Busch Gardens is a theme park located in James City County that opened in 1975. The park is broken into different parts or “countries” each showcasing different food and music. England, Germany, Italy, France, Scotland and Ireland—they’re all there.     

Jack Hanna’s Wild Reserve is also located within the park with an area dedicated to the rehabilitation of bald eagles. The site also houses wolves. The gardens also have an area called the Highland Stables where people can see blackface sheep and border collies and view demonstrations of traditional herding and hunting methods.

The theme park is best known for its roller coasters. Amusement Today, a monthly periodical that features all the latest news reviews about the amusement park industry has consistently ranked the garden’s Apollo’s Chariot rollercoaster consistently highly in its prestigious Golden Ticket Award.

The park covers 383-acres. It has rides which include Land of the Dragons, Prince Elmo’s Spire, Little Balloons, Elephant Run, Alpengeist, Griffon and many more.

The park is broken into different hamlets or “countries” each showcasing different food and music: Banbury Cross (England), Rhinefeld (Germany), San Marco and Festa Italia (Italy), Aquitaine (France), Heatherdowns (Scotland), Killarney (Ireland), Sesame Street Forest of Fun. They have a signature Halloween event called Howl-O-Scream with attractions featuring various ghouls, ghosts and haunted houses.

Christmas Town is the park’s beautifully lit up Christmas event featuring attractions, shows and shopping. Transportation within the park is done by three steam locomotives and a sky ride.

There are also Broadway-style shows here like:

• Roll Out The Barrel: Featuring singers, acrobats, and dancers.
• Celtic Fyre: A show celebrating Celtic tradition through dance.
• London Rocks: A 25-minute live action rock extravaganza.
• Mix It Up: Chef Musicians and waiters perform various Italian numbers.
• More... Pet Shenanigans: Trained animals delight the audience.
• Sunny Days Celebration: The friends at Sesame Street sing and dance for you.
• The secret life of Predators: A presentation about the top predators.

• Busch Gardens reserves the right to admission and one of their rules is to wear appropriate clothing (nothing with explicit language, no costumes). Make sure you comply.
• Double check the schedule before visiting. The park is not open every day and even the closing times vary greatly.
• Outside food is not allowed inside the park.
• Although the park is open during inclement weather, some of the rides and shows may be cancelled. Refunds are not issued for the same.
• Cameras are not allowed inside the premises and must be kept inside lockers which are available for a fee. If a camera harness is used, it must be approved by a Parks Operation Manager before it is taken inside the park.
• Pets are not allowed inside however kennel services are provided. Food is not included. However, trained service animals are allowed.
• Wheelchairs and strollers can be rented by people above the age of 18.

• Ages 3-9: $65

• The closing time of the park may vary.
• The schedule varied greatly, so it will be wise to check ahead before scheduling a visit. For instance, in 2015, the park is open every day through June and July. But this isn’t true for the rest of the year.
• Schedule your visit around the shows you want to see. Different shows have different timings.

• Williamsburg Amtrak Train Station lies ten minutes away.
• Bus: No 1 stop Busch Gardn England.

• The park itself has many eateries like Squire’s Grille
• Cafe Lulu
• Trapper’s Smokehouse
• Ristorante della Plazza
• The British Baker and more

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