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Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg Review

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Last month, I had the pleasure of staying at the Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg when I visited the theme park. I thought I would do a little review in case anyone else was considering staying here.

Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg

While visiting the theme park, my mom and I decided to book the Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg for two nights. It had good reviews online and appeared to be really close to the park. Plus, it had great rates for the two nights we were interested in staying. I’m happy to report that this was a good decision.

Standard Queen Room

For this trip, we booked a standard two queens room using the IHG flexible rate. This gave us the peace of mind that we could cancel the room up until 24 hours prior to the stay. The hotel was in good working order with all of the furniture looking relatively new. I have a minor complaint about the towels and comforter though. Both showed signs of wear and tear and were fraying. So, I think it would be nice if they switched those out more frequently. Additionally, the mirror over the sink was too close to the plug-in to be usable. So, I couldn’t dry my hair at the sink and had to do it over at the desk. Other than that, the room was pretty good. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a stay here if you are visiting the area.

Pros

  • Location – It is really close to the theme park. So, it was ideal for visiting Christmas Town and coming back late at night.
  • Affordable – It cost us $264.56 total (including taxes) for a two night stay in early December! We thought that was really reasonable/cheap!
  • Free breakfast – If you are in a hurry to hit the road or the theme park, they provide a free breakfast.
  • Nice accommodations – The room itself is pretty comfortable and great after a long day in the park.

Cons

  • Fraying towels/comforter – The towels and bedding could be replaced, but they were still usable.
  • Limited breakfast options – I wasn’t overly impressed with the free breakfast, to be honest. The options were limited. Unfortunately, the cinnamon rolls were dry and tasted artificial.
  • Plug in near mirror unusable – As I stated above, I had to do my hair near the desk in the room instead of at the mirror over the sink. Not a huge deal, but something to know.
  • No sink in the bathroom – This has a split bathroom situation where the sink/mirror is outside the bathroom and is in the main bedroom. Some people may prefer this set up, but I don’t.

Should you stay at the Holiday Inn Express Busch Gardens Williamsburg?

If you are planning a visit to the theme park, this is one of the closest hotels. It has lots of pros, with a few cons. I think it’s great for a family on a budget. If you are looking to splurge, you may want to consider staying in Colonial Williamsburg or another chain.

Santa’s Fireside Feast at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Review

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Last week, I visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg to experience Christmas Town for the first time. While there, my mom and I enjoyed Santa’s Fireside Feast! So, I thought I would do a little review on it.

Santa's Fireside Feast

Santa’s Fireside Feast

I know you’re wondering why my mom and I would book a Santa dinner. Well, it’s quite simple. Busch Gardens Williamsburg doesn’t do much in the way of special foods for the holidays. We were also concerned about long lines for food and being in the cold. So, an indoor sit down dinner sounded like a good idea to us.

We booked this meal as soon as the option was posted on the website, October 24th. We used my passholder discount, which came out to $40.50/each plus tax and fees. In total, it cost us $96.07 for the two of us to enjoy this meal since they added on a $6.49 service fee in addition to the taxes. So, what started out as a moderately expensive meal got even more expensive once we finally clicked purchase.

Sidenote: I feel like Busch Gardens/SeaWorld is the worst with pricing. They keep adding on service fees and other percentage merch fees.

The Food

With the exception of the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival Busch Gardens is not known for its food. However, this is supposed to be a holiday meal with Santa. So, the basic menu of Thanksgiving food sounded good to us. The menu consisted of carved turkey with gravy, chicken alfredo, carved ham with a brown sugar glaze, Trapper’s Smokehouse Chili, cornbread stuffing, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans with garlic, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, tossed salad, dinner rolls, Coca-Cola beverages and assorted desserts. The desserts included cookies and cupcakes.

My mom and I tried several items from the buffet. I think the chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and mac and cheese were the best options. They are very basic but they tasted good. The turkey was dry. The ham was just fine and not really worth the calories/fat in my opinion. The rolls were dry/hard, like maybe they let them sit out in the open too long. For a beverage, I initially selected the “fruit punch” expecting some sort of legitimate fruit juice or perhaps a mix they had made. Unfortunately, I was surprised with an overly sweet Hawaiian Punch. So, I went back for water.

As for desserts, I tried the red velvet cupcake and chocolate cupcake. The red velvet cupcake had a cream cheese frosting that was too much cream cheese for me. I like a blend of cream cheese and buttercream when I have cream cheese frosting. The chocolate was pretty good. Not amazing but not bad either.

