Busch Gardens Williamsburg

It would be hard to argue that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is not one of the most beautiful theme parks in the world, with its alluring landscaping and rich theming.

The park, which was named after brewery giant and original owners Anheuser-Busch, takes Europe as its overall theme with different lands representing various European countries. Its sister park in Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, similarly has an African theme.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is famous for its world class rides. Amongst them are Loch Ness Monster, which when it opened in 1978 was the world's fastest and tallest rollercoaster; Griffon, one of the best examples of a B&M Dive Coaster operating anywhere; and Escape From Pompeii, an extensively themed shoot-the-chutes boat ride that takes visitors floating through the fiery destruction of Pompeii.

While Busch Gardens has a great ride collection and the park may look stunning, it is not the perfect park, with its operations occasionally letting it down badly. There are of course some outstanding staff, but others seem disinterested or in no hurry to do very much. Food service can be disasterously slow ... what good is it, for example, to have an Oktoberfest style dinner show in Das Festhaus when it takes the entire length of the show for most of the audience to queue up and get their food?

Aside from the operations though, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a stunning park. Each area is extremely immersive, and it is easy to imagine that you really are walking through a cobbled English village, relaxing in an Italian courtyard or sailing along the River Rhine. Put this together with a splendid selection of rides, many of which come with extensive theming, and a trip to Busch Gardens is a superb day out.

Attractions