Busch Gardens Williamsburg facts for kids

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Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Attractions
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 / 37.23472°N 76.64444°W / 37.23472; -76.64444
Status	Operating
Opened	May 16, 1975; 50 years ago (1975-05-16) (as Busch Gardens: The Old Country)
Owner	SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
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)
Total	53
Roller coasters	9
Water rides	3
Website	Busch Gardens Williamsburg Home Page

Main gate of Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2014

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a fun amusement park in James City County, Virginia, USA. It covers about 422 acres and is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The park first opened on May 16, 1975, and was originally called Busch Gardens: The Old Country.

This park is famous for its different European country themes. You can explore areas that look like England, France, Germany, and more! Busch Gardens is also well-known for its exciting roller coasters. Some popular ones include Griffon, Loch Ness Monster, Alpengeist, and Apollo's Chariot. In 2015, over 2.7 million people visited the park.

Discovering Busch Gardens' History

Busch Gardens Williamsburg was created by a company called Anheuser-Busch in the early 1970s. They wanted to build a fun place for families in the Williamsburg area. Over the years, the park's name changed a few times. It was first called Busch Gardens: The Old Country. Later, it became Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and for a short time, Busch Gardens Europe.

In 2009, a company called Blackstone Group bought Busch Gardens and other theme parks. They now own and operate the park, making sure it stays a great place to visit!

What Makes Busch Gardens Special?

Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers a mix of thrilling roller coasters and amazing live shows. The park is divided into different "countries." Each country has its own unique style of food, music, and rides. It's like taking a trip across Europe without leaving Virginia!

Caring for Animals and Nature

Busch Gardens is committed to protecting wildlife. The park has a special area called Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve. Here, you can see different animals like gray wolves and bald eagles.

Busch Gardens works with SeaWorld through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. This fund helps protect animals and their habitats around the world. The park also uses eco-friendly practices, like battery-powered boats and organic gardening. They even use recycled paper products throughout the park!

A gray wolf with its trainer.
A barn owl at Busch Gardens.
An Eclectus Parrot.
One of the bald eagles at Eagle Ridge.

Spooky Fun: Howl-O-Scream

Every fall, Busch Gardens transforms for its signature Halloween event, Howl-O-Scream! This event features haunted houses, spooky shows, and a creepy atmosphere. You might encounter vampires, werewolves, and skeletons. Howl-O-Scream usually starts in late September and runs through October. It's a popular event for those who love a good scare!

Holiday Magic: Christmas Town

During the holiday season, the park lights up for Christmas Town. This event began in 2009 and is filled with festive attractions and shows. A giant 50-foot animated Christmas tree, "O Tannenbaum," lights up to Christmas music.

Millions of lights decorate the park, creating a magical wonderland. Many rides are open, including the park's train and skyride. Sometimes, a roller coaster like Verbolten is open too, weather permitting. Christmas Town is a great place for holiday shopping and festive cheer.

Banbury Cross, England, decorated for Christmas.
Aquitaine, France, at dusk.
New France at night.
The North Pole area, decorated with lights.
The Town Center of the North Pole.
A 50-foot Christmas tree with Das Festhaus behind it.
Escape From Pompeii transformed into the Polar Pathway.
Santa Claus with the Polar Pathway.

Exploring the European Villages

Busch Gardens is divided into 10 different areas, called "hamlets." Each hamlet is themed like a village from a European country. You can visit England, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Ireland.

Two main rides help you travel around the park. The Aeronaut Skyride is a gondola lift that takes you between England, France, and Germany. The steam train offers a scenic ride between Scotland, Italy, and French Canada.

Banbury Cross (England)

A street view of Banbury Cross, England.

Banbury Cross looks just like England, with red telephone booths and classic English buildings. You'll see a replica of London's famous St. Stephen's Clock Tower. This area also has places to eat, like The Squire's Galley, and shops for treats.

The Globe Theatre here is a large copy of William Shakespeare's famous theater. It hosts exciting shows with music from British bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Heatherdowns (Scotland)

A view of Heatherdowns, Scotland.

Heatherdowns is a Scottish village located on a hill. From here, you can catch the Tweedside Train for a 20-minute ride around the park. The Highland Stables in Heatherdowns are home to Scottish Blackface sheep, Border Collies, and Clydesdales. You can watch daily demonstrations and even interact with some of the animals!

Loch Ness Monster is a classic roller coaster with two interlocking loops. It was the first coaster in the world to have this unique feature!

Sesame Street Forest of Fun

Opened in 2009, this area is perfect for younger kids and families. It's themed to Sesame Street and has four fun rides. You can find Grover's Alpine Express, a junior roller coaster, and Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure flume ride. There are also play areas and a stage for live shows with your favorite Sesame Street characters.

Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure is a gentle boat ride with water effects.
Oscar's Whirly Worms is a rocking and spinning ride.
Prince Elmo's Spire is a family-friendly drop tower ride.
Grover's Alpine Express is a fun family roller coaster that is 24 feet tall.

Killarney (Ireland)

A street view of Killarney, Ireland.

This part of the park was re-themed as Ireland in 2001. The Abbey Stone Theatre hosts Celtic Fyre, an amazing show celebrating Irish dance. You can also find Irish food at Grogan's Grill.

Eagle Ridge & Wolf Valley are animal exhibits where you can see bald eagles and wolves.
Europe in the Air is a motion simulator ride that takes you on a virtual flight over famous European landmarks.
Pet Shenanigans Theater is an outdoor stage that features entertaining animal shows.

San Marco (Italy)

A street view of San Marco, Italy.

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

San Marco is designed to look like Renaissance Italy. A highlight here is Da Vinci's Garden of Inventions, with Italian statues and rides inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's sketches. Ristorante della Piazza offers Italian food and live entertainment.

