Busch Gardens Williamsburg - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
4.5
About
Take your family to a place where fun comes naturally, Williamsburg, Virginia, home to Busch Gardens® and Water Country USA. Challenge one of Busch Gardens’ seven world-class coasters or discover family fun playing at Sesame Street® Forest of Fun™ and Land of the Dragons®. Water Country USA®, Virginia’s largest water park, is just three miles west of Busch Gardens and features state-of-the-art water rides and resort-style amenities. Guests are in for an epic journey on the park’s wildest family thrill slide, Colossal Curl™. True to its name, this mega water slide will deliver a high-adrenaline, family-friendly, action-packed adventure.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Admission tickets
from $60.57
All you need to step foot in the door.

Top ways to experience Busch Gardens Williamsburg and nearby attractions

See what travelers are saying
  • tmb110
    Morgantown, West Virginia161 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun Experience, Hours are Too Short
    This is still the most beautiful amusement park I have ever visited. The lines for rides were relatively short, except for the newest attraction so I skipped that one. Preferred Parking is now no better than General Parking (on the day we were there at least). Some of the food is really overpriced, but I expect that at an amusement park. My biggest complaint is they opened at 11:00 AM and closed at 7:00 PM on the day we went in June. That's a very short operating day, especially when people pay a lot of money to spend a day there.
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 17, 2023
  • Dan J
    6 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Summer Review
    Parking: Pay at the gate; we pre-paid to save money/time (neither true.) *PLEASE ensure you are on the correct location (Williamsburg) since default is Tampa Bay. Lines: The Park opening has the longest wait times. You could probably arrive an hour later and get in about the same time. Park/Staff: Relatively clean; friendly staff on the shuttle rides; about 1/2 the ride staff are very friendly; the others don't smile or recognize you as a guest. I understand this is a repetitive, thankless job but for the price of admission; they should teach 'service.' Food is way over-priced (I can dine at most airports for far less.) *"Free/50c beer" is a little misleading. It is a 4 oz Dixie Cup of Bud Lite (Still can't give it away.) Rides: All very good: Pantheon (Wow), Alpengeist, and Griffon Coasters are amazing; Loch Ness and Roman Rapids were closed (bummer when hot.) DarkCoaster was overly hyped; 1+20 min wait for an average Roller Coaster (unique but not worth the wait.) Shows: Italy was closed; though Celtic Fare (Ireland) was amazing; probably the best part of the trip. American Jukebox was entertaining. Overall, it is still a very nice park for a smaller group. I highly recommend Fall or early Spring.
    Visited July 2023
    Written July 5, 2023
  • Paul B
    Allentown, Pennsylvania34 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Awesome day with or without quick queue
    We had a great day! Pantheon and Griffin are amazing! It was sooo hot, but there is a lot of shade in this park - many trees and areas designed to get out of the sun. The Germany food court is a great place to cool down for lunch and the food is good for an amusement park. I wanted to share some info. I wish i had known for future visitors. There are fountain drink stations in the different lands. Some have free ice water cups and some don't. It was a Tuesday and there were no lines for food and drink. We are really into roller coasters, so we got the quick queues bc of our past experiences at this park and Tampa, but I'm not sure I would again. The way they do quick queue is very odd. You go in the exit and you are designated a predetermined row (middle or back). On Pantheon it was row 4 and only 2 quick queues could go per train. We couldnt even go together! So, if you don't care where you sit and it's just 2 of you, it is quick. But, if you like front row like we do, that is not an option. The park was not crowded and many lines were short, so we ended up waiting for front on a few coasters anyway. (Front row on Griffon is amazing!) The quick queue saved us one or 2 long waits later in the afternoon (dark koaster was over an hour wait in standby). I probably would have skipped those, though. So, overall, I'm not sure it was worth the high price. But, unfortunately, you never know until you get there. But, it's a beautiful park, fun rides, and everything you need for a fun day!
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 12, 2023
  • Richard H
    Winchester, Virginia38 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Christmas Town was very nice!
    Dress warmly and have good walking shoes. We had absolutely no issues with parking. We went on a Tuesday and arrived around 4. We were able to park very close to the entrance and we didn’t wait long in line to enter. The lights are beautiful. We rode the train with a 10 minute wait. We were extremely pleased with the experience. We stayed at the Williamsburg property the Woodlands and the package included a three day bounce pass which is a great deal. It includes entrance and free parking to Busch Gardens. We highly recommend Busch Garden Christmas Town.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 12, 2023
  • muddneck79
    Loxahatchee, Florida119 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    First timer
    First time coming and we really enjoyed the decorations for the holiday. Walking through the park up and down the mountain was pretty cool with the lights. Only thing we didn’t realize that of it gets to cold they shut the rides down. I feel like if you’re waiting in line in your necks, they should give you some kind of past to return. Since you wait that long then they are like sorry it’s not working. We did eat dinner there pretty good not bad. We thought it was pretty cool too that they had the fire pits that you can walk around if you’re too cold.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 3, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles9,194 reviews
Excellent
5,281
Very good
2,281
Average
789
Poor
382
Terrible
461

