Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Previously known as Busch Gardens: The Old Country (1975–1992) Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1993–2005, 2008–present) Busch Gardens Europe (2006–2008)
Location	James City County, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates	37°14′5″N 76°38′40″W
Status	Operating
Opened	May 16, 1975 (1975-05-16) (as Busch Gardens: The Old Country)
Owner	United Parks & Resorts
Theme	Europe
Slogan	"Celebrate, Connect, and Care for the natural world through the power of entertainment."
Operating season	Year round
Area	422 acres (1.71 km2)
Attractions
Total	53
Roller coasters	10
Water rides	3
Website	Busch Gardens Williamsburg Home Page

Main gate of Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2014

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a 422-acre (1.71 km²) amusement park in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, located approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Virginia Beach. The park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by United Parks & Resorts. The park opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch's brewery and near its other developments, including the Kingsmill Resort complex.

The park, originally named 'Busch Gardens: The Old Country', is themed to various European countries. In 1993, the park was renamed to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and briefly named Busch Gardens Europe from 2006 to 2008. In 2015, an estimated 2.78 million people attended the park, ranking 20th in overall attendance among amusement parks in North America. The park also features notable roller coasters, including Griffon, Verbolten, Pantheon, Alpengeist, and Apollo's Chariot.

History

From the early 1970s, the Busch Gardens theme park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) as a portion of the company's development investment in the Williamsburg area, which grew to include a brewery, the Kingsmill Resort, and residential and office properties. The park opened 49 years ago in 1975 as Busch Gardens: The Old Country.

The St. Louis-based brewer invested in the area following negotiations held between Gussie Busch and Winthrop Rockefeller, who was the governor of Arkansas and the chairman of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1960s and 1970s. (Water Country USA, a local water park, was acquired by A-B in the 1990s, and added to the company's theme park activities, which also include a number of SeaWorld properties in other states.)

In 2008, Anheuser-Busch was acquired by Belgium-based InBev. The new owners announced plans to sell off the portions of A-B activities that were not part of the core beverage business. The Blackstone Group was selected in late 2009 to acquire and operate the 10 former A-B theme park properties, including two in the Williamsburg area. In July 2010, the adjacent Kingsmill Resort was scheduled to be acquired by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, owned by Denver-based Phillip Anschutz.

By mid-March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the park for the 2020 season. The park remained closed until August 6, 2020, when they reopened with Coasters and Craft Brews. The event featured limited capacity, required advanced reservations, as well as temperature screening of guests upon arrival, and at select villages within the park. The park also hosted Taste of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Halloween Harvest (in place of Howl-O-Scream), Christmas Celebration (in place of Christmas Town), Winter Weekends, and Mardi Gras events throughout the year.

Beginning in January 2021, the park began its year-round operation. The previous operating season of Busch Gardens Williamsburg was late March through early January. The Winter Weekends and Mardi Gras limited-capacity events marked the first time that the park had ever been open during the winter months.

Overview

The park features a combination of roller coasters and Broadway-style shows. The park is divided into "countries", each representing its own unique style of food, music and themed attractions.

Conservation

Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve houses a variety of wild species including gray wolves and bald eagles. Busch Gardens is partnered with SeaWorld (also owned by United Parks & Resorts) in the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, to offer guests the opportunity to contribute to wildlife conservation. The Rhine River Cruise attraction's boats are battery-powered in an effort to cut back on power generation and prevent water pollution. In addition, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA both use insects rather than pesticides in the parks' commitment to organic gardening. All brochures, maps, show guides and paper products are made from recycled material.

• 
  Gray Wolf Interacting with Trainer
• 
  Barn Owl at Busch Gardens
• 
  Eclectus Parrot at midday.
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  One of three bald eagles on display at Eagle Ridge.

Howl-O-Scream

Big Ben in Banbury Cross (England), decorated for Howl-O-Scream

Howl-O-Scream, the park's signature Halloween event, began in 1999 and offers more than a dozen attractions featuring vampires, zombies, clowns, witches, and skeletons.

St. Patrick's Day

In 2021, Busch Gardens Williamsburg celebrated their first St. Patrick's Day celebration. This event celebrates Irish culture in all ten hamlets (or lands) throughout the month of March, featuring Irish-themed cuisine, music, live entertainment, and special events, as well as having the park's various rides in operation. Those attending Das Festhaus will be able to view various Irish stepdance performances that have been shown in the park over the years, including the award-winning Celtic Fyre. Appearances from Virginia's Irish Dance Schools can also be seen in the San Marco Theatre. For younger children, a scavenger hunt is hosted by a leprechaun, Clancy, who is also available throughout the day for photos. For adults, there is a variety of alcoholic beverages available throughout the park, various Guinness products, and green beer.

