Trip to historic Williamsburg Virginia

 — Note from Allison: last week my sweet friend Lindsey Johnson {an amazing food blogger you need to  know about} took a trip to historic Williamsburg Virginia on behalf of Petit Elefant.  Williamsburg looks like an amazing destination for a family trip, I can’t wait to go with my kids. Lindsey is a phenomenal photographer and all the photos in the post belong to her. —

As I’ve gotten older I’ve become less of an amusement park person, so when I say this believe me:  I loved Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.  It’s been voted The World’s Most Beautiful Theme Park for over twenty years by the National Amusement Park Historical Association, and it’s truly gorgeous in every way.  The landscaping and gardens, the buildings, the rides, the shops.  Everything.  Also it was scrupulously clean–even the restrooms, which is something I always check for when I’m traveling.  The employees were also incredibly friendly and helpful which is always awesome.

What’s special about Busch Gardens VA?  Well … aside from being gorgeous, it’s a European themed park.  Fun, right?  You can visit the British Isles, Ireland, France, New France (Canada), Italy and Germany all in one day.  Each part of the park is decorated and has country-themed rides as well as food inspired by each country.  My favorite part of the park was Germany.  I spent a lot of time in the Christmas Shop looking at fun cuckoo clocks, ornaments and nutcracker dolls.

There are tons of great rides for kids and adults.  One great thing Busch Gardens has done is to create this area where kids can go to be measured and get a wristband to tell them which rides they are tall enough to ride.  I know that will be helpful for my kids and cut down majorly on whining about which rides they can and can’t go on.  (Am I the only one who has kids who do that at amusement parks?  I thought not.)

This park was well thought out and there’s something for everyone.  Even people like me who prefer not to ride roller coasters (read: ‘fraidy-cat), will find their visit enjoyable.  Throughout the park there are great little shops to peruse, animals to pet, food to eat, and rides that won’t make you wet your pants…at least not on purpose.  I didn’t get the chance to ride Escape From Pompeii, which is a water ride but if I had, the “Family Dryer” booth next to it would have come in handy.

I can’t wait to go back for another visit to Busch Gardens.  In just a few weeks the newest attraction, Verbolten opens and it looks like a lot of fun.

Tips for a trip to historic Williamsburg Virginia:

• Where to Eat:  Festhaus—German sausages, potatoes, red cabbage, beautiful desserts; La Cucinoa in Festa Italia—the all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta bar for a great price, stop by the candy shop for a piece of fudge; vegetarian options are available throughout the park.
• Don’t miss:  seeing the animals—grey wolves, Clydesdales, birds, and sheep; riding the roller coasters; the Christmas shop in Germany.
• Especially for kids:  Sesame Street“Forest of Fun” area, as well as other kid-friendly rides throughout the park, kid-friendly food, phone booths to measure height.
• Other info:  go to the Busch Gardens VA website for special offers and discounts, plan at least one full day and get there early.

— This post is sponsored locally by Williamsburg, Virginia. Discover fun for the whole family and book your vacation now. —

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!