I am an unabashed Disney Parks fan Between Disneyland Resort
and Walt Disney World, I've spent somewhere around 100 days in the parks, split
roughly evenly between the two coasts. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy
other theme parks as well, and amongst my favorites are the two Busch Garden
parks, the Williamsburg
park being my favorite of the two.
I first visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) in the
summer of 1982 seven years after it's 1975 opening), when one of my best
friends from college was performing in one of the live shows. The Busch Gardens
of 1982 is as far removed from the current park as the Magic
Kingdom of 1982 is from today's Magic Kingdom
Park Overview
The entire park is somewhat like Epcot's World Showcase, in
that each "land" represents a different European country. The park
was originally called "The Old Country", and the "concept"
was a tribute to the countries from which people immigrated to America . It was
a solid concept back then, and it holds up very well today. Here's a map of the
park.
As you can see, moving in a counter-clockwise direction you
have England (which serves as the entrance plaza), Scottland, Ireland, France, New
France, Germany (split into Germany and Oktoberfest), and Italy (split into
Italy and Feste Italia). There is also a
"mini-land" between Ireland
and France
called Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve. There are also two mini-lands that serve as
children’s play areas – The Land of Dragons located in Germany, and Sesame
World located in Feste Italia. In area, BGW is larger than Epcot (383 acres
vice 300 acres) and it really feels like it when walking.
Whereas Epcot has relatively straight paths, BGW is
essentially one, long. meandering pathway around the park, with very few
"shortcuts" to get from one side of the park to the other. There IS a
skyway that accomplishes this, but it is often closed due to weather/wind
conditions (I've only seen it operating once), and there is a perimeter railroad with stops in three of the countries.
And BGW has a LOT of hills - some of them relatively steep; a full day at the
park will really take it out of you - especially during the summer months which
can be just as hot and humid as Orlando (it was 99 degrees on a previous
visit).
So, enough background; let's start touring the park!
Entry and England
For a big a park as BGW is, the approach and entry is really
quite modest.
Visually, the centerpiece is a clock tower,
but the main attraction is the show "London Rocks"housed in a theater reminiscent of the Old Globe; a "British Invasion" style tribute concert to British Pop/Rock Bands.
It's very well done for what it is - the projection and multi-media effects are really quite spectacular - but it's not really my "cup of tea". Here's a link to a (mediocre) video of the complete show. It's a lot more colourful - and a lot louder - when you see it live.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=plYAJSBG5KE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=plYAJSBG5KE
Sidebar: Live entertainment at BGW. Live entertainment at BGW is generally excellent; both talent and production value are on a par with Disney's best offerings. Another major plus for me is that there are no pre-recorded tracks - everything you hear is being performed live. I strongly encourage trying to make time to see as many of the shows as can fir in your schedule.
From England
you can go left to Italy .
right to Ireland , or
straight ahead to Scotland .
As Italy and Ireland are the first stops on the full-park
circuit, and Scotland is a
small "offshoot" from England .
I typically go to Scotland
first.
Based on size, Scotland
(originally called Heatherdowns) could really be considered a
"mini-land", but it actually has more "attractions" than England . One of
the three stations for the BG Railroad is in Scotland
(the other two are in Germany
and New France ).
The train serves as a nice mode of transportation to get to the opposite side of the park, and is a very pretty excursion through the forest, and crossing a high trestle between Italy and Oktoberfest provides a spectacular view, but in general it does not provide many views of the park.
There are two animal attractions in Scotland; highland
sheep, and the famous Anheuser Busch Clydesdale horses.
There are two animal attractions in Scotland; highland
sheep, and the famous Anheuser Busch Clydesdale horses.
But the "big" attraction in Scotland is
BGW's "signature" coaster, the Loch Ness Monster. This is the oldest
coaster in the park, dating from 1978, and in it's time, it was one of very few
coasters that had more than one loop, and the only one that had interlocking
loops. Although relatively "tame" compared to newer coasters in the
park, it still provides a very fun ride. It's also probably the single most
photographed location in the entire park.