CT71
Pittsburgh, PA15 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
The way the Park implements their Covid restrictions makes it hardly worthwhile to visit, at least with young kids. The Park says that they’re limiting admission, but the lines were up to 1.5 hrs when we visited over the weekend, due to the way the Park is severely limiting the number of riders. Of course I understand the need to not pack people in the traditional amusement park style, but they weren’t only limiting every other seat, but every other row, or not running two of the same thing on a ride. And we were all standing in the usual queue next to one another anyway. If not, you would be in the walkways. Or you finally get to the front of the line, and they have to spray every seat with disinfectant. However, you can still touch all the things that don’t get sprayed throughout the day. I’m more worried about all the railings my kids are sliding their hands around than the plastic seat they’re sitting on for 20 seconds outside. On a positive note, there are plenty of hand sanitizer stations to take care of keeping your hands clean yourself. Also bathrooms are in great condition for a theme park. Be prepared for mechanical issues. A ride broke while we were on it and we had to walk away after standing in the 45 min line for nothing. The PSA recording that blares through the Park every 30 minutes maintains the Park’s commitment to our health...but then the Park doesn’t offer the basics, like healthy food options while we’re out dousing ourselves in hand sanitizer all day. There is not a single piece of fruit to be sold anywhere. The one and only vegetable is the iceberg lettuce salad with two cherry tomatoes and two slices of cucumber for $12 at Das Festhaus. Be aware though that the salad sells out before dinner, so get ready for more fried food to keep you ready to fight covid. No water refills allowed so we paid $17 for 4 bottles of water every time we stopped for a drink, which is a lot when it’s 72 degrees. Lines were also long at the very limited number of food or drink stations, because hardly anything is open, whether it’s rides or restaurants. The Park boasts that you can walk through all seven lands, but in some, that’s really all you can do. However the gift shops are all open, so there’s that. Overall I’m very thankful that we had found the free preschool pass and Groupon coupons online, because there is no way Busch Gardens is worth anything near the cost of full price tickets right now.
Written April 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carmalita T
Herndon, VA1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
The customer service at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!! I would not recommend this park to anyone based on how terrible they treat guests. My son lost his phone on a ride during our visit. He knew exactly where the phone fell and his watch was able to ping the phone. Busch Gardens was basically like too bad. We have been calling for two weeks and have not been able to reach a live person. We have left several messages. No response. He is in college and is unable to access certain campus areas without scanning his phone. I’ve stated this on several messages and still no return call to even say they can’t get us the phone back. We don’t live in Williamsburg. I’m sure most of their visitors don’t, so I can’t just go back any given day to try to reach someone there but they are open every day and still I am unable to get a customer service person on the phone or someone from the Lost and Found office. I haven’t had any trouble getting someone when I press the prompt to buy a ticket or group sales but those people have said they can’t help me. I have read other similar reviews and think it is unfortunate that they can’t be more responsive. Of course we know they aren’t liable for the lost phone and in no way blame them for the phone being lost on the ride but they could show a lot more compassion and care for someone’s property ESPECIALLY when the customer is certain where the item is.
Written October 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and how it was negatively affected. Please accept my apology as it was less than satisfactory. We appreciate the feedback you have provided, and I have forwarded your comments to our Leadership team.
Written November 16, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

RoadSchooling Crew
Myrtle Beach, SC63 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
My minor daughter were first in line after the sanitation by the way has been exceptional throughout the park. Upon getting on the ride the asked for help opening the ride safety bar ( he refused). Moving forward the ride was full everyone got off the ride and we didn’t see our children on the ride or walking in the exit line. We frantically began to look for them. One person stayed at the ride while others and security went looking for them. 2 of the seats are in a are in which you can’t see. I get the phone call that my daughters are almost in tears walking off of the ride. The operator stopped the ride with my girls in the back ( they got on in the front). Then when the ride stopped they asked for help unlocking the bar raising their hand and telling Hume when he walked by which he ignored. I’m absolutely outdone by how a ride operator handled this leaving my children on a ride when they asked to get off ignoring the fact that they asked for help. 2 Manangers came over we explained and he said I’m sorry but I talked with him and we will be writing it up and I don’t believe him. Well he was left to operate this ride. One of my daughters couldn’t ride anymore last night because she was ill from being afraid nervous and nauseous. The training must be terrible and although we did everything possible to ensure the safety of our children we didn’t think this could happen. Be careful with your children and rides
Written November 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, Thank you for contacting us, and for bringing this to our attention. We would like to speak with you further about this incident. Could you please email us at BGW.GuestRelations@buschgardens.com with a good contact number, and time at which it would be best to reach you.
Written November 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

