A-Z Challenge - Week 1 Recap

A-Z Challenge 2021 - Week 1 Recap

We are all done with week 1 of the A-Z challenge. 3 letters done just and 23 letters to go! In case you missed one of our tour stops here is where we stopped on week 1:

 A  is for Amusement Park:

Our first stop was our local theme park Busch Gardens.

B is for Bar Harbor:

 Our next stop was Bar Harbor Maine where we spent some time exploring the city and Acadia National Park.

C is for Charlottetown:

Located in Prince Edward Island and the surrounding areas is a must see.

Catch up on the posts you missed then come back tomorrow as we continue the tour. It will be a lot of fun so don't miss out! Which was your favourite from this week? What did you post about today?

A - A is for Amusement Parks

 We are participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge again this year. The theme for this year is our Favourite Travel Spots in North America. Join us throughout the month of April as we revisit some of our favourite travel spots. No boarding pass, visa or passport needed!

The locations we feature are all places we have visited and the photos are ones taken by myself or Amanda (or possibly one of our family members) 

Our first stop on the tour are a favourite for guests young and old. With all of the different rides, shows and other attractions there is plenty for everyone in your group to enjoy. Our home park Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the feature of today's post.

The park features 8 coasters and dozens of other rides and attractions. It is themed on several European countries and the theming is among the best you will see anywhere. It has won the Most Beautiful Theme Park award many times. 

Favourite Ride(s) My favourite ride is Apollo's Chariot as it is a smooth ride, lots of speed and air time.

The Loch Ness Monster features an interlocking loop. Still going strong over 40 years later.

An icecream store in the New France section of the park

Alpengeist is a Inverted coaster with several inversion themed on a skiing area

More Info: https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/ Park Website and ticketing

Cost: There is a variety of different ticket options available. Local stores often have coupons with discounts as well.

How to get there: 
Car: Interstate I64 Exit 243A. The ramp will take you directly to the park entrance
Air:  Newport News Airport (PHF) is the closest airport and is about a 20-30 minute drive to the park. Norfolk (ORF) and Richmond (RIC) airports are within about an hour of the park.
Train: Amtrak has a stop in Williamsburg which is a 15-20 minute drive from the park.

Please take a few moments to say hi and leave us a comment as we love to hear from our visitors. Dont forget to leave your blog URL so we can visit you as well. 

What is your favourite ride/park?

What did you post about today?

Saturday Snapshots: Former Rides at Busch Gardens

Today we are linking up with Melinda at West Metro Mommy for Super Saturday Snapshots.

We live about an hour from Busch Gardens which is a theme park with 5 rollercoasters and many other rides. It is beautifully landscape and has been awarded the World's Most Beautiful Theme Park for many years. Over the years we have taken quite a few photos of the rides at Busch Gardens. As I was going through some of these photos I found some of rides that are no longer at the park and have since been replaced with other attractions.

 

The Big Bad Wolf was a suspended coaster that weaved through a Bavarian Village as you were supposedly being chased by the Big Bad Wolf. The ride was closed in 2009 and was replaced by a new coaster that kept some of the same features.

The highlight of the ride was the last drop as you would descend 100ft (33m) and coast just above the river before heading back to the station. The new coaster kept this feature as well to the delight of park guests.

 Le Mans Raceway was a vintage car ride around a 1/2 mile (800m) track. It was a very popular ride but the wait times were usually pretty long and it was ultimately decided that this part of the park would be ideal for a new coaster.

The attraction was closed in 2006 and was replaced by Griffon which is one of the tallest floor-less diving coasters in the world. It was fun to drive these little cars around but I was never a fan of having to wait in line so long.

The new rides are a lot of fun and are the best use of the space but it is always fun to relive the memories of the rides that are no longer in operation. What is your favourite theme park ride?