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LawkJawn

Jun 23, 2015
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Hello!

New to the forum and BGW. My last visit was in 1995. I was 5 years old and I'm sure some things have changed since then ;-P I am traveling with 3 other adults and have some general questions.

-We're planning for August. Are there any dates to avoid?  

-Our goal is to ride all the coasters and hopefully have time for other activities as well. Is it worth us purchasing a Quick Q during our weekday visit? More so, I see there is also an unlimited $50 option. Any insight on this?

-Are there any true sit-down / table service / dinner show restaurants in the park? if so, are reservations accepted?

-Lastly, we will be staying close to the park...does anyone have any restaurant suggestions in the surrounding area? Trying to avoid chain restaurants.




Thanks for the insight!
 
LawkJawn said:
-Lastly, we will be staying close to the park...does anyone have any restaurant suggestions in the surrounding area? Trying to avoid chains.
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I would highly recommend Pierces BBQ. The prices are low and is some great BBQ. It's only about 5-10 minutes from the park near Great Wolf Lodge.
 
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Connor said:
LawkJawn said:
-Lastly, we will be staying close to the park...does anyone have any restaurant suggestions in the surrounding area? Trying to avoid chains.
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I would highly recommend Pierces BBQ. The prices are low and is some great BBQ. It's only about 5-10 minutes from the park near Great Wolf Lodge.
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Connor,

Thank you for the suggestion- sounds great. I'll let you know if we stop by!
netdvn said:
http://parkfans.net/thread-3781-post-133357.html#pid133357

I made a crowd calendar that goes through December. If you're looking into dates to avoid, I'd consult that.
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Netdvn,

Thanks so much! This was very helpful.

-M
 
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Pierces is amazing. Also remember you are in Williamsburg. There are a ton of locally owned restaurants. Now is a better time to find them, the William and Mary students are out so they are not as crowded. If you like Italian, I recommend Sal's. Also within the Burg you will find lots of Deli's, that is Burg for bar. I recommend The Green Leaf if you want a pub like atmosphere and a decent burger. Finally a local favorite for gourmet sandwiches is The Cheese Shop
 
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Pierces is a good value, but myself (and most other locals) tend to avoid it during the summer because it is FILLED with tourists and you can barely even get in the door.

My favorite restaurants in town:
Near Busch-
*Sportsman Grill- Decent local sports bar, has good gametime specials if you happen to be there late August when NFL season starts.
*Silt- Farm to Table restaurant, very good but very expensive
* La Michocana- Decent Mexican food, plus they have an ice cream parlor attached.
* Whaling Company- Good seafood, kind of pricey but not so bad if you go for the early dinner menu

Local but further away....
* Dog Street Pub- Good burgers and beer selection.
* Food for Thought- Wide variety of foods, really good vegetarian options
*Cook Out- Fast food chain (but I think they are mostly only located in VA and NC), very cheap and good value
* Carrot Tree- Sandwiches are honestly nothing special but their desserts are absurdly good
* Cheese Shop- Really chaotic but known for good sandwiches and their house dressing

Kind of far out-
Two Drummers- Located in Toano which is a bit out (but easy to get to if you are on the highway), best BBQ in town.
 
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The cove restaurant is one of my favorites it's a little off the beaten path but not to hard to find also I second food for thought it's truly great place but parking can be a nightmare and DO NOT try to cheat and park in the nearly empty shopping center next to it they mean it when the signs say you will get towed.
 
horsesboy said:
The cove restaurant is one of my favorites it's a little off the beaten path but not to hard to find also I second food for thought it's truly great place but parking can be a nightmare and DO NOT try to cheat and park in the nearly empty shopping center next to it they mean it when the signs say you will get towed.
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Will keep these in mind! Thanks for the suggestions.
 
LawkJawn said:
-Our goal is to ride all the coasters and hopefully have time for other activities as well. Is it worth us purchasing a Quick Q during our weekday visit? More so, I see there is also an unlimited $50 option. Any insight on this?

-Are there any true sit-down / table service / dinner show restaurants in the park? if so, are reservations accepted?
Click to expand...

Also, nobody seems to have answered the actual BG questions yet.

I think on a weekday you should be fine not getting a Quick Que but they are available for sale in the park if you end up arriving on a terribly busy day. Honestly, even with normal wait times, the park is very doable in one day.

There isn't a true sit down restaurant at the park. Two of the shows are located in 'dining halls', but it is a free flow setting where people are coming and going throughout the performance.
 
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MCMM said:
LawkJawn said:
-Our goal is to ride all the coasters and hopefully have time for other activities as well. Is it worth us purchasing a Quick Q during our weekday visit? More so, I see there is also an unlimited $50 option. Any insight on this?

-Are there any true sit-down / table service / dinner show restaurants in the park? if so, are reservations accepted?
Click to expand...

Also, nobody seems to have answered the actual BG questions yet.

I think on a weekday you should be fine not getting a Quick Que but they are available for sale in the park if you end up arriving on a terribly busy day. Honestly, even with normal wait times, the park is very doable in one day.  

There isn't a true sit down restaurant at the park.  Two of the shows are located in 'dining halls', but it is a free flow setting where people are coming and going throughout the performance.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I'm aware of the Festhaus.. What is the second dining hall?
 
In San Marco you can eat really bad Italian food and watch Mix It Up, which most people think is a better show than Roll Out the Barrel.
 
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Italy Restaurant and the Smokehouse are the two best sit down places to eat. The best counter service place is the pretzel shop in front of Verbolten.

Italy Restaurant and Festhaus are food and a show.

The only place you'd have to reserve a seat is Dine with Characters but I dunno if your group is into that.
 
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I know a lot of people recommend Sal's by Victor and while we've ordered food from them and had it delivered it was always sub par and not at all worth the price. We've been to the actual restaurant to sit down and eat twice and had a very unpleasant experience both times. The nail in the coffin was when we left a generally good review for them online but with a little mention where they had room to improve and then the manager responded on the site and totally ragged us out. We read through the other reviews and the owner and a few managers did the same thing. One even said that he hopes there's a God so that he'll punish the guest for being so awful, and the reviewer didn't even say anything all that bad...

Anywho, I just wanted to mention that. I *do* however recommend Whaling Company and for in-park dining I really like Grogan's Grill and Oktoberfest. I hate hate HATE that they closed the bar at the very back of the festhaus (btw does anyone know if they're opening that again at all?).
 
This is great! Thanks were going to be spending a little extra time in Colonial Williamsburg before we hit BGW and these food suggestions are really helpful!! :)
 
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ReggaeInMyJeggae said:
MCMM said:
Two Drummers- Located in Toano which is a bit out (but easy to get to if you are on the highway), best BBQ in town.
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Music to my ears. Googling now!
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I coincidentally ate there last night and am enjoying leftovers for lunch today. So good...
 
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