As a family of theme park lovers, we’ve spent many holidays in Florida. My teenage daughters, aged 14 and 16, are rollercoaster fanatics and have conquered every major thrill ride Orlando has to offer. So when I suggested visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg during our trip to Virginia, I wasn’t sure it would live up to their high expectations. But it didn’t just meet the mark — it exceeded it, and in ways we didn’t expect.
Located just a few minutes from where we stayed at the lovely Kingsmill Resort (you can read the review here), Busch Gardens Williamsburg was one of the many highlights during our visit to Virginia.
It’s beautifully themed, packed with rides for all the family, and has a European influence that makes it stand out. Some of our favourite rides included InvadR, Darkoaster, and Der Wirbelwind, but my personal highlight was the peaceful and scenic Aeronaut Skyride—a gentle break between thrill rides, with gorgeous views across the park.
What immediately struck me was the park’s setting. Nestled among the forests and rivers of Virginia, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is more than just a theme park — it’s beautiful. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. It’s consistently been voted the most beautiful theme park in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Lush landscaping, cobbled village squares, and country-specific architecture give it a charm and elegance that reminded us very much of world showcase at Epcot.
This park is huge, set across 440 sprawling acres – its nearly four times the size of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, so I highly recommend downloaded the app –– we were able to see the queue times and find our way around.
Busch Gardens has nine main areas based on countries: England, Scotland, Ireland, France, New France, Germany, Oktoberfest, Italy, and Festa Italia. Upon entering the park, after walking through England I was immediately drawn into my home country — Scotland. It felt strange to be walking into a recreation of Scotland, themed as a hamlet with bagpipes playing.
I couldn’t resist looking in one of its stores which had lots of Scottish produce, my favourite being the Highland Cow Loungefly bag!. The first main draw here is the Highland Stables. Here, you can meet the famous Busch Gardens Clydesdale horses.
It’s in this area of the park where one of its headline rides is located, the Loch Ness monster. – A newly refurbished ride, and the only double interlocking loop roller coaster in the world.
We arrived not long after breakfast and wanted to start to our day and see the park, with something calmer. I had a tip that the Busch Gardens Steam Railway is a great way to get to the back of the park quickly and beat the crowds.
We took the train through the trees and over the river, and within minutes, we were stepping off in the heart of New France, ready for our first coaster of the day: Invadr.
I’ll be honest — I thought this was more of a family coaster, which was one of the reasons why the kids managed to coax me on. This wooden coaster doesn’t look too intimidating from a distance, but it was extreme. It was a huge hit with the kids, and I found myself gripping the lap bar tighter than I expected. Fast, twisty and surprisingly intense, Invadr set the tone for a day full of surprises.
Next up was Darkoaster, one of the newer indoor coasters in the park. My daughters were buzzing after this one — it’s fast, slick and atmospheric, with a storyline and setting that keeps you guessing. While they dashed off to squeeze in a second ride, my husband and I took a slower pace and ducked into the Das Festhaus in Germany.
The huge beer hall-style restaurant is home to a live Oom-pah band, and with a pretzel in hand and polka music playing, it felt like a mini Oktoberfest. It was such a fun and authentic touch. In fact, many shows and parades take place each day at Busch Gardens. Some are seasonal, so check out their park’s website to see what is on.
Of course, the park is famous for its high-octane rollercoasters — and they do not disappoint. Griffon, with its whopping 205-foot drop, Tempesto where you hit speeds of 63 mph and inversions at 154 feet in the air and Verbolten was another iconic ride, not just for its high-speed twists and turns but for its clever theming and surprise moments.
If you have thrill-seeking teens, this park is a dream especially Alpengeist, with its six staggering inversions on one of the tallest, fastest coasters in the world.
Other extreme rides were the extreme swing ride of Finnegan’s Flyer in Ireland and Apollo’s Chariot where the coaster drops from 210 feet! We just missed the opening of the parks latest high thrill ride, which races through the German countryside across more than 2,500 feet of track at speeds up to 40 miles per hour.
