Busch Gardens Williamsburg - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor
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
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from ₹4,794.05
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  • tmb110
    Morgantown, West Virginia159 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 17 June 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 5 July 2023
  • Paul B
    Allentown, Pennsylvania35 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
    Travelled with family
    Written 12 July 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
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 December 2023
  • muddneck79
    Loxahatchee, Florida144 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
    Travelled with family
    Written 3 January 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 waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles9,208 reviews
Excellent
5,284
Very good
2,286
Average
790
Poor
385
Terrible
463

Emigail S
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
Too many employees manning the carnival games that cost extra money (after already spending over $100 per person just to get in) and not enough employees manning the rides (a lot of rides were closed, what's the point of going then?)
Written 17 May 2024
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.

noNutter5465
Somerville, NJ11 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
In December, Busch Gardens is decorated for Christmastown. This was an excellent way to show the lights. Go early and if weather permits, wait for the gates to open at opening town. There's quite a walk from the parking lot to the entrance. Not all rides were operating in Dec. but not a big deal for us. The only complaint I had was the overpriced food and drinks.
Written 23 April 2024
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.

Marie P
28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We have been going to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for several years. We have always been able to get a great deal on either the bounce pass or fun card for the week, which often includes parking. The food is expensive but much better than most theme park food and unique in that you can get foods that are from the different countries represented in the park. There is plenty to do for little kids as well as older kids. There is a great blend of intense rides and calm rides. The theming is immersive and what sets this park apart. There's also animal experiences like a show with the wolves, a meet and greet with the Clydesdales. The park is always clean and well kept.
Written 21 April 2024
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.

Mychelle K
55 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
Very clean and well planned park- really fun theming in wait areas and plenty of shade on sunny days- except for in Italy. Great coasters - Dark Koster and Verbolten were our favorites. Celtic Fyre was a great mid-day break as was a walk through the Lorakeet aviary.
Written 17 April 2024
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.

AC K
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
The park is a lot of fun, very clean, and has lots of well maintained, well done roller coasters and a decent selection of carnival style rides for younger kids. Food typical of theme parks. Some nice, brief animal shows. Celtic Fyre Dance show really good.

Gave only 4 stars (would prefer to give 4.5) because of their online ticket buying experience. We thought we’d bought ticket plus Quick Pass for $150 each only to find that this was the fee for just the Quick Pass—the $100 admission price wasn’t included! This was NOT obvious in the online purchase process. Fortunately, the park staff were very polite and helpful in allowing return of the Quick Pass (which we found we wouldn’t have needed on a school day) and getting us the admission passes.
Written 14 April 2024
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.

Deborah P
National Harbor, MD7 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Took my teen granddaughter and her BFF for a spring break visit. It seemed shabby on-site and in need of upgrade, but They loved the roller coaster rides. I on the other hand did not appreciate the money grab At every opportunity. The meal ticket is a scam , buy as you go, because you end up having to buy extra for a real meal and it doesn’t include the things that visitors actually want. Pretzel not included that will be $17; Beer expected to be extra but $15; meal (entree side and dessert) included in meal plan but if you only want a dessert $15! Meal plan varied based on where you go… The price for parking should be illegal and it changes daily. Day 1 $32; day 2&3 $37. Told by hotel staff that in season (late spring through Labor Day) it gets to $200 per day to park!!!! Next time, I’ll pass!!!!
Written 6 April 2024
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.

Ronda A
New Castle, DE44 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
This grandmother was majorly disappointed with the park. We were shocked at the high cost of everything AND most annoyed by the "all cashless" mode demanded by BG. It is very annoying when you get your receipt and see not only are they cashless BUT they charge a fee for your use of mandatory plastic. What a money grab! I walked that park feeling sorry for all the young parents wondering how they afford this understaffed, shabby looking park with young families. I doubt my children, grandchildren, or I will return unless things change.
Written 4 April 2024
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.

sarah
Elkton, VA2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
The rides were so much fun! I had a great time on them! Even my boyfriend who hates roller coasters loved Apollo’s Chariot!
Written 4 April 2024
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.

SHB
Burlington, VT102 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Good from afar but far from good. Like others have said, either this place is resting on its laurels or it has terrible management or both. Very understaffed leading to unnecessarily long lines. It took an hour of waiting in line at Festhaus for food as only two lines open. We waited in line at Darkroaster for 45 minutes watching kids who didnt have Fast Queue skip over and jump in that line. Several roller coasters closed. We wont be back.
Written 1 April 2024
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.

GirlSGM
McCormick, SC162 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Perfect day to visit Busch Gardens. The weather was perfect for the end of March. The lines were very short. I rode one roller coaster and it beat me up pretty good, so I didn't ride anymore. There were a lot of places to eat, but not a lit of indoor sitting.
Written 31 March 2024
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.

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

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