The Paved Frontier

First, you need a large coffee, a lot of guts, and a little bit of crazy.  Then, you need to find the world’s best husband to push the stroller for most of the day.  And finally, you need to dedicate yourself to having fun and let everything else just slide off your back…

…BECAUSE BUSCH GARDENS IS GREAT!!!! So have a great time!

This year was awesome, because it’s the first year when Rowan (3) can ride ALL of the kiddie rides, and Tristan (6) can ride some of the adult rides, too! We were really looking forward to our visit.  And I totally tried to set us up for a long day at the park…but what I didn’t realize was that we would actually be there for a full 12 hours!  It turned out to be amazing! We did so much! And let’s be honest, if you’re going to spend that much money on a theme park, you might as well soak it all in while you’re there.

We went right in the middle of the blazing hot July heat wave that went through Virginia.  It was up to 100 degrees and some areas around Williamsburg even reported a heat index of 115. WHAAAT!!! And we were out in all that!  So to start off, let’s talk summer safety tips.  No one wants an ill toddler or a faint wife.  And no one wants to ruin a vacation day with a visit to the ER.  So here’s the important stuff to remember:

• Sun block. Sun block for DAYS!  Put it on before you drive to the park (it’s recommended that you apply it 20 minutes before you go out in sun light).  Pick a crazy high, full spectrum SPF (some go as high as 100 or 110 now); we used SPF 50.  I also like to use my face lotion on the boys’ faces and my own, because it’s an SPF 30 that lasts for 12 hours.  Apply sun block every 2 hours or so, or more often if you’re hitting the water rides.  Exposure to sunlight can not only burn you, which we all know is not good, but it can also leave you feeling exhausted.
• Sunglasses and hats- to protect your eyes, your face from sun burn, and to keep you cool.
• Stay hydrated! Water and electrolytes (ie: sports drinks). You really need both, especially when you’re walking up and down hills sweating all day.
• Get indoors- this counts for the hot and cold days. Allow yourself some breaks in the air conditioning.  All the stores have A/C, so stroll through when you’re warm.  And the Festhaus in Oktoberfest is a huge building with long tables.  You can hang out in there and cool off when you need to.
• Keep your pet happy and cool! There is a pet care building right at the England parking lot, where your pet can stay cool while you’re in the theme park.  So if you have fur babies, they can be taken care of as well!

Now on to the fun!  If at all possible, go Monday through Thursday (we went on a Thursday) to avoid big crowds and long, hot lines.  When we went, there were nearly no lines.  We started our day with a taxi ride in (we were staying in a KOA RV park).  We didn’t have a stroller with us (and we had the car seats), so we rented a double stroller.  You can certainly save some $$ by bringing your own.  When you first enter, get your kids’ height checked and get a wristband which will indicate what rides they can go on, and grab a map.  Our first stop in Busch Gardens was the Forest of Fun (the Sesame Street part), where we rode all the rides and ran around in the water sprinkler part to cool off.  Next we did “mommy and daddy” things- which included walking around and checking out some of the stores.  We road some of the smaller rides in Festa Italia (they have some of Da Vinci’s inventions that the kids can ride alone or with an adult).  And we had lunch in Italy- it’s an outdoor eating area, so we took advantage of that while the day was still kinda cool.  Then we hit up a few more stores on the way to the Land of the Dragons.  Land of Dragons is part playground, part water sprinklers, and part rides.  In here, the kids can ride all the rides on their own.  We took our time in Land of the Dragons since the boys were having such a great time.

We followed a similar routine of checking out stores (to keep cool), stopping in the shade to re-up our sun block, snacks, and water, and letting the kids ride the little rides that are scattered around the park.  Around 3:00 to 4:00 pm, it started getting really warm, so we went to the show in Ireland called Celtic Fyre.  The boys were really interested in it, and it’s a neat show with singing and river dancing.  Plus, it’s inside, so it’s a great way to beat the heat for 30 minutes.  As you’re walking around, take note of the times of these indoor shows.

We leisurely walked toward Festhaus in Oktoberfest to eat dinner in the A/C.  But looking back, I should have remembered that we don’t like the German food they have (the meat is good, but the potatoes and other side dishes are really gross).  You can bring outside food into that building, or you can eat from the other buffet line which has pizza, fries, chicken fingers and stuff like that.  We hit up a few more shops on our way back to the Forest of Fun- and I broke away from Stu and the boys to ride a couple roller coasters myself.  Just as a note: the kid areas (Forest of Fun and Land of Dragons) close at 8:00 pm.

At about 8:00, we were pooped.  The sun wasn’t as hot, but we still didn’t want to walk around anymore.  So we parked the stroller at the stroller exchange and took the gondola ride (you can take all personal items with you and leave a rented stroller, then just pick up a new rented stroller at the next stop).  After that, we took the train ride around.  It was relaxing for mom and dad, but exciting for the kids.

And finally, we ended the day with the All For One show at 9:00 (only available through September 2016) in the Royal Theater in France.  The boys LOVED it!  They were on the edge of their seats the whole time- it’s a show full of sword fights, battles, and actors swinging through the air.  The show was from 9:00 – 9:30pm.  After the show, we finally called a taxi back to the RV.

It was a long day, but we felt like it was the best year at Busch Gardens so far.

How to do this on a small budget!

If you’re active duty military- I have good news for you!! Through the Waves of Honor program, you and your dependents can go to a Busch Gardens, Sea World, or Water Country USA (and other parks) for free once a year.  This offer isn’t available at the park itself, so be sure to visit the website to order your tickets first.  They also have offers for veterans who are no longer active duty- at the time I checked, it was only $54 per ticket.

In addition to the tickets, we got the Deluxe Meal Voucher for Stuart and me, which was $33/each.  This is well worth the money and I think we’ll do it again next year!  With each voucher, you get 2 entrees (one for lunch, one for dinner), 2 sides or desserts, one snack (this includes food sold at those stands like Dip n’ Dots, popcorn, etc.), and the free refills souvenir cup (meaning we got free fountain drinks and ICEEs ALL DAY LONG).  Usually this cup would cost you from $9.99 to $12.99, so even if you don’t get the meal plan, you can get the cup and get free refills.  We used these vouchers for lunch and dinner, and just got the kids a side of fries to split, and we all shared the food. We also shared the free refills. This worked out well for our family.  And in the end, we only spent about $5 on food (in addition to the cost of the meal vouchers).  There is also free tap water available, so even if you don’t get a souvenir cup, save your money and don’t spend it on bottled water.

To do things on a smaller budget– you can bring your own food and drinks, and keeping them in a cooler in your car can save you having to carry them around all day (you can leave and re-enter the park as many times as you want in one day).  Since you can get iced tap water for free (bring a reusable water bottle, so you can easily carry it around), just worry about snacks and food.  Think about food you don’t have to keep cold for it to be safe.  Food like PB&Js, chips or crackers, whole clementine oranges and apples, snack or meal bars, and Gatorade.

And that’s it!  Nothing that’s a huge secret or anything, but some ideas to keep in mind when planning your visit.  We love Busch Gardens for its scenery and shops, which is unique for an amusement park.

The Williamsburg, Virginia area is a great place for a family vacation.  There is so much to do and see- Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, and Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. You could easily stay a week in this area and see something new each day.  I’ll have a new post up soon about our favorite spots in the Williamsburg area.

Do you have anything special you pack for a day long walking trip with kids?  What advice do you have to stay cool on a long, summer day?  Can you recommend any “must have” items for a day out with the kids?

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