The small size of the park makes it great for preschoolers that may not have the stamina to log miles of walking. The parking lot, even the standard lot, is extremely close to the entrance of the park and if you prefer to leave the stroller behind, this is the park to do it. There is a water park section that is open seasonally (generally Memorial Day to Labor Day, but that can vary depending on staffing and weather) as well as dry rides. When the water rides close for the season they bring in a couple of carnival-style dry rides that they set up near the large splash pad. It is nice to have some additional options available, and my kids have always enjoyed these.

Up next was my favorite ride of the day, Fire Academy! My oldest and I tried to ride during spring break, but this is another one with a very low ride capacity so wait times can creep up fast. We got in line and abandoned mission more than once. However, crowds were light this time and we probably waited about 10-15 minutes to ride, which was equivalent to about 3 ride cycles. On this ride, groups of 2-4 use a hand pump to propel their fire trucks across the course. Once they reach the burning building, you use another hand pump to pump water through the house to put out the fire. Once the fire is out, you jump back in the truck, throw it in reverse, and pump it back to the start. I had read several reviews with people absolutely HATING this ride. They were annoyed with how slow it loads and they didn’t understand why they had to do so much work on an amusement park ride. I may be the odd man out, but I loved it. I loved that our family had to work together and I loved that you were competing against other teams. I am not a fan of waiting in lines, so this will be reserved for low-crowd days for our family, but I think it is so much fun and an experience you don’t see at other theme parks.

There is no question as to why Busch Gardens, Williamsburg is America’s Most Beautiful Theme Park. It has been a favorite stop for our family for several years now, made more affordable by our Sesame Place Platinum Pass and our Thousand Trails Cabin Pass.