First time BGW trip (from UK) - possibly with KD and Hersheypark

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StevenX

StevenX

Feb 24, 2023
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My partner and I are planning a short trip to the area in the last week of August this year. We have 5 clear days and can fly in and out of any of Washington DC, Philadelphia or Baltimore; we're pretty flexible. We were looking to pick up a car and visit Busch Gardens for a day, maybe two, as well as Kings Dominion - but are now looking at possibly going to Hersheypark to round out the trip a bit. We were originally thinking of just doing two parks and stopping off somewhere else along the way, but a lot of the attractions are a bit of a detour from our route (we're not naturally inclined to drive as far as Americans!) and/or not really of much interest to us as Brits (all the colonial stuff).

Here's what we're looking at, roughly, although we could do it in reverse:
  • Friday night - arrive in Washington DC from the UK.
  • Saturday - short day sightseeing in DC, drive to Williamsburg.
  • Sunday - BGW (Bier Fest)
  • Monday - BGW, drive to Kings Dominion
  • Tuesday - Kings Dominion, drive part-way to Hersheypark
  • Wednesday - Hersheypark
  • Thursday - part day in Philadelphia, flight home to the UK in the evening
I'd love some input from people from around the are though - in particular:
  • Does the above seem feasible, in terms of days at the parks and getting everything done, and logistics of driving?
  • In particular is 2 days at BGW too much? I know it has less rollercoasters than the other parks, but think it's probably the nicest of the parks to spend a second day at?
  • Is it worth trying to fit in Bier Fest?
  • Are there are public transport options to BGW, or hotels within walking distance? Understand both are potentially a long shot for the US, but, particularly if we go for Bier Fest we'd like to avoid driving that day if possible.
  • Are there any interesting areas/places to stop off, either en route or maybe replacing one of the BGW days?
Any opinions or ideas are very welcome!
 
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StevenX said:
My partner and I are planning a short trip to the area in the last week of August this year. We have 5 clear days and can fly in and out of any of Washington DC, Philadelphia or Baltimore; we're pretty flexible. We were looking to pick up a car and visit Busch Gardens for a day, maybe two, as well as Kings Dominion - but are now looking at possibly going to Hersheypark to round out the trip a bit. We were originally thinking of just doing two parks and stopping off somewhere else along the way, but a lot of the attractions are a bit of a detour from our route (we're not naturally inclined to drive as far as Americans!) and/or not really of much interest to us as Brits (all the colonial stuff).

Here's what we're looking at, roughly, although we could do it in reverse:
  • Friday night - arrive in Washington DC from the UK.
  • Saturday - short day sightseeing in DC, drive to Williamsburg.
  • Sunday - BGW (Bier Fest)
  • Monday - BGW, drive to Kings Dominion
  • Tuesday - Kings Dominion, drive part-way to Hersheypark
  • Wednesday - Hersheypark
  • Thursday - part day in Philadelphia, flight home to the UK in the evening
I'd love some input from people from around the are though - in particular:
  • Does the above seem feasible, in terms of days at the parks and getting everything done, and logistics of driving?
  • In particular is 2 days at BGW too much? I know it has less rollercoasters than the other parks, but think it's probably the nicest of the parks to spend a second day at?
  • Is it worth trying to fit in Bier Fest?
  • Are there are public transport options to BGW, or hotels within walking distance? Understand both are potentially a long shot for the US, but, particularly if we go for Bier Fest we'd like to avoid driving that day if possible.
  • Are there any interesting areas/places to stop off, either en route or maybe replacing one of the BGW days?
Any opinions or ideas are very welcome!
Click to expand...
The Doubletree near Busch Gardens is walkable in a pinch (albeit a not so safe walk, especially after drinking, since there isn’t a dedicated sidewalk) but does offer a paid shuttle to and from the park. We’ve always had decent luck with Uber. Getting dropped off and picked up at the bus stop just outside the England parking lot works well.

I’d say your plan looks pretty good, and should be easy enough to navigate.

While you could likely get most of what you wanted in a single day at BGW, I think most people would be happy they did a second. It’s a beautiful park, and taking it all in is well worth it.
 
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A few thoughts.

Bier Fest should be easy to incorporate in a normal park visit. While I will admit I am not an expert on local shuttle services, I think you are better off planning to Uber or drive. Southeastern Virginia is not very well set up with central transportation.

There are not a lot of great hotel options near KD. You might consider looking for one closer to Richmond or staying in Williamsburg another night.

If you enjoy the beach, you might consider crossing the river and heading to Virginia Beach on Sunday.

Depending on your preferences, there are several other amusement parks that you could visit, rather than touring Philly. I'm not advocating against it, I just don't want you to overlook the many charming parks in Pennsylvania or the (admittedly less charming) Six Flags outside DC.

The driving plan is certainly feasible, but just be aware that the traffic in our region is abysmal. I live outside DC and can never predict how long it will take me to get to BGW or KD, because I95 and I64 can both get extreme traffic jams. You do appear to be dodging the worst days for summer driving on I95 (Friday and Sunday).
 
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Based on what I’ve hear about Hershey, you may want to get a second day at Hershey. From the friends that have gone, they have said that it’s very hard to get everything done in one day even with their version of quick queue. Don’t take my word for it though, since I’ve never been, though.
Everything else looks pretty well organized. Ultimately your trip, so it’s up to you what you do.
 
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Thanks for the replies. I actually just figured out that Kings Dominion stops operating during the week after the first weekend that we get there so we're going to have to do that on the Saturday or Sunday when we arrive - I guess the Sunday would be quieter. We'll either drive from DC in the morning, or possibly do another night in Williamsburg as Nicole suggested.

Unfortunately that means quite a long drive after BGW to get to Hershey, so we're thinking about stopping halfway overnight, maybe in Springfield, VA which is pretty much halfway.

Would Busch still warrant 2 days if we're going on the Monday/Tuesday and missing Bier Fest, or is one day really enough to see and do everything? I'm trying to decide whether it might make more sense to just do the one day there and get on our way to Hersheypark during the day rather than doing part of the drive after a second day at Busch and it's a bit of toss-up; I guess both have their pros and cons.
 
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If your goal is mainly bierfest items, then focus on that with your first day on the weekend, you should be able to get most of the bierfest related items done then. Then on the Monday (?) you could focus on the rides.
 
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