BilboInNH
Spofford, NH53 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
Most important thing is to buy your tickets and fast passes at least two weeks in advance. And fast passes are an absolute must! If you do not get fast passes you will be waiting in lines as long as 2+ hours per ride. You also have to get your fast passes to weeks or more in advance because if you don’t the price skyrockets close to $200 per person per day.
Now for the park now: it is a beautiful park and there are some great roller coasters and other rides. The all day food pass is worth it if you plan to eat in the park at least three meals per day.
You can rent lockers for your bag for when you go on rides. They offered a small locker for eight dollars and you can transfer the rental to different locations throughout the park. However the problem with this is all the other locations were always full. Your best bet for renting a locker is finding a set of lockers closest to the center of the park and just keeping your stuff there all day. This is the same for the waterpark, water country.
Written August 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ashley P
Kansas City, MO7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
Worst theme park experience ever. Park was closed half the day due to "severe weather" (there wasn't one drop of rain, lightning or wind) so we all crowded into the one indoor show. When the rides were back up we stood in line for a half hour for it to break down. Went to another ride and stood there for nearly hour sweating to death and ended up giving up and got out. Went to guest relations to see about a line jumper and they wanted 2x the amount they ask for online and remind you there is only 3 hours left in the day. So we just decided to leave.

On top of it we spent 30.00 for refillable cups which didn't even include your first drink free. Hard to find refill stations or someplace to eat. Their app is useless as their map is not interactive and is just a pocture. The wait time for the lines was not working in the app.
Written July 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian G
Washington DC, DC76 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
This place is not ready to open!!!!! Very few rides and roller coasters open. The rides that were open all had 60 min plus waits. The staff are useless and don’t know what is open or closed. There is nowhere to eat !!!!! 99 percent of the small food places are closed!! There is one restaurant to eat at in the whole park at Festhaus in Germany. There is only one line for food in there to feed the whole park! I waited in line for an hour plus at Festhaus just to eat lunch. I feel so ripped off. $53 per ticket for a family of 5 today. I can’t believe it. They should have charged max $25 per ticket with how little is open at this park. We left after 4 hours and I hate to say it but I will never come to this park again.
Written March 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colleen W
Colonia, NJ79 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
So very disappointed. My family and I have visited this park many times and always had a great time. Unfortunately we thought we would have the same experience as usual. We went on Saturday, April 3, we had to book a time slot so we took 10am-4pm. We usually spend the entire day at the park, so that was the first drawback. It took 30 minutes to get through the parking gate ($25 or $55 for VIP parking) We paid full admission for a family of 6 but only got a park operating at 30%. But don’t worry...every gift shop was open and fully operational! Most food stands and restaurants were closed and my son was starving, so we waited 45 minutes for a pretzel. We were able to go on 3 roller coasters and the big swing all day. 2 of our favorite coasters were closed. All the younger kids sections were closed as well. Funny that Busch Gardens can charge full price admission yet give you so little for the price. I would suggest to them that if they are not ready to open because of COVID...then DONT! We left feeling disappointed and probably won’t return.
Written April 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dlelonek
East Meadow, NY251 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
Their website gives you the impression that so many rides will be open, weather permitting. Well although it was chilly, only the kiddy rides were really open. Thankfully the Verbolten coaster was open, but they were running it at way less than capacity. despite the large crowds and it being the only adult coaster available. To add to that, they continually announced the threat of closing due to the dropping temperatures (thankfully we got on the ride as the sun was going down, but I am sure that some people were going to be very upset after us). The only positive thing I can say about the visit, was that this was a very good ride. We wanted to go on other available rides, but the lines were very long or they were closed (despite them being listed as available on their website). The place was nicely done for the holidays, but we felt that they tried to just sell us food or to have us buy stuff. We felt totally ripped-off. They even charged full prices for parking despite the limitations. I would only go if you have small kids, otherwise don't waste your time and money.
Written December 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Redwing227
Stinson Lake, NH160 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
Went as a family group of 10. Those that love the coasters (2 kids) had a great time. My main issues with Busch Garden was the price of admission when many of the places in the park were not opened. To charge people who have shelled out $300+ admission then an additional $25 to park is like being held up. Once inside bring a whole lot of cash for food or drinks. The map system was very confusing. I have visited Williamsburg 6 or 7 times and this was the first and last time going to this money pit.
Written April 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Renee W
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Family
If an amusement park is on your list of things to do this summer be aware that they are terribly understaffed and do not offer good entertainment value as they are operating now. At Busch Gardens only 2 minimally staffed, short duration, shows were offered, over half the shops were closed, only a few restaurants/food stalls were open (less than a 1/4), no trams are running from the parking lots, most of the animal exhibits are closed or have limited viewing times, no character actors that normally interact with visitors and act as guides, etc. They have gone 100% digital, which means no paper park maps, so if you don't print one at home or you don't have a phone with large screen and you have "old eyes" you have a difficult time navigating the park. The only near normal thing was about 3/4 of the rides were open. The only good thing was the crowds were thin allowing short wait times. Bottom line if I had paid the full price of $89 per person I would have been angry. I used AAA and got our tickets online for $59 so I am only mildly annoyed and disappointed. Before you go to any park check their website. At this time Busch Gardens is only selling tickets online and you have to have a reservation to enter the park. We were there with family as a belated high school graduation trip for my niece Lane. The best thing about the day was spending time with family.
Written June 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 9,042
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Busch Gardens Williamsburg - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Busch Gardens Williamsburg




© 2024 Tripadvisor LLC All rights reserved.

This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.