Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

There are plenty of theme parks that feature unique roller coasters all around the country for Thrill Seekers.  Most of these also offer other forms of entertainment such as shows for the adults who prefer things more tame and children's rides for families.  In the Mid-Atlantic region, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (a.k.a. Busch Gardens Europe) provides all of these and is probably the best known.

We spent our July 4th holiday here and expected it to be quite crowded due to most people having the day off, but to our surprise, the park wasn't really too full, especially the first half of the day.  For every ride we went on, we walked right on to it and didn't have to wait in a single line.  In general this is great, but we did pre-purchase the "Quick Queue" for $20/person that would've allowed us to skip lines.  This ended up being a waste of money since there were no lines to skip, so I'd recommend passing on this option when purchasing your ticket.

The rides themselves were fun.  Our favorite was probably the Griffon which contained a 90-degree drop to start out the ride.  Another highlight was the Curse of DarKastle, which rode you through a castle featuring a sinister man trying to attack you with 3D visuals.  It got so frightening for one little girl in our "car" that she was hysterically crying by the end.

We definitely had a good time at Busch Gardens.  However, it is a place that you can go just once, have fun, and not need to return .  When buying a pass, also consider the Bounce Pass, which will get you in to Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and Colonial Williamsburg for just over $100/person.

Das Festhaus, Busch Gardens

When visiting Busch Gardens, there are plenty of places to eat. Das Festhaus in Oktoberfest has something for everyone, including the  "This is Oktoberfest" show during lunch and dinner hours, the human coo-coo-clock outside and the Maypole dancing in front of the building.

Dining options vary greatly, from sandwiches, to ribs, to a sausage sampler and even the Farmer's Feast.

We were going to order two separate platters, then saw the size of the platters that were being served and decided to split the Farmer's Feast: sausage, ribs, 1/4 chicken, cheesy hashbrowns served with a fresh roll. That's A LOT of food! And perfect to split between two people.

We also ordered the chocolate torte cake - a slice of cake perfect for three to four people. A light and fluffy chocolate cake layered between whipped cream icing and topped with a cherry. Surprisingly, this huge slice of cake was only a few cents more than the smaller slices and delicious. (And, admittedly, made for more than two people, we were not able to finish it!)

Das Festhaus also serves many, many beers (mostly Busch brands), both on the tap and by the bottle. A better selection can be found in the back lines.

This is Oktoberfest