Night of Oktoberfest

Night of Oktoberfest is an annual 21-and-up event hosted in the Oktoberfest part of the Germany Hamlet, started in 1976. The event offers German inspired food, alcoholic drinks, a DJ, games, raffles, and use of some select ride attractions in the Germany Hamlet of the park.

Christmas Town

Christmas Town is the park's Christmas event which began during the 2009 season. Several Christmas and winter holiday-themed attractions and shows are exclusive to the season, including a 50-foot (15 m) Christmas tree called "O Tannenbaum" that lights up in sync to Christmas music in the Oktoberfest hamlet of the park. Each show venue from the park offers a holiday-themed performance during Christmas Town, ranging from reinterpretations of classic Christmas stories (Scrooge No More) to ice skating (Twas That Night on Ice), and a-cappella performances (Gift of Harmony). Many of the flat rides are in operation as well as the park's train, skyride, and roller coasters (traditionally, Verbolten, InvadR and Pantheon since their opening, and recently Apollo's Chariot, though previous Christmas town seasons saw Tempesto, Griffon, and Alpengeist also operate.) During the celebration, the park is decorated with millions of lights and dozens of real Christmas trees. Shopping and dining are also a prominent part of Christmas Town, with many of the park's restaurants offering food and drinks catered to the season and colder weather. The event typically begins from the weekend before Thanksgiving, and continues every weekend until the week before Christmas, where it stays open for the rest of December until a few days after New Year's Day.

• 
  Banbury Cross, England in Christmas Livery.
• 
  Aquitaine, France at Dusk.
• 
  Nighttime View of New France.
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  The Streets of the North Pole (formerly Rhinefeld, Germany) Adorned with Lights.
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  Town Center of the North Pole
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  50-Foot Tall Christmas Tree with Das Festhaus in the Background.
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  Italy's "Escape From Pompeii" Transformed into the Polar Pathway.
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  A View of Santa Claus with the Polar Pathway in the Background

Hamlets

The park is separated into 10 different hamlets themed to traditional interpretations of European villages from England, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland and Ireland.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg features two main transportation attractions that provide convenient access to different areas of the park; The Aeronaut Skyride, a gondola lift that allows guests to travel between the Sesame Street Forest of Fun, Aquitaine, and Rhine Feld hamlets; and the Busch Gardens Railway, a replica steam train that transports guests between the Heatherdowns, Festa Italia, and New France hamlets. The train is not only a practical mode of transportation but also serves as a thematic element of the park's "Old Country" atmosphere. Families with young children can especially benefit from using the train as a means of traveling together and enjoying the park's various hamlets.

Banbury Cross (England)

2014 Street View of Banbury Cross, England

Banbury Cross is fashioned after old England, with phone booths and classic Tudor English architecture. Guest Services windows are located next to the turnstiles of the main entrance gate. A simulacrum of the famous Elizabeth Tower (known colloquially as Big Ben) is the central element of this area. Banbury Cross also includes The Squire's Grill, serving breakfast and lunch, as well as a funnel cake shop, ice cream shop and candy store. The Globe Theatre, a double-sized replica of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, is the most prominent attraction in the hamlet. In 2014, the theatre was renovated to once again hold live performances. For many years preceding 2014, the Globe Theatre's entertainment lineup consisted of 4-D films, including Haunts of the Old Country, Pirates 4-D and R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse. Prior to the 4-D films, the theater hosted a variety of live shows including Mark Wilson's World's Greatest Illusions, America on Ice, Hot Ice, Celebrate America and the People's Choice. It currently features an American music show, “American Jukebox: Summer Remix”, showcasing American hits through the decades.

