and have their own individual theme.

While the roller coasters are excellent, they're just a small piece in a puzzle that may just be the most complete park in America. Busch Gardens Williamsburg spares no detail in taking you back to 16th century Europe. Exquisite theming, delicious authentic food in every "hamlet", beautiful landscaping, shops with country-specific souvenirs and even musical and theatrical performances are just some of the things that set Busch Gardens Williamsburg alone.

The park is divided into 9 hamlets that pay homage to six European countries, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and Italy. As you enter the park, you start off in Banbury Cross, a hamlet inspired by England. The anchor attraction in the quaint English village is R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4D, which is located inside a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Ghost stories are plentiful in English lore, and the warped mind R.L. Stine takes you inside the legend of a Lighthouse haunted by two dead children. While the show isn't down-and-out scary, it is worth a try, with quite a few shows running every day. If you have children who love the Goosebumps books, then this show is a must, as it has the same feel as those books, only in 4D.

There is more than just this show in Banbury Cross. In the middle of the village, you will find a scaled-down replica of Big Ben. There are also a few shops with everything from flavored tobacco to swords and thousand-dollar statues. If you're a funnel cake aficionado like I am, then a stop in Banbury Cross' delicious bakery. For only $3, I snatched up a delightful funnel cake, although it was hard to turn down the other pieces of eye-candy, or should I say eye-pastry and eye-cake?

If you stay to your right, you'll find yourself in Heatherdowns, a tribute to Scotland. Heatherdowns is home to the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, who reside in a stable near in between Loch Ness Monster and Ireland. Rising tall over Heatherdowns and the Rhine River is the most famous creature of Scottish lore, the Loch Ness Monster. People have questioned its existence for ages, but who knew it was in Virginia all along? Nessy's yellow track sticks out as you enter the line, which is themed to an underwater exploration looking for the lake-faring monster. The coaster is celebrating its 25th anniversary, but you wouldn't know it without the signs at the entrance and in the station. The ride runs smooth as silk, even in the backseat, which is rare for an Arrow looping coaster. Nessy's signature interlocking vertical loops provide some nice positive G's, but an often overlooked is the ride's massive enclosed helix. The helix never seems to end, and is especially fun at night when you can't see a thing. Loch Ness Monster is worth a few rides, and a night ride is a must if you can find time for it.

Continuing the counter-clockwise journey through Busch Gardens Williamsburg, you'll find yourself crossing a stone-covered bridge into the park's newest hamlet, the Irish-inspired Killarney. While most Americans imagine Ireland as a place full of short-tempered redheads who spend all day drinking, searching for four-leaf clovers and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, Busch Gardens Williamsburg prints a more colorful, and more accurate, picture of the Irish. Shops that feature Waterford crystal and china line the left side of the area, with Grogan's Pub on the right. At Grogan's Pub, you can order authentic Irish favorites like Irish stew, Corned beef, enormous baked potatoes, and of course, beer. After all, it is Ireland, and Anheuser-Busch owns the park. Naturally, beer flows like the Niagara Falls inside the Pub. Located next to Grogan's Pub is Corkscrew Hill. Corkscrew Hill is not a roller coaster, but a 3D-simulator attraction. After walking through the dimly lit, stone-walled queue/tunnel, you find yourself magically shrunk into a ferry. You are then taken on a ride to magical Corkscrew Hill in an adventure that I found more pleasing that R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse. Up the path from Corkscrew Hill is Abbey Stone Theatre, where you will find Irish Thunder. If you're a fan of dance, then this stepdancing extravaganza, driven by the music of Castle O'Sullivan, is right up your alley. The ornate themeing is very beautiful in this area, with ancient castles and lucious landscapes.

Just behind Ireland is Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve. Inside the Wild Reserve, you can get up close to American Bald Eagles, gray wolves and numerous species of birds. You can actually walk through and interact with some of the birds. It was a lot of fun to walk through and get up close to the birds, although sometimes they nearly flew into my head.

Continuing on past Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve, you'll find yourself in two hamlets inspired by France. Aquitaine is a small village that features entertainers and artists along the streets. You'll also find sidewalk cafes in Aquitaine. Le Mans Raceway, a car ride dominates the left side of the area. The real masterpiece of Aquitaine is found in the Royal Palace Theatre during the summer. During the evenings, the streets of Aquitaine are filled with bands and street performers, making way for Imaginique in the Royal Palace Theatre. The French-style circus show is said to be very entertaining, which is one of the reasons I hope to return to the park over the summer.

New France is the other French-inspired hamlet. There are two stand-outs in New France. Le Scoot is a fun log flume that features a 50-foot plunge adjacent to the in-line twist of Alpengeist. Perhaps the best restaurant inside of Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the Trapper's Smokehouse. The 650-seat restaurant features a mesquite-fired grill and three dining areas. Trapper's Smokehouse is a highly recommended to anyone who enjoys barbecue. At the Canadian Palladium, you can see Jukebox 2004, which features musical hits and dances from today and the past.

