One of my new favorite places is Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia. June 2017 was my first time ever at Busch Gardens. My parents and friends did nothing but stir excitement for years! So Dad finally bought us Fun Passes for the summer.

Map:

Busch Gardens has an international theme. It has many places from the Old World of Europe such as England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France, and Germany.

England:

         

England was the located at the entrance of the park. Personally, I think it is the best representation in the park of a European country. It has no rides, but does have a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre where you can catch a great show and various yummy food places inspired with a “taste” of England.

                        

And of course, I felt like I HAD to be in a picture with one of the telephone booths! :3

Italy:

Italy had well-designed landscapes. The area around the Battering Ram and Da Vinci’s Cradle had beautiful flower gardens. We even found some wildlife, such as a baby bunny and butterflies!

            

In addition to riding the Battering Ram and Da Vinci’s Cradle, we also rode Escape from Pompeii. The third trip, I brought my friend with me and we rode it in the front seat, along with every other ride. I was a little worried at first since I hate being soaked to the bone with water. However, only the tips of my shoes got wet, so I was grateful!

Italy also had my favorite gift shop: Artisans of Italy! They specialize in mask making, flower jewelry, and more! Everything was hand-crafted, and every item was unique. I hope to one day give in and purchase something from there (I’m very stingy with money, even when it hurts)!

               

Festa Italia:

Festa Italia was very similar to a carnival, as there were many games with many prizes to win. Festa Italia also had the Apollo’s Chariot and the Tempesto. My dad and I rode the Tempesto, whom I got the impression was something of a stunt coaster. Although, it wasn’t very frightening to me (compared to the concept of the Rebel Yell run backwards at Kings Dominion, which I never got to experience). Apollo’s Chariot was the first coaster my friend and I rode together.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Scotland:

Scotland has the Highland Stables, with really gorgeous Clydesdale Horses. I wish I could’ve gotten pictures, but once again, I wasn’t able to. However, we did get to pet and visit one of the horses that just happened to be out as we past by (Shoutout to Dakota, one of the Clydesdales! I was honored to meet you, man ((or horse))! ❤ )! Scotland also is home to Busch Garden, Williamsburg’s original coaster, the Loch Ness Monster! It was the only coaster that my friend had ridden prior to our trip together, and again, we rode in the front seat (something she had never done)!

Photo by Negative -G

Ireland:

Ireland has many different animal habitats that I thoroughly enjoyed! They specifically have three different habitats: Eagle Ridge, Wolf Haven, and the Lorikeet Glen. They also have two different shows called Pet Shenanigans and the other (whose name escapes me) that features the wolves and other wild animals. The show with the wildlife was absolutely incredible and I enjoyed every minute of it! What wonderful creations God has made! I’ll have to try and see Pet Shenanigans next year.

 

Eagle Ridge houses American Bald Eagles, along with hawks, and other prey birds, while the Wolf Haven has, of course, wolves. Even if you miss the show, you can still see these beautiful wolves in their habitat running around; and sometimes keepers will carry out hawks from their abode for people to look at.

The Lorikeet Glen was one of the most memorable experiences. Not just because the birds were beautiful, but because when we went, we decided to pay for some sweet nectar to feed them; and boy, did we get more than we could have ever expected! Apparently, the birds get super excited when there are less visitors. So when we went in there with nectar, they SWARMED US! We kept quickly passing around the nectar because our arms and shoulders were heavy with birds! One of them even bit my dad’s arm! It was hilarious! I wish I had caught that on video!

 

France:

France was another really beautiful place to look at, with its classic French architecture. I loved taking pictures of it! France consists mostly of food places and stores.

          

One of my favorite places to eat is the Creamery de Chocolat, which sells special coffees, fruit drinks, and ice cream. My friend and I stopped by and bought an ice cream. The portion was so huge, we could just barely eat it between the two of us! I personally hate wasting food, so I highly recommend Creamery de Chocolat if you have a large group and/or don’t want to spend a lot of money and want to split. Those ice creams are big enough for three people!

France is home to one of my all time favorite roller coasters at Busch Gardens: the Griffin. This is one of the coasters that I have never ridden without riding in the front seat! And you’re especially missing out if you don’t because you’ll experience the full effect when it holds you in place for 3+ seconds at the top before letting you go, in the front row.

     

New France:

New France has many awesome qualities about it. I loved the music, which consists of Canadian music and folksongs, and New France has the coolest shops, where you can either commission an artist to make paintings, or create, or customize jewelry and clay models yourself! If my future husband and I ever go to Busch Gardens for an anniversary, I’d want get something special for us in New France.

Another food place I highly recommend is Trapper’s Smokehouse. They also have meals with huge proportions enough for three with all kinds of meat. Although, I have yet to try their famous mac’ & cheese. I’ll have to try it next year. 😦

            

                                                                                      Photo By: TripAdvisor

New France has two attractions I really enjoy: The Le Scoot, and the Invadr. The Le Scoot is a log flume, which, excluding the drops, is a very relaxing ride, and thoroughly enjoyable. The InvadR is a wooden roller coaster aesthetically inspired by 9th-10th century vikings! All in all, a personal favorite of the park.

Photo by: Attraction Chasers

                         

Germany/Oktoberfest:

Germany arguably is the biggest place in the park if we combine the Germany and Oktoberfest. Germany holds a children’s play area called The Land of Dragons. It was one of those times where I wish I was younger, so I could explore without feeling out of place. However, after hearing my mom following my younger siblings inside, I want to try and venture inside the next time we visit.

Oktoberfest is one of my absolute favorite places in the park! It has so many aesthetically pleasing things to look at! It has an incredible store that has many hand-made, authentic Germany merchandise. My personal favorite was the weapons section of the store where it also had the option of purchasing family ancestry items. As cool as it was, I didn’t purchase anything, mainly because I found coat of arms pins back in Ireland that one of my all time favorite souvenir item!

Finally, I can talk about my all time favorite ride, the Verbolten. On the surface, it looks like a very basic ride. There’s only one drop, and it’s pretty short. However, once you get in line, you begin to realize this ride is more than meets the eye.

I probably took more pictures of this ride than I probably should’ve. I was immediately intrigued by its story by observing all the props in the waiting line up to the ride. It was one of the few times I didn’t mind standing in line a while because there was so much eye-candy! It’s taking me so much to not write a fanfiction for it! XD

 

Verbolten has a video recorder in each car, allowing you to purchase a DVD, making you a star of your own movie; and the CGI is not that bad! It also gives you more story of the ride. My friend and I have vowed to put together a scripted version next year. I might even dress up! 😉

I had so much fun at Busch Gardens! I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the rides! It was even better the third trip because it was the first time I had ever brought a friend to somewhere so huge! And it made some wonderful memories! Even if my family decides not to go next year, my friend and I are going to strive to go next year, and go see and ride everything we missed. Thanks Dad, and thanks Busch Gardens for an awesome Summer!

Thanks for reading! Leave a like and comment telling me your favorite rides and memories at Busch Gardens!

Auf Wiedersehen! ❤