Heatherdowns (Scotland)

Backfield view of Heatherdowns, Scotland

Tweedside railway station in the Heatherdowns (Scotland) hamlet at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Heatherdowns is a Scottish hamlet situated at the top of the hill on the path leading from Banbury Cross (the park's English hamlet). Tweedside Train Station offers a 20-minute ride through the park with additional stops in Festa Italia and at Caribou Station, in New France. Tweedside Gifts is located adjacent to the train station. Heatherdowns is also home to the Highland Stables featuring Scottish Blackface sheep, Border Collies and Clydesdales. Guests can interact with the animals and see them in action as they showcase their herding skills in daily demonstrations. Guests can also have pictures with the Clydesdales. Prior to 2010, the stables were home to several of the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales until the theme park unit of Anheuser-Busch was sold in 2009. Other points of interest include seasonal kiosks for the park's Food and Wine Festival (in late spring) and the Summer Nights festival.

• Loch Ness Monster – A looping Arrow Development roller coaster. It was the first and the only remaining roller coaster in the world to feature interlocking loops. It closed in 2023 to receive a makeover from Premier Rides.

Sesame Street Forest of Fun

Opened on April 3, 2009, Sesame Street Forest of Fun features four new children and family rides and attractions themed to Sesame Street, including a Zierer Force roller coaster named Grover's Alpine Express, Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure flume ride, Oscar's Whirly Worms rock-n-tug-type ride, Prince Elmo's Spire, a Zamperla shot-n-drop ride a small drop tower and wet and dry play areas. The area also features a stage for the main show "Sunny Days Celebration" and a gift shop. The hamlet also contains the Skyride station nearest to the Main Gate. The Aeronaut (first leg) of the Skyride departs to Aquitaine, France, while the Zeppelin (third leg) Skyride arrives from Rhinefeld, Germany.

• Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure – A flat flume ride with water effects
• Oscar's Whirly Worms – A rocking, spinning Rockin' Tug ride
• Prince Elmo's Spire – A family-friendly shot-n-drop drop tower ride from Zamperla
• Grover's Alpine Express – A Zierer family-friendly roller coaster standing 24 feet tall

Killarney (Ireland)

2014 street view of Killarney, Ireland.

Formerly known as Hastings, England, this section of the park was re-themed in 2001 as Ireland, the first new country in over 20 years. Following the addition of this country, the park's attendance was reportedly boosted by 17% after the 2001 grand opening, and was awarded a top prize by the Themed Entertainment Association. This area features Celtic Fyre, at the Abbey Stone Theatre, a celebration of Irish dance. In 2021, Celtic Fyre was named the number one Best Amusement Park Entertainment by USA Today, adding to the collection of awards and praise already collected by Busch Gardens Williamsburg over the years. Previously, the theatre housing Celtic Fyre was named the Magic Lantern Theatre and housed some of the best theme park musical revue in the United States. Shows such as Kaleidoscope, Hats Off to Hollywood, Journey into Music, Stage Struck, Totally Television and Rockin the Boat are some of the names of these productions. Grogan's Grill offers Irish cuisine in this area.

Outside the gateway next to Castle O'Sullivan, the walkway makes a sharp left turn and begins a long, moderately steep climb toward Aquitaine, France. Several animal sanctuaries and two animal performance theaters are situated along this path. Originally named Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve when it opened in 2000, the animal sanctuary was considered its own section of the park, but in 2017 the Wild Reserve was merged with Killarney and renamed the Jack Hanna Trail.

• Finnegan's Flyer – S&S Sansei Screamin' Swing opened in the spring of 2019. The ride swings guests at 100 feet at 45 mph.
• Eagle Ridge & Wolf Valley – Animal exhibits located just outside the village.
• Pet Shenanigans Theater – An outdoor venue that previously hosted the More Pet Shenanigans show.
• Lorikeet Glen – A covered bird sanctuary for Lorikeets and other brightly colored birds. Guests can enter and the birds will approach and land on them.

San Marco (Italy)

Street view of San Marco, Italy

A performance of "Mix It Up" in San Marco.

When Italy/San Marco was opened, it completed the outer circle walkway around Busch Gardens. Part of the park's expansion included a high pedestrian bridge across the Rhine River into Oktoberfest, Germany. San Marco is based upon Renaissance era Italy. A prominent feature within San Marco is Da Vinci's Garden of Inventions. This garden features Italian statues and flowers set amid rides based on sketches by Leonardo da Vinci. Also in the area is Ristorante Della Piazza, featuring Italian cuisine and allowing guests to watch "Mix It Up." During the summer until 2008, sounds of the Starlight Orchestra could be heard while dining.

