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Preschool Pass is Back at Busch Gardens

Sarah Cole — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 20:56:50 +0000

Kids ages 3-5 get FREE unlimited admission to both Busch Gardens and Water Country USA!

Busch Gardens has lots of KIDsiderate rides shows and tours.
Kids can hang out with their favorite pals at Sesame Street® Forest of Fun™ or explore the Land of the Dragons® and discover a magical play land at Busch Gardens®. You’ll want to cool off over at Water Country USA®. Both parents and kids will love interactive splash zones like H2O UFO® and Cow-A-Bunga®.

Last year Christa brought her preschoolers to the park read her review of Busch Gardens here.

The 2-Park Preschool Pass offers unlimited admission to both Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA for children ages 3 – 5, through Sept. 7, 2015.

Hurry, passes must be registered and redeemed by May 31, 2015. Learn more and register for your pass here.

Bright Friday Sale – Busch Gardens

Christa Donohue — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 21:13:04 +0000

Leave it to Busch Gardens to turn “Black Friday” into something sparkly! They’re offering a variety of discounts on Christmas Town tickets, dining experiences, and even 2015 Spring tickets. Discounts are available Black Friday (or Bright Friday as Busch Gardens deems it) through Cyber Monday. Here’s the bullet point list of our favorite deals:

$10 off single day Christmas Town tickets
50% off Fireside Feast with Santa (one of my personal favs)
$50 off the new Photokey Premium Memebership
40% off a 2015 Elite VIP Tour
$40 single day tickets for Spring 2015

These offers are only available through their site. Visit Busch Gardens to learn more and snap up these great deals before they’re gone.

We had the great pleasure of visiting Busch Gardens Christmas Town on opening night this past weekend. We tested out the new PhotoKey membership at various locations throughout the park, had dinner with Santa and got to pet a real live penguin. In the words of our 3 & 5 year olds, it was “the BEST DAY EVER!”

Read our full review for 2014 and 2013 so you can plan to do the good stuff and avoid the non-essentials.

Howl-O-Scream 2014

Christa Donohue — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 02:21:44 +0000

I really LOVE halloween…mostly because it is the hallmark of all things Fall in my mind. I love the cooler weather, the chunky sweaters, boots and anything made from a butternut squash. I also happen to love scary movies and haunted houses…oh, and carving pumpkins!

So, I was thrilled when I received the invitation to the media event for Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. And, as usual, Busch Gardens did not disappoint. The park was transformed into a semi-spooky fall wonderland by day and an all out terror fest by sundown.

Igor’s Fright Feast
2 out of 5 stars

We started the day at Igor’s Fright Feast, which I would deem dinner theater. The decor was amazing with the utmost attention paid to every detail. Quite impressive. And that remained true throughout every inch of the park. The show itself was very well done, although not my particular taste and I would not recommend it for young children. Musical and comedic in style; but ripe with innuendo and scantily clad women. I was disappointed with the food at the feast; mostly because the food options at Busch Gardens are typically quite good and hence the expectations are always high. I would choose to eat elsewhere in the park and I’ll give you a few other choices below.

Monster Stomp on Ripper Row
5 out of 5 stars

Next stop was Monster Stomp – this show was amazing! And I’m not typically the show-watching kinda gal. I like the thrill rides But I loved this show and would go back to watch it again. Darkly entertaining, packed with rockin’ rhythm and just enough gore. I think this show would be fine for slightly older children. It is really popular, so get in line early, but definitely don’t miss it! Here’s a little clip from Monster Stomp:

Click here to view the embedded video.

13: Your Number’s Up – Haunted House
5 out of 5 stars

Here you’ll encounter 13 of your darkest fears and phobias. I was genuinely frightened – not an easy feat. You’ll find dark spaces to squeeze through, a surprising and well executed fear of heights experience, a room full of scary clowns and several more. The scare actors in this house knew what they were doing and the theme was spot-on through out the entire experience. Highly recommend it!

Deadline – Haunted House
3.5 out of 5 stars

The decor / costuming is great and the overall experience is better than average, but mostly your standard fare for a haunted house. The theme is an underground subway that was shut down due to a gas leak. It’s dark and spooky with your typical players jumping out to frighten passers-by. I only had time to visit 2 haunted houses on this trip and kinda wish I had chosen Cut Throat Cove as my 2nd. Ahh, next time….

Ports of Skull – Terror-tories
5 out of 5 stars

There are 5 separate ‘terror-tories’ - sections of the park with themed characters, dining options, and decor. I was really impressed with the pirate themed Ports of Skull. I can’t even imagine the effort and planning that went into building some of the temporary structures in this section. It’s a shipwreck graveyard, where the souls of lost pirates roam in the form of scare actors that are quite amazing. Costuming, make-up and acting are all terror-ific! They even have a pirate on a bungee that jumps out at passers-by from the top on an old ship. Just phenomenal. There are several pirate themed food options here that I will opt for on my next trip. One of the kiosks lists a “spiced, rum-infused candied bacon” skewer, which was a thick cut slice of bacon as long as my forearm. Yum!

