New to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, considering a visit the end of April
- Thread starter wfg97079
- Start date
All rides are not open the park currently has a list on the event and what is open. You have to make advanced reservations and wear a face mask at all times. Food and Wine is good but may not be the best thing for young children.
Food, sure, but not sure a 7 or 11 year old would like wine.
Hi @wfg97079, and welcome to Parkfans!
So the short answer is a little searching around the forum should get you most of that info, but I'll help you out
The park is open in a limited-capacity reservation-based system. There are a limited number of people allowed to reserve each day, but even so, the park can be surprisingly busy. While there certainly are some rides open, not everything is, including no indoor rides. What is open can be seen here.
As for the Food & Wine festival, I tend to think most everyone can find something to enjoy, but the portions are generally small—it's a tasting event—and so for feeding picky eaters it could be difficult. There are still non-Food & Wine food locations open, and those offer more general options like Burgers, Pizza BBQ etc.
As Horsesboy noted, you must be wearing a mask at all times in the park.
So the short answer is a little searching around the forum should get you most of that info, but I'll help you out
The park is open in a limited-capacity reservation-based system. There are a limited number of people allowed to reserve each day, but even so, the park can be surprisingly busy. While there certainly are some rides open, not everything is, including no indoor rides. What is open can be seen here.
As for the Food & Wine festival, I tend to think most everyone can find something to enjoy, but the portions are generally small—it's a tasting event—and so for feeding picky eaters it could be difficult. There are still non-Food & Wine food locations open, and those offer more general options like Burgers, Pizza BBQ etc.
As Horsesboy noted, you must be wearing a mask at all times in the park.
Im just reading about membership, how many times do I need to go to make it worth getting a membership
When exactly were you think of going and for how many days? Until the park opens up fully, it will be running with limited capacity, which changes the cost/benefit analysis for the Membership.
Looking at the current prices, even with added benefits, I think a Membership might not be worth the money:
Limited-Time Offers | Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Looking for the best deals to Busch Gardens Williamsburg & Water Country USA.
buschgardens.com
Additionally, given how few restaurants and rides are actually open, I'm not sure this spring is really the best time to take kids for the first trip to BGW. Of the listed culinary locations, only Das Festhaus and Pretzel World offer normal meals.
Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA
Explore international dishes that are not typically served at the park and learn something new about the countries they come from. Discover great food, wine and more at this year's Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Come for the culinary offerings, stay for the attractions.
buschgardens.com
As much as I love the Food & Wine Festival, like other similar events, it is really targeted at adults. They serve tasting-sized plates of dishes inspired by international cuisines.
The menu is here:
What kinds of amusement rides do your kids enjoy? With all of the current closures that probably should be a major consideration, as well. With more information, we can probably provide better answers.
Sorry to be a bit of a downer, but I don't think I would want my inaugural trip to take place, before the COIVID restrictions are lifted.
Given the recent crowds, I agree with this fully.
If you live locally and will frequent the park, by all means, buy some memberships and start getting some use out of them. That said, if trips to BGW will be more of a special, occasional thing for your family, I would strongly recommend against making that visit right now. The quality of the park experience is only a miniscule fraction of what it is typically. I've been to a lot of parks since COVID began, and in my opinion, BGW right now is far and away the most compromised I've experienced.
I've actually been doing a lot of thinking recently about how tragic it is that so many folks are experiencing BGW for the first time ever in its current condition—it is not remotely indicative of the typical vibe or tone of the park and I really hate that so many people are having such rough, undesirable times in what is typically one of the best regional theme parks in the country.
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Completely agree with this. We live 6+ Hours away and have been visiting the park for 40 years. Last time we were there was Sept 2019. If I drove that far for an experience like those described here and documented in recent photos, I might never return. I would hate for these conditions to be someones first ever experience at BGW. It’s been my fave park for 40 years for a reason... sadly, it’s not running as usual due to these crappy pandemic conditions. We’ve decided to postpone our next visit until there’s some more semblance of normalcy. ?