• Escape from Pompeii – A shoot-the-chutes boat ride featuring an extensive indoor portion within the city of Pompeii, featuring fire and water effects as well as falling statues to simulate the destruction of the city.
• Little Gliders & Little Balloons – Kiddie-sized carnival rides themed to Da Vinci's inventions.
• The Battering Ram – A high-capacity, high-thrill swinging ship. This does not go upside down.
• The Flying Machine – A lightly themed Tivoli manufactured orbiter ride that spins riders.

Festa Italia (Italy)

Festa Italia is themed around a fair celebrating Marco Polo's return to Italy from his famous visit to China. It contains many of the park's midway games, all with a festival theme. Its attractions are themed around Roman mythology.

• Apollo's Chariot – The very first Bolliger & Mabillard Hyper Coaster featuring dives towards and around ponds and hills. Apollo's Chariot also features a deep purple and gold color scheme which is easily visible from the park entrance and surrounding parking lots.
• Roman Rapids – An Intamin River Rapids ride among Roman ruins, which is deliberately designed to drench guests.
• Tradewinds – A permanent-placement music express ride.
• Elephant Run – Another child-friendly music express ride.
• Turkish Delight – A variation of a teacups ride.
• Tempesto – A Premier Rides Sky Rocket II, featuring three launches, an inline twist, and a non-inverting loop. It goes about 60 mph backward and forwards.
• Pantheon – An Intamin multi-launch coaster.

Festa Italia also includes the Festa Train Station of the Busch Gardens Railway.

Rhinefeld (Rhineland Germany)

A street view of Rhinefeld, Germany

Rhinefeld in the spring.

This section is based on the country of Germany. It is largely themed to a runaway ski resort in the German Alps. The third leg of Busch Gardens' Skyride arrives and departs from this section. Also, in Rhinefeld is Land of the Dragons, a large children's play area featuring a playground, five rides, and seasonal shows can be found.

• Alpengeist – A Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster. It is themed to a ski-lift taken over by a local legend, the Alpengeist (German for "Ghost of the Alps"). In addition to its green and white Alpine color scheme, the station of Alpengeist features ski gear and other decorations to simulate a ski lodge in the Alps. This ride inverts riders six times.
• Kinder Karussel – The park's antique Herschell Carousel.
• Land of the Dragons – Interactive children's play area featuring a treehouse, children's rides and previously a Ferris wheel.

Land of the Dragons

When it opened in 1994 (replacing the former Grimms Hollow children's area), Land of the Dragons was the main kiddie area at Busch Gardens. It is home to Dumpherey the Dragon, the area's mascot. Other major notes taken to Land of the Dragons includes its dragon-themed 3-story tree house, a wet play area with waterfalls, squirting geysers, and a serpent that inhabits the area. There are also smaller play zones, smaller wet play areas and (formerly) a gift shop called Dragon Digs.

• Flutter Splutter – A flying dragon ride.
• Chug-A-Tug – A boat ride.
• Bug-A-Dug – A music express-like ride with ladybug cars that are red and yellow.
• Dragon-themed Treehouse
• Brook – A wet play area

As of the 2012 season, the Lost Children building has been relocated from its former building, dubbed Wild Moose Lodge, in New France, to what was formerly the Dragon Digs gift shop.

Oktoberfest (Bavaria, Germany)

Das Festhaus in Oktoberfest, site of live performances, shops, and eateries.

Beste Brezeln und Bier as viewed from the Oktoberfest bridge from San Marco.

Like Rhinefeld, this section is based on Germany during the annual celebration of Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest features many of the park's flat rides. It is also home to a large assortment of carnival-style games. Das Festhaus is a large, air-conditioned eating facility where guests can purchase German food or American classics. While eating in Das Festhaus, guests can experience shows that rotate throughout the year. This section of the park formerly hosted The Big Bad Wolf, a suspended roller coaster. The Big Bad Wolf was closed on September 7, 2009.

On September 18, 2010, it was announced that in 2011, Oktoberfest would be renovated with new shops and sights, including a new beer garden and pretzel shop known as Beste Brezeln und Bier with a Bavarian maypole occupying the flower garden in front of Das Festhaus, and a Moser's Rides 246-foot (75 m) Roto-Drop called Mäch Tower, which was a drop tower-observation tower hybrid that closed in 2023. Also announced was a new Zierer ESC roller coaster that opened in the spring of 2012 on the former site of the Arrow Dynamics Suspended Coaster, The Big Bad Wolf. In September 2011 it was announced that the new coaster would be called Verbolten. On May 18, 2012, Verbolten officially opened to the general public.