Overall, I’d say the food was typical of what I expect from Busch Gardens parks. It won’t blow your socks off but everyone can find something to eat.

The Entertainment

The meal is centered around Santa being the host for this meal. It was a fun and unique treat to have Santa read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the crowd. We also got to take a photo with him and received a 6″ x 8″ photo of it. While that wasn’t really necessary for us, I can see it being a huge perk for folks with children. You can see Santa while enjoying a meal. We also enjoyed the addition of the elves for some humor throughout the experience.

Was Santa’s Fireside Feast worth it?

I think it was totally worth it at $40/each. However, once you add in the taxes and fees, the value becomes a little more debatable. Although, my mom seemed to really enjoy this meal. The food was basic but there’s something for everyone. We got to sit down in a heated room for a meal instead of roaming around the park. Plus, it felt truly festive eating here. So, if you are debating it, I think it depends heavily on your budget. You can definitely grab something to eat for much cheaper around the park and probably be happy.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Tips

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Since I always like to do a guide for every theme park I visit, here’s my Busch Gardens Williamsburg tips post.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

For those who don’t know, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a SeaWorld, now known as United Parks & Resorts theme park in Virginia. SeaWorld acquired both this park and Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida years ago. Tampa’s park is themed to Africa whereas this one is themed to different European countries.

If you have visited another United Parks & Resorts theme park recently, then you probably know what to expect here since most policies are resort wide. However, there were some updates since the last time I visited one in early 2023. So, here are my tips and suggestions for visiting this particular park.

Tips

  • Arrive early – The earlier you arrive, the closer you get to park to the actual park. In fact, we didn’t even need the upgraded parking on the Sunday in May that we visited to have a close parking space.
  • Have a card – Since my last visit to a United Park, they have all gone cashless. Personally, I find that to be a nuisance. They do have atm’s and machines to convert cash to a Visa gift card. However, the Visa card begins charging a $3.95/month inactivity fee after just 92 days without a transaction! So, I would advise going with a low amount to avoid forgetting and losing money.
  • Know prices are 5% higher than advertised – A few years back, United Parks & Resorts instituted a 5% surcharge on all purchases. Unfortunately, this surcharge remains. So, be prepared to pay an additional 5% over the advertised prices. Also, note that this kind of ruins the passholder discount.
  • Download the app – Similar to the other parks in the family, they did away with paper maps. So, you must use the app to navigate the park. I highly suggest having the app downloaded on your device prior to your arrival.
  • Slow down – This park has received numerous awards for being the most beautiful theme park. It’s a very nice and peaceful park to walk around. Be sure to make time to notice the differences between countries, but wear a hat and sunscreen as there’s not much shade here.
  • Consult the park calendar – The park hosts several limited time events throughout the year. So, you might want to plan a trip around them. Also, the hours vary from day to day. So, be sure to check the hours before heading over.
  • Keep an eye out for deals – Once again, I recommend doing the math on an annual pass or fun card. I purchased an annual pass and used a bring a friend free pass for my husband. I plan on returning later this year and using my second bring a friend pass on my mom. So, it was cheaper to buy this pass and get entry for all four of us than buying four separate one day tickets. In fact, they had a special that made the two park pass cheaper than the single park when we went, so I got that one.

Other Suggestions?

Have you ever visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg? Do you have any tips for visiting?

Virginia’s Historic Triangle Tips for Visiting

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Last month, my husband and I took a trip to explore Virginia’s Historic Triangle. So, I thought I would create a post with tips to help other people avoid making the same mistakes we did.

Virginia's Historic Triangle

Virginia’s Historic Triangle

For those who don’t know, the historic sites of Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg make up Virginia’s Historic Triangle. All three are relatively close to one another, which makes visiting all three in one trip super easy. I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I didn’t realize this triangle existed or how close things were until our first trip last year. We saw signs about it and were surprised to discover how close the sites were to one another. So, when we made a return trip to Williamsburg this year, I knew we had to complete the triangle.

I already posted Tips for Visiting Colonial Williamsburg, a Jamestown Settlement Guide and an American Revolution Museum at Yorktown Guide filled with tips for visiting those individual things. So, feel free to check those out for more tips. This post is going to focus on the overall picture of planning a trip to this area.

