Tips for your trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Successful

It’s never too early to get into the holiday spirit!

It was time for our annual visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town!  We went a little earlier this year, opening weekend in November, and appreciated the warmer temperatures when compared to a mid-December visit!

In case you are not familiar with it, Busch Gardens Williamsburg‘s Christmas Town, is an event within the amusement park filled with light displays, holiday shows, and rides.  We were able to snag some tickets during their half off sale and spent a Saturday afternoon and evening at the park.  Williamsburg is only a two hour drive from Locust Grove and with some alternative routes available if I-95 has turned into a parking lot, it is totally doable in a day.

We set out around eleven and ate a filling lunch in the car. We always do this to avoid buying the high priced snacks within the park.  We also make sure to pack a water bottle for everyone and some snacks for the littlest Jones in a backpack.  We got to Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town around one and even though it didn’t open until two, we were able to score a close-to-the-tram-entrance parking spot and head toward the front gates.  Once inside, our first mission is always to visit Santa.  With the littlest Jones skipping ahead, we headed towards the back of the park where Santa is located.  This is a different location from a few years ago, since Darkoaster has opened, and it is a little smaller, but the magic of Santa was still as strong as ever.

Visiting Santa when the park first opens is a must.  As the day goes on, the line gets longer and longer.  Santa was amazing with the littlest Jones who had suddenly turned shy.  He welcomed her and said he was so glad she came, complimented her snowman hat, and then they chatted with her for at least five minutes.  In a first for me, Santa even took a silly picture with his tongue sticking out.  

After the excitement of Santa’s visit, it was time to check out all the rides at Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town.  The littlest Jones spent time in Dragon Land climbing all the rope nets, going on the merry-go-round, bumper cars, and other rides.  For the first time, she was tall enough to ride some “big kid” roller coasters.  Using the app, we saw that the wait for DarKoaster was only fifteen minutes, so we headed there and took a turn on the dark ride.  In the end, the littlest Jones was not a fan.  

One important part to maximizing ride time and reserving energy levels of little ones is to make a plan.  Since we walked all the way towards the back of the park, we stayed within the areas and went on all the rides there.  We planned to go to Das Festhaus for dinner about a half hour before the “Up on the House Top” show started so that we could warm up, eat, and enjoy a show all at the same time.  I do think that you may need to plan on being inside Das Festhaus maybe an hour before show time if the park feels crowded. 

We all know that amusement park food is way overpriced and not exactly five star dining.  So, we always pack the littlest Jones an easy dinner (think peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and let her pick one of the massive desserts that everyone can share. We can’t image paying ten dollars for four chicken nuggets and a handful of fries that she will only a dollar’s worth. If we had been visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas town on a day it opened earlier, then we would have considered buying the meal pass add on during the sale. The cost of the meal pass is about equal to one meal in the park.

Once everyone was refueled, it was just getting dark out so we headed to New France to hop on the Christmas Train.  Sometimes, if the line isn’t super long, we will ride the Skyride to France (on days with short lines this is a great way to move between sections of the park), but on this trip we walked.  Know that the Christmas Train’s line will be long, but the train does hold a lot of people.  While we wait, it’s a good time to enjoy one of the snacks we packed in the bookbag. The Christmas Train is a one way trip through light displays while carols play on the train.  Afterwards, the littlest Jones decided to brave another roller coaster, InvadR.  We think she learned that while she likes the idea of a roller coaster, the actual experience is not her favorite.

We spent the remainder of the evening exploring the different areas of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town.  Since we went in November, the temperature was warmer and more rides were operating.  We ended the night in Sesame Street Forest of Fun so that the littlest Jones could ride her favorite roller coaster.  While this section of the park is busy during the day, there are less people in the evening which means more turns on rides.

We headed out of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town around ten o’clock and had the smoothest drive on 95 back to Locust Grove.  Until next year…

Our Tips for visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town

  • arrive an hour before park opening to grab a better general parking spot
  • buy your tickets and parking pass online to avoid the ticket purchasing lines and get a better deal
  • follow Busch Gardens WIlliamsburg on social media to be alerted to any deals they offer
  • pack everyone a water bottle and bring food for picky eaters
  • pack hats, gloves, and hand warmers in a backpack to carry in the park
  • download the app to see the park map, show times, and ride line times
  • visit Santa first
  • for fewer crowds after opening, head towards the back of the park first and do all the rides there
  • plan any shows you want to see with the rides so that you do everything in one section at one
  • if you want to see a show, plan on being in line at least thirty to forty five minutes before the start
  • if your little one is still up for it, visit Sesame Street Forest of Fun in the evening for lesser wait times for rides