The area also hosts a large part of the annual BierFest festival, which features a large number of beers from around the world, with at least 22 different beers on tap throughout the whole area. German-themed food and non-alcoholic beverages are also sold during the festival.

The area also contained the trackless dark ride Curse of DarKastle. The attraction opened on May 1, 2005, and closed on September 4, 2017, to make way for a temporary Howl-O-Scream maze, Frostbite. On January 23, 2018, it was announced that Curse of DarKastle would not reopen for the 2018 season and would be officially closing for being a burden with maintenance costs. The building that harbored the dark ride was used as event space, such as Santa's workshop for Christmas Town and a walkthrough maze for the 2021 Halloween event Howl-O-Scream. On September 6, 2022, it was announced that a new Intamin Family Launch Straddle Coaster named DarKoaster: Escape The Storm would open in the space during Spring 2023. DarKoaster opened to the public on May 19, 2023, as North America’s first all-indoor straddle coaster.

• Der Autobahn – (Bumper Cars)
• Der Autobahn Jr. – (Kiddie Bumper Cars)
• Der Roto Baron – (Red Baron)
• Der Wirbelwind (Waveswinger) – classic yo-yo swings ride
• DarKoaster: Escape The Storm — (Indoor Straddle Coaster)
• Verbolten – Brave The Black Forest – A family-style, Black Forest themed launched roller coaster with a top speed of 53 mph. It also has a free fall when the track drops vertically while staying on a horizontal plane.

Aquitaine (France)

Entering Aquitaine, France in 2014

This section, centered on the village of Aquitaine, is based on Belle Époque France. It is home to many boutiques and one of the park's Skyride stations, where the first leg of the Skyride arrives from England and the second leg departs for Rhinefeld, Germany. The Royal Palace Theatre in France hosts numerous shows throughout the season.

• Griffon – A Bolliger & Mabillard dive roller coaster, named after the legendary creature, the griffin; contains a ninety-degree drop from 205 feet, 2 Immelmann loops, and a "splashdown" finale; the brother ride of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's SheiKra. Year Opened: 2007

New France (French Colonial)

The Final Plunge of Le Scoot Log Flume in New France.

New France presents a unique shopping experience that showcases the French colonial influence in Canada, featuring a range of stores with merchandise that complements the overall colonial theme. Rides in New France include the Busch Gardens Railway departing from Caribou Station and the Le Scoot Log Flume, featuring a 50-foot (15 m) plunge through a sawmill. A predominant feature in this area is the Trappers Smokehouse, which has an outdoor grill centrally located. Trappers Smokehouse offers grilled and smoked items such as chicken, turkey legs, ribs, and beef brisket.

• Le Scoot Log Flume – A traditional high-in-the-sky theme park log flume
• Le Catapult – a basic carnival scrambler
• InvadR – a Great Coasters International wooden roller coaster opened in 2017. InvadR is themed around the Viking invasion of New France. It has 9 airtime hills, a 74-foot drop and goes up to 48 mph.

Roller coasters

The Loch Ness Monster's interlocking loops

Griffon, Alpengeist, and Loch Ness Monster roller coasters shown in close proximity.

Existing (listed by first year)

Name	Manufacturer	Type	Opened
Loch Ness Monster	Arrow Development	Custom Looper	1978
Alpengeist	Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)	Inverted Coaster	1997
Apollo's Chariot	Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)	Hyper Coaster	1999
Griffon	Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)	Dive Coaster	2007
Grover's Alpine Express	Zierer	Force 190 Coaster	2009
Verbolten	Zierer	ESC Coaster	2012
Tempesto	Premier Rides	Sky Rocket II	2015
InvadR	Great Coasters International	Wooden Coaster	2017
Pantheon	Intamin	LSM Lauch Coaster	2022
DarKoaster: Escape The Storm	Intamin	Family Launch Straddle Coaster	2023
Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge	Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)	Family Inverted Coaster	2025

Defunct

Name	Manufacturer	Type	Opened	Closed	Replaced By
Die Wildkatze (German for The Wildcat)	Schwarzkopf	Wildcat	1976	1983	Big Bad Wolf
Das Kätzchen (German for The Kitten)	Allan Herschell Company	Little Dipper	1976	1984
Glissade	Schwarzkopf	Jet Star - Jumbo Jet	1975	1985	Wild Maus
Drachen Fire	Arrow Dynamics	Custom Looper	1992	1998	Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge
Wild Maus	Mack Rides	Steel - Wild Mouse	1996	2003	Curse of DarKastle (DarKoaster: Escape the Storm)
Big Bad Wolf	Arrow Dynamics	Suspended Coaster	1984	2009	Verbolten