Rhinefeld borders New France, and is a German-inspired village. The village is one of the best themed areas in the park, you don't even realize you're at a theme park while walking through it. You don't realize you're in a theme park until you see a towering white monster, Alpengeist. This snow monster looms large at 195-feet tall, making it the world's tallest inverted coaster. The ride is themed to be a ski-lift gone horribly wrong. The keen eye will see many nice touches around Alpengeist. A statue of a skiing man with his scarf blowing in his face, a man with his lower half sticking out of a building, and abandoned skis on a "ski jump" are just some of the theming in the area. The ride itself is all about speed. I never realized how close to the ground this ride comes, and it adds an extra dimension to the ride. Alpengeist immediately jumped to the top of my inverted coaster list. I'd visit ski resorts a lot more in the winter if they had a ski lift like Alpengeist.

The other German area has a bavarian influenced hamlet named Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is home to Das Festhaus, which was my favorite restaurant in the park. Das Festhaus features a delightfully authentic German cuisine. I purchased the German Platter, which featured knockwurst, bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage and a wheat roll. I added a side of apple strudel to complete what was the most delicious meal I've ever had at an amusement park. I highly recommend it, and the rack of ribs meal also looked incredibly tasty. But there is more than just food at Das Festhaus, there's some great entertainment. I had no idea that there was a show in the restaurant as well, so it was a pleasant surprise. "This is Oktoberfest" features a German band playing oompah songs, as well as dancers who complemented them. Audience participation is encouraged, but I was too busy stuffing my face to sing. Das Festhaus is a must visit restaurant, you won't be disappointed. Big Bad Wolf, the first successful suspended coaster resides down the trail. Wolf is far and away the best suspended roller coaster I've been on. It utilizes the terrain well, and features a 99-foot drop over the Rhine River. That drop is most people's favorite part of the ride, but I was most impressed by the ride's run through the village. In the backseat, especially at night, the run through the village is wild and exciting. You don't know what will hit you next, and the ride runs in very good shape. All in all, Oktoberfest was my second favorite hamlet, but after you cross the Rhine River, you'll find my favorite hamlet.

San Marco is an Italian-themed hamlet, and features some stunning landscaping. The smells of Ristorante della Piazza fill the area with a mouth-watering aroma, and is also home to the beautiful Il Teatro di San Marco. My favorite area of San Marco was Da Vinci's Garden of Inventions. It is home to three adult flat rides and a few kiddie rides. The flat rides bear names of old contraptions like the Battering Ram, Flying Machine and Da Vinci's Cradle. What really is amazing is the landscaping in the area. Thick and lucious gardens complement Roman columns, statues and fountains. Escape from Pompeii takes you to the ruins of Mt. Vesuvius on a splash boat ride. The special effects were a great touch and makes this ride stand out from other Shoot-the-Chutes style rides. The fire on this ride makes you sweat, and the splashdown cools you off.

Next to San Marco is the final hamlet at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Festa Italia. While there are many themed activities in Festa Italia, two rides stick out in this colorful area. Roman Rapids is a river rapids ride that will soak you. It even passes under my favorite attraction in the park, Apollo's Chariot. Apollo's Chariot is an airtime lover's dream. Apollo was Bolliger & Mabillard's first hyper coaster, and it features some extremely comfortable restraints. Apollo's nine drops combine for 825 feet, and you get airtime on every hill in the backseat. The two minute ride features terrain-hugging and river crossing drops, and speeds of over 70 MPH. Apollo's Chariot immediately rocketed to the top of my list of roller coasters, especially after spending my final hour in the park riding this monster in the dark. Apollo's Chariot is easily one of the best roller coasters in the world.

Rides and Attractions: 10/10

When it comes to things to do and see, you could easily spend two days at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I couldn't do everything in the 12-hour day I was there, so I am hoping to go back later this summer. This park a very good variety of things to do, the whole family will leave happy.

Food: 10/10

The food here is on a standard of it's own. Only Knoebel's can match the quality and quantity of the food you'll find at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Every hamlet has different offerings, and even though the food is expensive, you won't feel ripped off like you do at most parks.

Landscaping/Theming: 10/10

NAPHA has named Busch Gardens Williamsburg the most beautiful theme park for twelve consecutive years. My friends, they don't lie. The beauty if this place is astounding, and the trees weren't even in bloom! I can't imagine how nice the park is when the trees are full of green leaves.

Operations/Efficency: 8.5/10

The park has a great layout, it helps spreads out the crowds. The only real blemish I found at Busch Gardens Williamsburg were in operations. At Apollo's Chariot, the single rider's line is a real drag. Sometimes, all three trains would be off the ride and on the brake runs/station because they were trying to fill the rides with single riders. Ride ops readily admitted to me that they cannot stand the single riders line, because it slows capacity. The other reason why I gave BGW an 8.5 is because getting into the park took painfully long. There were huge lines at the entry turnstiles even though the crowds weren't that heavy. Perhaps it was because it was the first operating day of the season, but you could look over the crowd of people and notice many annoyed faces.

Value: 10/10

Even though Busch Gardens Williamsburg is one of the most expensive parks in America, the fact that there is so much to do and see makes the $46.95 admission fee worth it. There are no upcharge attractions in the park, so activity is covered under the fee.

Overall: 48.5/50

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the most complete and well-rounded park I've ever been to. 12 hours was all it took to convince me that this was my favorite of the 22 parks I've been to. This park is well worth the 8 hour drive that I made, and I'll be doing it for years to come. If you've never been to this park, make a concerted effort to visit it, you won't be disappointed.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Gallery

Alpengeist Gallery

Apollo's Chariot Gallery

Big Bad Wolf Gallery

Loch Ness Monster Gallery