David S.
Member
Good call. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is probably my favorite of all the regional theme parks in the country. The natural landscape with it's ravines, tree cover, and Rhine River are amazing and I love how the charming European villages are nestled into the natural environment. The architecture and music loops for each country are outstanding.
The park has a nice selection of attractions, ranging from scenic rides that blend in well with the landscape (railroad, skyride, Rhine River cruise), to more modern high tech rides (Darkastle and the simulator in Ireland.)
I also love the Pet Shenanigans show, done by the same company who does Pets Ahoy at Sea World Orlando and Critter Castaways at BGT.
The selection of coasters is very nice, with most interacting nicely with the trees and river. Apollo's Chariot is one of my favorite 3 steel coasters I've ever ridden. Apollo is, like my other favorite steelies, a "hypercoaster" designed by B&M, which is my favorite genre of steel coaster, done by my favorite designer in this genre - a genre which is still completely lacking in ALL of the Florida parks.
The Busch Gardens Tampa park is very nice as well, themed to Africa instead of Europe. It's flatter, has less trees, and is, unfortunately, hotter; but its strengths include more animals than Williamsburg (including the AMAZING Walkabout Way where you can pet and hand-feed Wallabies and Kangaroos); and Gwazi, a wooden coaster which is my favorite genre of coasters, not found in BG Williamsburg or anywhere in Orlando.
Both Busch parks surpass the typical Six Flags and Cedar Fair chain parks in theming and atmosphere, although I'm a fan of all parks and believe those chains have their gems as well (though nothing near Disney on the theming level).
Another great choice!
I am a HUGE fan of both Dollywood and its sister park in Branson, Silver Dollar City (both operated by Herschend)
Both parks are stunningly beautiful and set in the mountains (the Smokies and the Ozarks, repectively). Both have very convincing theming and atmosphere, with the parks themed as authentic mountain towns that interact beautifully with the natural landscape. Both have some of the friendliest employees you'll meet at any park, and both have great attractions, rides, and shows.
My favorite time of year to visit both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City is during their night-oriented Christmas events, which begin in early November (thankfully before Thanksgiving) and are generally the only time each park opens for any significant amount of time after sunset.
These events are AMAZING, and have both won Amusement Today Magazine's coveted Golden Ticket award for "Best Holiday Event". There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE, in the trees, and all over the buildings, all throughout the park. There are Christmas night parades, a tree lighting ceremony and light show, and the various theatres throughout the park present special Broadway-caliber musical productions specific to the event, such as "A Dickens' Christmas Carol" at SDC and "Babes In Toyland" at Dollywood.
Both parks have nice train rides through the woods that do Christmas sing-alongs and make a great way to see the lights.
Add to all of this the ability to ride the parks' awsome coasters and other rides on a nice, chilly winter evening when most other parks are closed (outside of central Florida and southern Cali), and you have a recipe for perfection. I LOVE a good chilly night in the 40's and 50's, which are rare in Florida during park operation.
And as Wizards8507 stated, Thunderhead at Dollywood is an AWESOME wooden coaster that consistantly ranks in the Top 5 in wooden coaster polls. Night rides on it during the Christmas event, under the stars and surrounded by the mountains, with a nice crisp chill in the air, are sublime!
These Christmas events at Dollywood and Silver Dollar City really make me feel like I am in a small mountain town for the holidays, surrounded by beautiful lights and friendly people. They really make me get into the Spirit of Christmas.
I usually visit between approximately 12 and 20 different parks each year in addition to the Florida ones. These change from year to year, but the Christmas events at Dollywood and Silver Dollar City have had a permanent place on my touring itinerary each November since I first discovered them in 2006. I give them my highest recommendation.
PS. I like all 4 parks I've just praised - Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Tampa, Dollywood, and Silver Dollar City, more than Universal. I prefer Sea World over Uni as well, for it's theming and for it's amazing animal shows and exhibits!