Da Vinci's Cradle is a "magic carpet" ride that swings back and forth, going higher and higher.
Escape from Pompeii is a boat ride that takes you through a simulated ancient city of Pompeii. It features fire, water, and falling statues!
The Battering Ram is a thrilling swinging ship ride.
The Flying Machine is a spinning ride that lifts riders into the air.

Festa Italia (Italy)

Festa Italia is themed like a fair celebrating Marco Polo's return from China. This area has many carnival games and rides inspired by Roman mythology.

Apollo's Chariot is a tall and fast roller coaster that dives around ponds and hills. It's known for its deep purple and gold colors.
Roman Rapids is a circular-raft rapids ride that takes you through ancient Roman ruins.
Tradewinds is a spinning ride that goes fast.
Tempesto is a steel roller coaster with three launches and a barrel roll.

Rhinefeld (Rhineland Germany)

A street view of Rhinefeld, Germany.

This German-themed section looks like a ski resort in the Alps. You can catch the skyride here to other parts of the park. Rhinefeld is also home to Land of the Dragons, a large play area for children.

Alpengeist is an inverted roller coaster themed to a "Ghost of the Alps." Its station looks like a ski lodge.
Kinder Karussel is the park's classic antique carousel.
Land of the Dragons is an interactive children's play area with a treehouse, rides, and a Ferris wheel.

Land of the Dragons

Opened in 1994, Land of the Dragons is a main play area for younger children. It features Dumpherey the Dragon, the area's mascot. Kids love the dragon-themed treehouse and the wet play area with waterfalls. There's also a "dragon-egg" Ferris wheel and other fun rides.

Eggery Deggery is a Ferris wheel with "dragon egg" seats.
Flutter Splutter is a flying dragon ride.
Chug-A-Tug is a boat ride.
Bug-A-Dug is a spinning ride with ladybug cars.

Oktoberfest (Bavarian Germany)

Das Festhaus in Oktoberfest, where you can find live performances and food.

Beste Brezeln und Bier as seen from the Oktoberfest bridge.

This section is based on the German festival of Oktoberfest. It has many carnival-style games and rides. Das Festhaus is a large building where you can eat German food and watch live shows.

In 2011, Oktoberfest was updated with new shops and a 246-foot tall drop tower called Mäch Tower. In 2012, a new roller coaster, Verbolten, opened on the site of a former coaster.

Der Autobahn (Bumper Cars) lets you crash into other cars.
Der Wirbelwind (Waveswinger) is a classic swing ride.
Mäch Tower is a thrilling free-fall tower that lifts you high up before dropping you down.
The Curse of DarKastle is an indoor dark ride. You ride through a haunted castle with 3D effects, water, and wind.
Verbolten is a family-friendly roller coaster that takes you through a "Black Forest" with a top speed of 53 mph.

Aquitaine (France)

Entering Aquitaine, France in 2014.

This French-themed section is centered around the village of Aquitaine. It has many shops and one of the park's skyride stations. The Royale Palace Theatre in France hosts various shows throughout the year.

Griffon is a thrilling dive roller coaster. It has a 90-degree drop from 205 feet, two loops, and a "splashdown" at the end!

New France (French Canada)

The final plunge of Le Scoot Log Flume in New France.

New France is themed like French colonial Canada. It has Canadian-style shops and the Trappers Smokehouse, which offers delicious grilled and smoked foods.

Le Scoot Log Flume is a traditional log flume ride with a 50-foot drop.
Le Catapult is a classic carnival scrambler ride.
InvadR is a Great Coasters International wooden roller coaster that opened in 2017. It's themed around a Viking invasion!

Exciting Roller Coasters

Busch Gardens is famous for its amazing roller coasters! Here are some of the main ones you can ride:

Current Roller Coasters

Loch Ness Monster (opened 1978)
Alpengeist (opened 1997)
Apollo's Chariot (opened 1999)
Griffon (opened 2007)
Grover's Alpine Express (opened 2009)
Verbolten (opened 2012)
Tempesto (opened 2015)
InvadR (opened 2017)

Animal Encounters

Busch Gardens offers unique opportunities to see and learn about animals.

Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve

This area is home to bald eagles and wolves. Eagle Ridge is a special habitat for bald eagles, where they are cared for and visitors can learn about them. Wolf Haven allows guests to observe wolves in a natural setting. The park works hard to ensure the animals are healthy and happy.

Highland Stables

At the Highland Stables, you can meet Scottish Blackface sheep, Border collies, and large black Clydesdale horses. There's also a European barn owl. You can watch daily demonstrations and sometimes even interact with the animals.

Getting Around the Park

Busch Gardens has special parking for guests with disabilities, RVs, and buses. Trams provide shuttle service from the parking lots to the park entrance.

Inside the park, you can ride the Busch Gardens Railway. These three steam locomotive powered trains travel on a 1.5-mile loop, connecting the Scottish, Italian, and French Canadian areas. The skyride also offers transportation between the English, French, and German sections of the park.

Awards and Recognition

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has won many awards for its beauty and attractions.

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
Ranking	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
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

The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) has named Busch Gardens the world's Most Beautiful Park for 26 years in a row!

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

Park Visitors (Rounded)

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

Images for kids

Banbury Cross, England, with Christmas decorations.
Seating inside the Royal Palace Theatre.
Das Festhaus during Christmas Town.
Another view of the North Pole area (Rhinefeld).
San Marco, Italy, at night.
The "Peppermint Twist" ride with Christmas decorations.
Big Ben in Banbury Cross (England), decorated for Howl-O-Scream.
Rhinefeld in the spring.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg at the Roller Coaster DataBase

Geographic data related to Busch Gardens Williamsburg at OpenStreetMap

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