Defunct rides and attractions

Name	Manufacturer	Type	Opened	Closed	Replaced by
Kaleidoscope		Stage show	1979	1982	Hats Off to Hollywood
Hats Off to Hollywood		Stage show	1983	1985	Journey Into Music
Journey Into Music		Stage show	c. 1986	1988	Stage Struck
Stage Struck		Stage show	1989	1992	Totally Television
Gladiator's Gauntlet	Vekoma	Canyon Trip	1988	1993
Questor		Simulator ride	1990	1996	King Arthur's Challenge
Totally Television		Stage show	1993	1996	Rockin' the Boat
Haunts of the Olde Country		4D film	1993	1998	R.L Stine's Haunted Lighthouse
Sea Dragon	Mack Rides	Sea Storm	1975	1998	Apollo's Chariot
Eagle One Monorail	Westinghouse Electric Corporation	Monorail	1975	1998
The Enchanted Laboratory of Nostramos the Magnificent		Stage show	1986	2000	Secrets of Castle O'Sullivan
Rockin' the Boat		Stage show	1997	2000	Irish Thunder
King Arthur's Challenge		Simulator ride	1996	2001	Corkscrew Hill
Wild Maus (formerly Wild Izzy)	Mack Rides	Wild Mouse roller coaster	1996	2003	Curse of DarKastle; relocated to Busch Gardens Tampa as "Cheetah Chase"
Aaron Radatz's Mind Over Magic		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2004	2004	Nightscares: Awakened by Magic
Irish Thunder		Stage show	2001	2005	Emerald Beat
Nightscares: Awakened by Magic		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2005	2005	Rockin' Eve's Countdown to Midnight
R.L Stine's Haunted Lighthouse		4D film	2003	2006	Pirates 4D
Le Mans Raceway	Arrow Dynamics	Antique car ride	1975	2006	Griffon
Fiends in the Festhaus		Howl-O-Scream stage show	1999	2006	Festhaus Fright Night; revived as Fiends (Festhaus)
Holiday in Roma		Stage show	2000	2006	Viva Italia
Boogie Band		Street show	c. 1984	c. 2007
Monster Stomp		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2002	2007	none; relocated to Abbey Stone Theatre as Monster Stomp: Revamped
Starlight Orchestra		Stage show	c. 1999	c. 2008	Festivale Italiano
Starfright Orchestra		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2000, 2016	2008, 2017	Movies of the Macabre; Skeletones
Emerald Beat		Stage show	2006	2008	Celtic Fyre
Viva Italia		Stage show	2007	2008	Festivale Italiano
Big Bad Wolf	Arrow Dynamics	Suspended Roller Coaster	1984	2009	Verbolten
Secrets of Castle O'Sullivan		Stage show	2001	2008
Kinetix		Stage show	2006	2008	various concerts
Rockin' Eve's Countdown to Midnight (Rockin' Eve's Wrath: Countdown to Midnight)		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2006	2008
Festhaus Fright Night		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2007	2008	FrankenRock
Riffle Rapids		Children's water ride	c. 1994	c. 2009	relocated and rethemed as Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure
Sesame Street Presents Lights, Camera, Imagination!		4-D movie	2009	2009	Pirates 4-D (revival)
Corkscrew Hill		Simulator ride	2001	2010	Europe in the Air
Festivale Italiano		Stage show	2009	2010	Mix It Up!
San Marco Singers		Stage show	c. 2009	c. 2010	Mix It Up!
FrankenRock		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2009	2010	Fiends (Festhaus)
Movies of the Macabre		Howl-O-Scream public domain horror film showcase	2009	2010	Dig It Up!
Jack is Back		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2003, 2019	2011, 2023	Fiends (Abbey Stone Theatre); Fiends: The FREAKquel
Monster Stomp: Revamped		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2008	2011	Fiends (Abbey Stone Theatre); revived as Monster Stomp on Ripper Row
This is OktoberFest		Stage show	1976, 2013	2011, 2014	none; OktoberZest
Fiends (Festhaus)		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2011	2011	Night Beats; relocated as Fiends (Abbey Stone Theatre)
Pirates 4-D		4D film	2006, 2011	2009, 2013	Sesame Street Presents Lights, Camera, Imagination!; London Rocks, Monster Stomp on Ripper Row (Howl-O-Scream), and Scrooge No More! (Christmas Town)
Dig It Up!		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2012	2013	Starfright Orchestra (revival)
Entwined		Stage show	2012	2014	Roll Out the Barrel
Europe in the Air	Reflectone	Simulator ride	2010	2016	Battle for Eire
London Rocks		Stage show	2014	2016	Britmania
Roll Out the Barrel		Stage show	2015	2016	OktoberZest
Curse of DarKastle	Oceaneering	Tracked Dark Ride	2005	2017	DarKoaster: Escape the Storm
Eggery Deggery	Zamperla	Mini Ferris Wheel	1994	2018
Mix It Up!		Stage show	2011	2018	Bel Concertino
Fiends (Abbey Stone Theatre)		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2012	2018	Jack is Back (2019); revived as Fiends: The FREAKquel
Britmania		Stage show	2017	2018	Sesame Street: Let's Play Together! and American Jukebox: Summer Remix
Die Wirbelwindchen	Hampton	Mini Swing Ride	1975	2019
Night Beats (Night Beats: Revamped)		Howl-O-Scream stage show	2012	2019	Phantoms of the Festhaus
Deck the Halls		Christmas Town stage show	2009	2020	Up on the Haustop
Battle for Eire		Simulator ride	2018	2020
Da Vinci's Cradle	Zierer	Magic Carpet	1983	2022
ZomBeats		Howl-O-Scream street show	2021	2022
Mäch Tower	Moser's Rides	Drop Tower	2011	2023
Bel Concertino		Stage show	2019	2023	Sounds of San Marco

