Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

With lands themed to several nations in western Europe, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened in 1975 as Busch Gardens: The Old Country, switching to its current name in 1992 before a brief change to Busch Gardens Europe from 2006-08.

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Our recommendations below come from our annual survey of Theme Park Insider newsletter subscribers. Locations with star ratings ★ ranked especially highly among our readers. Subscribe here to our free weekly email of theme park news to participate in the next ranking survey.

Roller Coasters

New for 2023

  • DarKoaster
    A four-launch indoor Intamin coaster, with a top speed of 36 mph, built within King Ludwig's abandoned fortress from the old Curse of DarKastle ride. Height requirement: 48 inches

The new coaster for 2022 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is Pantheon, a 3,328-foot Intamin coaster featuring four launches, two inversions, a maximum height of 180 feet, a 95-degree drop, and a top speed of 72 mph. Height requirement: 52 inches
› Read Russell Meyer's review of Pantheon.

Ranking

  1. Apollo's Chariot
    A 4,882-foot Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster with a 210-foot drop and top speed of 73 mph. Height requirement: 52 inches
  2. Alpengeist
    A 3,828-foot Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster with a 170-foot drop, top speed of 67 mph and six inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
  3. Griffon
    A 3,108-foot Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster with a 200-foot drop, top speed of 71 mph and two inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
    › Read Russell Meyer's Griffon review.
  4. Tempesto
    A 863-foot-long, 150-foot tall Premier Rides Sky Rocket II coaster, with a multi-pass LSM launch and top speed of 62 mph. Height requirement: 54 inches
    › Read Russell Meyer's Tempesto review.
  5. Loch Ness Monster
    A 3,240-foot Arrow custom looping coaster with a 114-foot drop and top speed of 60 mph. Known for its unique, interlocking vertical loops over the water. Height requirement: 48 inches
    › Read Robert Niles' feature on Loch Ness Monster.
  6. Verbolten
    A 2,835-foot Zierer coaster themed to a drive through the Bavarian forest, with an 88-foot drop and top speed of 53 mph. (Follow the link for a spoiler that might be needed for sensitive riders.) Height requirement: 48 inches
    › Read Russell Meyer's review of Verbolten.
  7. InvadR
    A 2,118-foot Great Coasters International wooden coaster with a 74-foot drop and top speed of 48 mph. Height requirement: 46 inches
    › Read Russell Meyer's review of InvadR.

In addition to these "grown-up" coasters, Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers Grover's Alpine Express, a Zierer Force coaster in the Sesame Street Forest of Fun children's land.

Other Rides

Other notable attractions include Escape from Pompeii, a shoot-the-chutes flume ride; Le Scoot Log Flume, the Mach Tower drop ride, the Rhine River boat ride, and Finnegan's Flyer, a Screamin' Swing with a height of 80 feet and speed of 45 mph.

Shows

Our top recommended show at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is Celtic Fyre ★ ★ ★, a celebration of Irish music, dance, and culture.

Celtic Fyre
Celtic Fyre. Photo courtesy Busch Gardens

Dining

Top recommendations

  1. Das Festhaus ★
    Cafeteria serving German food, often with an Oktoberfest show playing
  2. Trapper's Smokehouse ★
    Counter service barbecue located in New France
  3. Marco Polo's Marketplace
    Market-style Italian food, often accompanied by live entertainment

Map

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is located off Interstate 64, about five miles south of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

Tickets