KD, BGW

[rhoustonh]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Virginia soon. I have read numerous trip reports on Kings Dominion and have a good idea what to expect (tahnks for all the info..it looks great). We are also going to Busch Gardens, aside from Apollo's Chariot looking fantastic, are there any tips on what else are must rides? Also, is Six Flags America worth heading to, or should we spend another day at these parks? Any advice is welcome.

[KI Kevin]

I took a similar trip last year.

BGW is my favorite park. Must rides there are, well, all the major coasters (Griffon, Alpengeist, AC, Loch Ness). Unfortunately I didn't do anything else besides those due to time, so I'll let others give advice on dark rides. I would recommend going to Curse of DarKastle first, as that seemed to have the longest line throughout the day. Europe in the Air may have some pretty monstrous lines too, so you may want to wait for more info as it opens. Griffon has a single rider line that is a no-brainer. I went on a Saturday in August. Needless to say, it was packed. I went in the SRL and got on in 15 minutes or less every time. They don't offer free water, so for drinks you'll have to get bottles of soda or water. For eating, I like the Smokehouse, in the New France area, which is a barbeque restaraunt. The park is heavily themed and beautifully landscaped.

KD is also very fun. I haven't been this year, but everything I've heard of Intimidator 305 is amazing. So I would head to that at the beginning of the day. Then Volcano (my favorite there), as that had longer lines than anything else. Must rides for me are Crypt, Dominator (front row is the only way to go, in my opinion), Drop Tower, Avalanche (one of the last of its kind), Ricochet, Shockwave (painful, but if you didn't ride King Cobra or another TOGO standup you should ride) and the Flying Eagles. We have clones at KI of FoF, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Rebel Yell, and the kids coasters.

I haven't been to Six Flags America so I wouldn't know.

Just my advice, but I've only been to each for a short amount of time, so other people probably have better. Anything I missed?

[bkroz]

Everything at Busch Gardens is a must ride. There honestly aren't all that many major rides, either. Maybe ten. But all are of unbelievable quality. DarKastle is incredible (especially if you've never been on Spiderman at islands of Adventure - it's near impossible to understand what the ride is until its well underway). Escape from Pompeii has some incredible effects, and it doesn't get you too wet. You could spend half the day at Busch Gardens enjoying the landscape if you wanted.

Also, something to consider: For probably $15.00 per person you can get front-of-the-line Quick Queue passes good for one ride on each attraction. Honestly, if you'll just be there for a day and you're not morally opposed to pay-to-cut passes (which some people are), I say you go for it. You get to beat the heat, and also it's really nice to go to sleep the night before and know you'll be at Busch Gardens the following day and not have to wait in lines. It's a great feeling.

I always invest in the passes. For $30 or so, you can get unlimited rides all day long with Quick Queue Unlimited. Again, if you're just there for a day and want an all-inclusive experience that will be memorable and incredible, that's the way to go.

[CincyMan98]

I've been so close to doing all this so many times.......traveling and almost going to KD and BGW on the way.......but ended up not. It annoys me. RAWR.

[rhoustonh]

Thanks for the replies so far. goodyellowkorn182 - thanks for the tip on the Quick Queue passes, I think that will be the way to go.

[The Interpreter]

This year Quick Queue at BGW is $14.95 to skip the line ONCE at each of 8 rides. Or all day is $39.95. This is in addition to admission. All day dining is available for $29.99 (passholders are $26.99). Under 9 years of age is $14.99...passholders $13.49.

Celtic Fyre, currently in previews, is well worth seeing, if you are into shows. Europe In The Air is scheduled to open in "late spring." There are also animal adventure tours...and behind the scenes tours....details at the gate.

Busch Gardens is a class act in the industry. Enjoy!

Six Flags America has a fine INTAMIN hypercoaster that hasn't aged all that well...an outdoor version of Flight of Fear with no mid-course brake, a fine old wooden coaster that has been modified more times than I care to count, a GCI coaster, and can be fun...if you don't go on a packed Saturday...

[DaveStroem]

When we were at BGW last year they opened up LNM well before the posted opening times. I was told they open the park is stages. We got 3 rides on LNM before the rest of the park opened. We then just went in a counter clockwise direction hitting up Griffon, Alpengiest, DarKastle & Apollo's Chariot since Big Bad Wolf was down. Now that BBW is gone, allowing for that is irrelevant.

We purchased a meal deal that was around $20 which gave us 2 meals with drink and dessert + 2 extra drinks. The meals were huge and tasty. I just checked and I don't see that offered on the site anymore just individual meal certificates.

We really enjoyed SFA both times we have gone. The coasters are just as Terpy described above. I don't know if it is worth an entire day, but it makes a good park to hit on the day you head back home.