But for those of us who like our feet a little closer to the ground, Busch Gardens has plenty to offer too. I loved the gentler pace of the Aeronaut Skyride, which glides you above the treetops and gives you incredible views of the whole park. It was my personal highlight — calm, peaceful, and just the break I needed between coasters.
Rides like Der Wirbelwind, Le Catapult, Kinder Karussel, and the charming spinning teacups Turkish Delight were a welcome throwback to classic theme park fun.
And while the big rides grab the headlines, there’s a lot here for younger families too. Sesame Street Forest of Fun and Land of the Dragons are packed with colourful, interactive rides and play areas that would have been perfect when our girls were little. In fact my personal favourite coaster was here, the gentler Grover’s Alpine Express.
Much like Busch Gardens in Florida there are also animals to see here, from Gray Wolves to Scottish Highland Cattle. One of my personal favourites was at Ireland and Lorikeet Glen,. A walkthrough aviary where you can see a variety of colorful birds, and like Discovery Cove, they sell a small cup of nectar for $5 which the birds seem to love, and will land on your arm.
For dining, there are restaurants all over the park, with opportunities to purchase drinks and refreshments at every turn.
After a busy morning exploring the park we stopped off at Squire’s Gril using our All Day Dining passes before munching on fries and chicken tenders, and washing it down with cooling sodas. After lunch, the girls couldn’t wait to get back on the rides. My husband opted for Trapper’s Smokehouse enjoying ribs, brisket, chicken.
Williamsburg gets really warm and humid, more so than Florida and the best way to cool down from the heat are the water rides here. If you have been to Seaworld in Orlando, the Escape from Pompeii ride here will be familiar, it looks exactly like the Journey to Atlantis ride and you will get drenched on the Roman Rapids white-water raft ride in Italy.
What really stood out to me was the theming throughout the park. If you’ve been to EPCOT’s World Showcase, you’ll know the kind of immersive country-hopping experience I mean — but in some ways, I thought Busch Gardens did it even better. Each land felt thoughtfully designed, from the Tudor-style England with red phone boxes, to the piazzas of Italy and the architecture of France.
The attention to detail is incredible, and I loved browsing the shops with their unique, regionally-inspired souvenirs. Whether it was Scottish shortbread, German steins, or Venetian glassware, each store added to the immersive atmosphere.
Tickets and Pricing
Prices vary depending on when you go, but we found excellent deals on the official website. Standard one-day admission often drops to around $60–$65 per person with seasonal sales, which is great value for a park of this quality. There are even better savings if you opt for a two- or three-day ticket or combine your visit with Water Country USA.
Optional extras include Quick Queue (a skip-the-line pass) and All Day Dining packages. We didn’t need Quick Queue on our Monday visit in July thanks to low crowds—so if you can visit midweek, we highly recommend it.
Location: Ideal for a Williamsburg Base
Busch Gardens is located in Williamsburg, Virginia—a destination that surprised us with its mix of history, great shopping, and family-friendly activities. It’s an easy drive from both Richmond and Norfolk, and we found that combining it with a stay at Kingsmill Resort gave us a fantastic mix of relaxation and adventure.
If you’re planning a longer break, you could easily combine Busch Gardens with a beach day at Virginia Beach or a visit to the sister Water Country USA, which is no more than a five minute drive away.
Overall
Busch Gardens Williamsburg turned out to be one of the highlights of our East Coast USA trip—and we nearly missed it! If you’re planning a family holiday that combines history, natural beauty, and theme park thrills, this park is a must. It’s a great alternative to the Florida giants, especially for UK families looking for something different.
We spent a full day at the park and could easily have returned for another. It offers the perfect balance for families like ours —thrills for the teens, gentler rides for the parents, and world-class theming that everyone can appreciate.
It might have been our first visit—but it certainly won’t be our last.
*Disclosure: This was a press visit organised by Busch Gardens Williamsburg but all opinions are entirely my own.