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Busch Gardens Williamsburg

By Arthur Levine, About.com

Curse of DarKastle Busch Gardens picture

The ominous Curse of DarKastle ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Arthur Levine 2005. Licensed to About.com.
Location and Phone:
Williamsburg, VA
1-800-343-7946
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Admission Policy:
Pay-one-price general admission. Special pricing for ages 3 to 9. Children 2 and under are admitted free. For a few extra dollars, Discovery tickets offer unlimited visits over a 7-day period. An upgraded Discovery pass include admission to Water Country USA water park.A Williamsburg Bounce Ticket includes unlimited admission to Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, and Colonial Williamsburg over a 7-day period.
Directions and Hotel Info:
From Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Chesapeake/Norfolk Int'l Airport Newport News/Hampton/NN/Williamsburg Int'l Airport
I-64 West to Exit 243A

From Richmond/Richmond Int'l Airport
I-64 East to Exit 243A

From Washington, DC
I-95 South to Richmond, VA
I-295 South
I-64 East to Exit 243A

Compare rates for Busch Gardens-area hotels at About.com's booking partner, Kayak.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Featured Attractions:
Wonderful coasters include Apollo's Chariot, an inspired and impossibly smooth hypercoaster, Griffon, the world's first floorless diving coaster, the inverted Alpengeist, The Big Bad Wolf, a suspended coaster, and the looping steel Loch Ness Monster coaster. Other highlights include the incredible Curse of DarKastle dark ride, the 4-D film, R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, Corkscrew Hill, a delightful motion simulator attraction, the highly themed Escape from Pompeii splashdown ride, and an impressive collection of stage shows.
Affiliated Water Park:
Water Country USA
Water Country USA requires a separate admission and is located a few miles away from Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
New at Busch Gardens Williamsburg:
New for 2009
Sesame Street Forest of Fun- New themed area for younger children
Sesame Street presents Lights, Camera, Imagination!- 4D film
The Sesame Street-themed kid-sized roller coaster, Grover's Alpine Express will be one of the highlights of the park's new Sesame Street Forest of Fun. Other rides will include Elmo's Castle, an interactive water play area and Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure, a mini flume ride. Also, a new Sesame Street 4D attraction (3D film plus in-theater sensory effects) will debut.
Halloween and Holidays Info:
Howl-O-Scream

Christmas Town

Photo Galleries:
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Coasters Photo Gallery

Busch Gardens Williamsburg DarKastle Photo Gallery

Griffon Diving Coaster at Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg Photo Gallery

Official Web Site:
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Overview:
You have to hand it to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. With its rich themeing, stunning, award-winning landscaping (they don't call it Busch GARDENS for nothing), and superior food, it's a seasonal, more-or-less regional park that thinks it's a year-round destination park. And it doesn't skimp on its rides and attractions either.

Thrill-ride freaks love the place for its world-class coasters. And park fans of all thrill-tolerance levels love the park for its highly themed splashdown ride, its unique motion simulator presentation, its elaborate, Broadway-level shows, and other attractions that are more typically found at Disney and Universal parks.

Once called "The Olde Country" and "Busch Gardens Europe," the park uses European hamlets to great effect as both its theme and as inspiration for its way-above-average dining. Make sure you leave room for the mile-high desserts. With Colonial Williamsburg, Busch's wonderful water park, Water Country USA, and other nearby attractions, Busch Gardens can be the centerpiece of a great vacation.

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