Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Busch Gardens Williamsburg (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Loch Ness Monster Roller Coaster, Griffon Roller Coaster, and Alpengeist. Also, be sure to include Escape from Pompeii in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia).
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Loch Ness Monster Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in James City County, Virginia. Loch Ness Monster is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It was the first coaster in the world to feature two interlocking loops. The ride is classified as a Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
The Loch Ness is the only remaining roller coaster with two interlocking loops. In addition to the interlocking loops, located over one of the park's water features, the design includes a helix tunnel, two lift hills and a 114-foot (35 m) drop. The ride sits within the park's Scottish hamlet, Heatherdowns, and relates the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, suggesting the serpent inhabits its underwater caves.[1]
Address: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, 23185 Williamsburg
Griffon Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in James City County, Virginia. Griffon is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg amusement park in James City County, Virginia. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, the Dive Coaster model opened to the public on May 18, 2007. It climbs to a height of 205 feet and reaches a maximum speed of 71 mph. The roller coaster features two Immelmann loops, a splashdown, two vertical drops, and was the first B&M Dive Coaster to use floorless trains. Griffon was well-received by media and enthusiasts, and it placed third in 2007 in the category of Best New Ride polled by Amusement Today for their annual Golden Ticket Awards. Since its debut, it has also consistently ranked in the top 50 among steel roller coasters worldwide in the same annual publication, peaking at 19th place in 2010.[2]
Address: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, 23185 Williamsburg
Alpengeist
Roller coaster in James City County, Virginia. Alpengeist is an inverted roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Alpengeist has an Alpine mountain region theme and opened in 1997 as the tallest inverted coaster in the world. The name "Alpengeist" is German for "Ghost of the Alps" or "Alps Spirit", and the ride is themed to a runaway ski lift. As of 2021 it has the records of, the Tallest Complete Circuit Inverted Coaster in the World, Tallest Inverted Coaster in the USA, Longest Complete Circuit Coaster Drop in the World[3]
Address: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, 23185 Williamsburg
Escape from Pompeii
Amusement park ride in James City County, Virginia. Escape from Pompeii is a shoot-the-chutes water attraction designed by Intamin located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The attraction is based on the ancient city of Pompeii when it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Guests board flat-bottom boats that advance through the attraction along a canal of water as if the volcano is alive once again. Special effects include swinging flickering lights, cracking wooden boards, burning walls and ceilings, and tumbling statues. At the end of the ride guests go through a misty dark room right before they go down the five story drop into the splash pool below.
The ride's fire elements were installed by the same company that made the fire elements for the 1991 movie Backdraft.[4]
Address: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, 23185 Williamsburg
InvadR
Roller coaster in James City County, Virginia. InvadR is a wooden roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park. Built by Great Coasters International, it opened on April 7, 2017.[5]
Address: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, 23185 Williamsburg
Carter's Grove
Carter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750-acre plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove Community of southeastern James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States.
The plantation was built for Carter Burwell, grandson of Robert "King" Carter, and was completed in 1755. It was probably named for both the prominent and wealthy Carter family and nearby Grove Creek. Carter's Grove Plantation was built on the site of an earlier tract known as Martin's Hundred which had first been settled by the English colonists around 1620. In 1976, an archaeological project discovered the site of Wolstenholme Towne, a small settlement downstream a few miles from Jamestown which had been developed in the first 15 years of the Colony of Virginia. The population of the settlement was decimated during the Indian Massacre of 1622.
After hundreds of years of multiple owners and generations of families, and the death of the last resident in 1964, Carter's Grove was added to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's (CW) properties through a gift from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1969.
Carter's Grove was open to tourists for many years but closed its doors to the public in 2003 while CW redefined its mission and role. Later that year, Hurricane Isabel seriously damaged Carter's Grove Country Road, which had linked the estate directly to the Historic Area, a distance of 8 miles (13 km), bypassing commercial and public roadways. CW then shifted some of the interpretive programs to locations closer to the main Williamsburg Historic Area and announced in late 2006 that it would be offered for sale under specific restrictive conditions, including a conservation easement.
In December 2007, CNET founder Halsey Minor acquired the Georgian style mansion and 476 acres (193 ha) for $15.3 million and announced plans to use it as his home and for a thoroughbred horse breeding program with the Phipps family. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources co-hold the conservation easement on 400 of the 476 acres. However, Minor never lived at the property and filed for personal bankruptcy in 2013. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation submitted the only bid at the auction held on May 21, 2014, for the outstanding mortgage amount, and announced that it planned to resell it, with a price increased because of significant costs related to the sale, including over $600,000 in necessary repairs. Samuel M. Mencoff, a founder of Madison Dearborn Partners, acquired the property later in 2014.[6]
Yorktown Formation
The Yorktown Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in the Coastal Plain of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It is overconsolidated and highly fossiliferous.[7]