Ripper Row – Terror-tories
5 out of 5 stars

Jack the Ripper is on the loose in England. This is near the front gates and a wonderful way to kick off a spooky night of fun. Again, the Busch Gardens team has done an amazing job setting the stage and the actors are engaging the crowd non-stop. I really loved the head-less women in black roaming the streets.

I didn’t have time to visit all of the things I wanted to experience during this trip…which just means that I’ll have to go back! I am excited to check out the entire Vampire Point terror-tory, with the Bitten Haunted House and the Blood Banquet. I heard lots of people raving about Blood Banquet as the best dining experience!

Several people have asked me if it’s appropriate for the little ones and that is going to be very kid-dependent after dark. Busch Gardens cautions parents:

“Be warned: at 6 p.m. Busch Gardens® becomes a seriously scary place and may not be suitable for little ones. Please use discretion when bringing children into the park at this time.”

Howl-O-Scream is open Fridays – Sundays now through October 26th. You can pick up a 1 day ticket or a Fall Fun Card, which is the same price as a 1 Day ticket, but allows unlimited access through the end of Oct. Season Passes are also available now and remain valid for 1 year, so you can enjoy the park all through out next summer too! Get more info about ticket options on the Busch Gardens Site.

Howl-O-Scream: Busch Gardens

RichmondMom Calendar — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 14:51:59 +0000

Daytime is for the young, little ones will enjoy taking a Halloween-themed photo with their favorite Sesame Street friends. When the clock strikes six, get ready for the serious scares when Busch Gardens becomes a more menacing place and guests become the main attraction.

Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream® Returns with New Haunts and Louder Screams.

Sarah Cole — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 09:00:44 +0000

Wendigo Woods™ is a new Terror-tory this year at Busch Gardens

When the sun sets beginning September 12, Busch Gardens becomes a pretty frightening place.
Prepare to scream this fall when the infamous Howl-O-Scream® returns with some all new thrills for 2014.
Cursed music will be playing throughout the park stirring up some strange happenings.

Be careful as you try to unravel the secrets in Wendigo Woods™… mysterious creatures are lurking in the trees.

Head to the Globe Theatre for Monster Stomp™ on Ripper Row® – a “modern rock-and-rhythm spectacular” featuring Jack the Ripper with percussion, dynamic dance and singing.

If all that fear leaves you with a pit of hunger in your stomach, there will be two new places to dine Igor’s Fright Feast™, an all you can eat buffet, and Crow’s Nest Grill™ a pirate themed galley in Ports of Skull™.

Howl-O-Scream® will prey on visitors daily from September 12 – October 26th after 6pm.
Click here for tickets (if you dare).

Busch Gardens Prize Package – Includes 2 FREE Day Passes!

Christa Donohue — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 17:15:59 +0000

Summer’s winding down and everyone is gearing up for the coming school year….but wait, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of fun still to be had! How about we sweeten the end of summer with a chance to WIN two FREE day passes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and a few other little goodies!?

Enter the contest here before midnight, August 11, 2014.

Please make sure to read restrictions for pass expiration and gift package pick up.

ENTER HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best and Worst of the Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens

Christa Donohue — Wed, 28 May 2014 00:50:35 +0000

Bring your appetites to Busch Gardens for the second annual Busch Gardens® Food & Wine Festival. The festival runs weekends through June 29 and features 14 tasting kiosks with 55 menu items that can only be sampled during the event. The festival also offers over 71 varieties of wine, beer and specialty cocktails.

It’s a good thing they’re doing this every weekend because there are still a lot of things I want to try! Plan your trip well…you’ll want to taste everything! They are small sampling plates priced at $3 – $7. I enjoyed this set up since it allowed us to try a wide array of options in a single visit.

The sonoran spice pork and chocolate lava cake in the adobe-themed American Southwest tasting station are not to be missed. The ‘lava’ has just the right hint of ancho spice to complicate the flavor but not anger the children. And it was a generous portion for $4. This would easily be a $6 – $8 dessert at any restaurant. The chicken adobo with mole sauce was so good that we circled back a few hours after our first tasting because my daughter was begging for more! I had a glass of the Bloom Riesling, which was lovely.

Also high on our kid list was the mac & cheese with bacon from the Canada kiosk – both kids loved it. Brian and I shared the cheddar & lager chowder in Canada but were not particularly impressed.

I really enjoyed the tapas plate from Spain with paprika roasted Marcona almonds, olive medley, and Manchego cheese. Greece offers a trio dip plate too – roasted garlic hummus, kalamata olive puree, and a very tasty feta dip.

I never made it to the Crepes & Coffee kiosk – which is top on my list for the next visit! And I heard others raving about the scallop wrapped in cured ham with saffron rice & romesco sauce in Spain…next time!

You can check out the Menus for each kiosk before you go and they hand out great little tasting menus to carry around while you’re there.