Animal attractions

Border Collie playing in back fields of Highland Stables

Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve

Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve includes bald eagles and wolves. Eagle Ridge is a 3,000+ foot area set aside for housing and rehabilitating bald eagles and providing education to visitors. Wolf Haven is a viewing area where guests may observe one of Busch Garden's pairs of wolves. One pair is on exhibition at a time. Busch Gardens also provides Wolf Valley for those wolves not on display. Over 8,000 feet (2,400 m) of natural habitat is intended to ensure the animals' health and well-being. It also contains an aviary named Lorikeet Glen, which displays Rainbow lorikeets, and other birds. The wild reserve is located in the Ireland section of the park. In recent years, animal attractions at the park have been extensively removed, though the staple attractions remain.

Highland Stables

Busch Gardens' Highland Stables features Scottish Blackface sheep, Border Collies, black Clydesdales and Highland cattle. Guests can interact with the animals during daily demonstrations. It is located between the England and Scotland sections.

Parking and transportation

A Caledonian Railway locomotive built by Crown Metal Products for the Busch Gardens Railway.

At the park, special parking areas are provided for persons with disabilities, recreational vehicles and groups arriving by buses and motorcoaches. Trams provide shuttle service to and from entrance gates from outlying parking areas.

Within the park itself, three steam locomotive powered trains operate on the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Busch Gardens Railway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) loop of track, providing transportation between the Heatherdowns, Festa Italia and New France themed areas. Additionally, a skyride provides transportation between the Banbury Cross, Aquitaine and Rhinefeld themed areas.

Awards and recognition

In 2021, the park was also nominated by USA Today to be the fourth best amusement park in the country.

Golden Ticket Awards: Best Landscaping – Amusement Park
Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Ranking	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

NAPHA Survey: Most Beautiful Park
Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Ranking	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

NAPHA Survey: Favorite Theme Park
Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2021
Ranking	1	1	-	1	1	1

Attendance (rounded)

2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2022
3,094,000	2,900,000	2,800,000	2,744,000	2,856,000	2,726,000	2,699,000	2,780,000

Gallery

• 
  Daytime Street View of Banbury Cross, England with Christmas Decoration Visible
• 
  Seating in the Royal Palace Theatre
• 
  Front View of Das Festhaus at Christmas Town
• 
  Another View of the North Pole (Rhinefeld)
• 
  Night View of San Marco, Italy
• 
  The "Peppermint Twist" in Christmas Livery

Sources

• Busch Gardens Williamsburg expansion announcement page
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg official website
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg Howl-o-Scream official website Archived 2006-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town official website
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg at the Roller Coaster DataBase

External links

• Official website