Tips

  • Stay in Williamsburg – Williamsburg is the central location and is the first one you come to. Plus, staying on-site gives you free tickets to Colonial Williamsburg. Previously, we have stayed in a tavern room but I will look into staying in a hotel in the future.
  • Plan at least one day per town – We crammed Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum into one day. I wish we had spent one whole day in Jamestown and visited the Historic Jamestowne. Then, another full day in Yorktown with the addition of the battleground would have been ideal, I think. Depending on your level of interest, you can probably spend 1-3 days in Colonial Williamsburg. Plan another day if you plan on visiting Busch Gardens.
  • Examine all ticket deals closely – There are several ticket options for visiting this area and each one requires you to do some math. Since we are Virginia residents, we took advantage of a deal that gave us an annual pass to the Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum for the price of a one day ticket! I don’t know if we will return in the next 11 months, but it’s nice to have the option. I also got an annual pass to Busch Gardens, which comes with free bring a friend passes and discounts.
  • Keep an eye out for special events – I didn’t realize it when we planned our trip, but there were special events happening in Yorktown and at Jamestown on the Saturday we visited. The event in Yorktown had roads blocked off and made navigating the town for the first time for dinner stressful.
  • Watch out for the Colonial Parkway Rehabilitation Project – Several roads are currently closed for construction and it makes getting around a little more difficult. It looks like there are 3 phases planned with full completion projected for 2026. So, if you are visiting in the next two years, plan to take a detour.
  • Pack comfortable clothes and shoes – You will be doing a lot of walking here. Wear sunscreen and a hat too.

Other Suggestions

Visiting Virginia’s Historic Triangle is a fun and informative trip. However, it can be a lot to take in. I could see taking a break day at a hotel to enjoy a pool. I can also see some folks only wanting to visit one town and maybe Busch Gardens. You know your crew. Plan what you think you can do and have fun!

Do you have any other tips for visiting this area?

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival Guide

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My husband and I just returned from a trip wherein we got to experience the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival for the first time! So, I thought I would do a little guide to help others plan their visit.

Williamsburg Food and Wine

Williamsburg Food and Wine

Every spring, the theme park hosts this annual festival. It claims to be the largest spring food and wine festival in the state of Virginia! I have no idea if that’s actually true, but this year it features 18 booths with 150 samples to try! Plus, they have special entertainment around the park! So, it certainly sounds impressive to me.

Similar to the Dollywood Seasonal Events, you can save money on food and beverages by purchasing a sampler card. However, since this one includes alcohol it’s a good bit more expensive. There’s the 10 item sampler for $70 and a 15 sampler for $85. You can use it over the course of multiple trips, but only on festival offerings. Upon seeing menus and prices, we opted to simply pay out of pocket for our items. We only purchased food and non-alcohol drinks, so it didn’t make sense to pay extra for the pass. Additionally, passholders receive a discount on food and beverages that made it even cheaper to pay out of pocket.

The Food and Drinks

I will start by saying that everything we tried at the festival was good. We purchased food from two booths: South Korea and Virginia. At the South Korea booth we got the Chicken Bulgogi, Korea BBQ Pork Ribs, and Dalgona Korean Coffee. I found the chicken to have a good flavor and was juicy. The pork rib was dry. The coffee was a disappointment. It tasted like a regular iced coffee to me. There was very little foam on top. It wasn’t bad, just not much different from a simple iced coffee.

At the Virginia booth, we got the Chesapeake Style Crab Cake Slider, Bacon & Cheddar Hushpuppies, and Strawberry Lemonades. I used the free festival item coupon passholders receive for each day of the festival for the crab cake slider. While it was a great use of the coupon, I would have been disappointed if we had spent $10 on it. It was tasty but really small.

The hushpuppies were really good. The bacon and cheddar gave them a unique taste. The addition of the honey butter elevated the dish. The hushpuppies were our favorite item of the festival. The strawberry lemonade was tart and refreshing. It was a moderately warm day, so it was a much appreciated cool beverage. Although, after several sips I tired of the bitterness. My husband ended up finishing mine as he really enjoyed it.

The Entertainment

The park also brings in some local artists to perform during the festival. It makes for a nice touch to walk around and enjoy some food while listening to music. I wish there were some big names as well or perhaps more entertainers spread throughout the park. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enjoy the entertainment as they performed only a few times a day. I wish the park would bring in more entertainment options and spread the times out.

Is the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival worth it?

I think the food and drinks at the festival are good. I think it definitely adds something to your park day. The food made our visit to the park worth the trip over from Colonial Williamsburg. I appreciated the addition of non-alcoholic beverages to several of the menus as well.

Have you ever experienced this festival?