Cultural hosts are on hand at each kiosk to provide background information on the cultures represented at the festival. Busch Gardens makes sampling simple with a cashless wristband. Guests can link a cashless wristband to a credit card to make purchases throughout the day. This convenient payment system can be used while touring the food and wine festival kiosks. The Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 29. For more information, visit www.buschgardens.com/foodandwine.

***Richmondmom.com is a Blog Ambassador for Busch Gardens and receives complimentary park admission to facilitate reviews. No other compensation is received.

Summer Concert Line up at Busch Gardens

RichmondMom.com — Thu, 15 May 2014 16:00:38 +0000

Busch Gardens® announced the remaining artists performing in the Busch Gardens® LIVE and Glory at the Gardens concert series presented by Coca-Cola®. With a lineup featuring rock, country and Christian music, there’s something for everyone this summer.

2014 Summer Sechedule

July 4
Lee Greenwood
Busch Gardens LIVE

July 5
The Romantics
Busch Gardens LIVE

July 20
Lynard Skynyrd
Busch Gardens LIVE

July 26
LeAnne Rimes
Busch Gardens LIVE

August 3
Steven Curtis Chapman
Glory at the Gardens

Busch Gardens LIVE and Glory at the Gardens concerts are held at Busch Gardens’ Royal Palace Theatre. The theater’s gates open approximately two hours before the scheduled 7 p.m. performance. All Busch Gardens LIVE and Glory at the Gardens concerts are included with park admission. For guests’ convenience complimentary concert tickets are distributed throughout the day at the park’s Guest Relations building. Tickets are distributed one-per-person on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. All party members must be present to receive tickets. Tickets are required for entry to the concert. Premium seating in a reserved area is also available with the purchase of concert and dinner packages.

Get tickets here or call (800) 343-7946.

Busch Gardens Forest Of Fun Turns 5!

Sarah Cole — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 19:57:25 +0000

Sesame Street® Forest of Fun™ at Busch Gardens is celebrating its fifth birthday April 4 – 6, and park guests are welcome to join the party. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends will greet guests each morning in the park’s England village. They will then lead families from England to Sesame Street Forest of Fun for the birthday celebration that will include complimentary milk and cookies. The birthday treats are available on a first come, first served basis.

This special birthday weekend also includes special performances of Elmo Rocks! at Il Teatro di San Marco in the park’s Italy village. Show details and times are available at online or on the park’s map.

Parents with children ages 3 to 5 can take advantage of the Free 2-Park Preschool Pass. Through this online-only offer, children can get a preschool pass this spring and enjoy unlimited admission to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA through Sept. 1.

Busch Gardens offers more than 50 KIDsiderate® attractions, including Sesame Street Forest of Fun and Land of the Dragons®, which celebrates its 20^thanniversary on April 26. Kid-sized roller coasters like Grover’s Alpine Express at Busch Gardens and Water Country USA’s Kritter Korral™ are among the can’t miss kid-friendly attractions waiting for families to enjoy this spring.

Register before May 31 for a Free 2-Park Preschool Pass. Proof of the child’s age is required at the time the passes are redeemed and the passes must be redeemed at either park by May 31, 2014. Children ages 2 and younger receive complimentary admission and do not need to register. Visit the Busch Gardens Preschool Pass page for complete details.

Water Country USA Colossal Pool Party Giveaway

Sarah Cole — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:35:49 +0000

It’s the pool party to top all pool parties:

Water Country USA is hosting a Colossal Pool Party this summer and your school can win it!

Here are the details:

High school students in grades nine through 12 are invited to join with their schools’ administration to enter the Water Country USA Colossal Pool Party Giveaway. One lucky school will be awarded the following:

VIP admission for up to 250 students and up to 50 chaperones to Water Country USA.
The opportunity to be among the first to ride Colossal Curl.
Access throughout the day to a VIP zone.
Complimentary lockers and dining options.
Transportation assistance to and from Water Country USA.
An exclusive two-hour party after the park closes to the public.

To enter the contest, participants should submit a video that is no less than 30 seconds, but no more than two minutes, long. The video should describe why their school deserves to win a colossal pool party at Water Country USA. The entry phase of the contest begins on March 24 at 10 a.m. and submissions will be accepted through April 11 at noon. Starting at 5 p.m. on March 21, Water Country USA fans can vote on which school they think should win the contest. The entry process,official rules and submission criteria are available on Water Country USA’s Facebook page. The giveaway is open to legal residents of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C. and Delaware.

Colossal Curl will make a splash at Water Country USA in late spring. True to its name, Colossal Curl will thrill guests with a high-adrenaline, action-packed water slide adventure. The park’s first family-thrill attraction features a funnel element that will swish and swirl up to four riders aboard a cloverleaf-shaped raft before whisking them through the slide’s enclosed tubes on their way to a wave element that hurtles them high above the park. The unique combination of funnel and wave thrill elements, makes Colossal Curl the only attraction of its kind in North America.