Here's a link to a POV ride on "Nessie"
The only other offering presented in Scotland
Heading back toward England and turning left, you come to
the bridge to Ireland
To the right of the "square" lie the food
offerings of Ireland: Grogan's Grill, Grogan's Pub, and Annie's Cafe.
Sidebar: Food at BGW. In short, it does not come close to
the food available at WDW. First off, there are no table service restaurants
anywhere in the park. The various countries make a passing gesture to the
"native' foods, but all fall rather short. Whereas meals can be just as
much an "attraction' as the rides in WDW, in BGW they are something you do
because you need to eat. The settings, however, are sometimes quite well done.
I got my lunch at Grogan's Grill (surrounded by a beautiful
grove of wisteria)...
And walked across the path to eat (and get a
beer) at Grogan's Pub.
The meal was a reasonably good corned beef sandwich, with a
small, dry, baked potato (no fixings available) as a side. The beer was,
predictably, Anheuser Busch. All "satisfying", but nothing to write
home about. And to me, at a park with "Busch" as part of it's name,
to be charged $8.00 for a 16 oz. Bud Light is unconscionable (the beer used to be very reasonably priced). The
one other food offering is Annie’s Café, a standard coffee/latte/pastry
walk-up.
Across the square from the eateries are two gift shops. One
deals with "magical" items (fairies, dragons, skulls, etc.)
the other has a combination of traditional souvenirs,
upscale jewelry, and a surprisingly large selection of Waterford crystal.
The one "ride" in Ireland
is called "Europe in the Air" and is
often (accurately, I believe) referred to as a "Soarin' wannabe. Using a
technology similar to Star Tours, and a "flying" film over highlights
of Europe . Unfortunately it isn't as successful
as either Star Tours or Soarin', and although mildly entertaining, i certainly
would not wait very long for it.
Here's a link to a video of the complete attraction if you
want to get an idea of what it's like.
By far the highlight of Ireland (and in my opinion one of
the single best attractions in the entire park) is the show "Celtic
Fyre", shown 3 or 4 times a day in the Abbey Stone Theater.
The best way
to describe it is "Riverdance Light", with a good balance of dance,
ballads, novelty numbers, and instrumentals, and all of the performers are
excellent. Were this show at WDW, it would surpass any of the others as my
favorite.
As photos don't really do a show like this justice, here is
a video of a complete performance.
If you see no other live shows during your visit, this is
the one NOT to miss.
Leaving Ireland
and continuing in a counter-clockwise direction around the park, the next area
that you come to is Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve.
Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve
The primary exhibits in this area are habitats that house
wolves
and bald eagles.
In addition to the two primary habitats, there is a
"show" during which animal keepers display and talk about the wolves
at "close quarters", and another show that demonstrates "pet
antics".
Off the main walkway you can find a very pretty area with
gardens, waterfalls, and a series of smaller enclosures that will have various
small animals (mostly birds) that have been rescued.
Periodically, a keeper will bring out one of the animals for
an up close "show and tell" as was the case with this pygmy owl.
Being a serious animal lover, I always take time to explore
this beautiful area, but many (most?) blow past it, in a hurry to get to the
big coasters at the back of the park. Continuing on the counter-clockwise
circuit, next up is France .
But 90% of the people who come to France probably care very little
about architecture, gardens, shopping, or food; they are here to ride Griffon,
one of the "super-headliners" at BGW. Featuring two vertical drop
hills, several inversions, and a watery finish, this is truly a world-class
coaster (Shri-Ka, in BG Tampa is essentially a clone of this coaster, with
different theming).
Here is a video of the ride:
Leaving France ,
you come to New France
I must confess that I have never eaten there, so I cannot
give a personal review.
Le Scoot has been there since the mid-70s, and is
typical of "log flume" rides before Splash Mountain
Here's a video
There are also several shops selling various
"frontier" kitsch.
At this point we are roughly half-way around the
park, so I'll end this post here, and pick up with Germany in Part 2.
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