Kings Dominion vs. Busch Gardens (appointed, amusement park, live)

[texx]

Hi, my little brother(he is 13) is coming up to visit me in Maryland and I wanted to take him to one of the theme parks in Virginia(dont have them in Houston so he rarely gets a chance to go). I wanted to either go to KD or BG but really cant decide which one would be better for us. I have been to neither but we do enjoy rollercoasters! My pregnant wife will also be taggin along and I dont want her to be completely left out. Any suggestions from anyone that has been to both would be greatly appreciated. Oh and we have been to Disney, thought it was a waste of money, and disliked it.

1. Which one has the most bang for its buck(I know BG cost more but is it worth it)?
2. Which one has the best waterpark?
3. Which one is the most crowded during weekdays in June?
4. Which one has the best shows/other attractions outside of rides?
5. Which one has the best rides?

[540_804]

1. Hard to say, but based on your criteria, probably BG.
2. If you include Water Country USA as BG's Waterpark....then BG wins this hands down. Its a few miles away from BG, but you can get tickets that allow access to both parks.
3. Hmmm..i have no idea.
4. BG hands down...
5. Kings Dominion....no contest. KD has 60 rides, BG has 52 rides. KD has 14 coasters, BG has only 5.

If you're more of a thrill-seeker, coaster lover, I'd say head to KD (plus its a shorter trip from MD).

HOWEVER, considering you will be with your pregnant wife, BG may be the better option. There are tons of shows and attractions for those who can't or won't ride the roller coasters. Its generally considered a much more family-friendly park (compared to KD) and is consistently ranked the worlds most beautiful amusement park (20+ years in a row).

[roanoker 4]

Busch Gardens is the place everyone goes around here! It is not very crowded on weekdays. Kings Dominion is mostly rides but doesn't seem as clean as Busch Gardens. When they had the free beer at the brewery it was great!
The desserts in the France section are incredible! I hope they still have the Octoberfest in Germany. Haven't been there in a few years, I must go!

[LDH]

Hubby and I went to BG in October of last year and didn't really like it. It was very clean and had a bunch of rollercoasters but didn't really have much in the way of other things to see such as shows. Your brother would like it if he likes rollercoasters but your wife would probably be bored since she couldn't go on any rides other than a couple, like the train and boat ride. There are some steep inclines to walk up in a couple of places so if it's hard for her to get around she might not appreciate them.

[Coubr]

Busch Gardens is nicer and more of an experience, but KD is probably better for a kid.

The whole theme of BG is international cultures. There is a section devoted to, IIRC, Germany, Italy, and a few other European countries. Might not be all that interesting to a 13 year old.

The water park at KD is part of the park itself, so you don't have to drive anywhere. That's a big plus that may outweigh the fact that BG's water park is nicer.

KD has better rides, like the other person said.

[Kevin_R]

Kings Dominion may have more rides but there rides are far from better than Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens have very high quality rides that are nationally Ranks. The Griffon, Apollos Chariot, and Alpenqiest, are all top 25 coasters to Kings Dominion 1. Kings dominion have fun rides also but there rides are usually shorter with very long lines. Kings Dominion is a HUGE park and already has a water park attached. Believe it or not Busch Gardens is a Top 10 park on most list(mostly because of it beauty). If you want more bang for your buck I'll say Kings Dominion (more rides everything in one area).

[munchkin0889]

I went to King's Dominion pregnant and the only ride that is "safe" for pregnant women is the carousel. There are very few shows. Your wife may want to make her own plans that day!

[michgc]

I'll throw another suggestion into the ring. How about HersheyPark? It's about 2 1/2 hours from here. There are great rides and a waterpark. For someone who is pregnant, there are shows and the "chocolate factory." We took our Girl Scout troop there last year, and everyone had a great time! It's a great park! Whoops, sorry I just realized that I wasn't in the Northern Virginia forum, and I don't know where you live. I based the distance from NoVa.

[citydweller]

We visited Hershey Park quite a few years ago and we loved it. So clean and well run and you can't beat the free chocolate.

[LynchburgLover]

We had an awful incident at Kings Dominion where a group of teenagers tried to cut in line to get food. Their friends were working at the counter and totally ignoring us and other customers while giving the teens free food. When we spoke up, the group of teens became very belligerent, threatening a fight. We then sought out a manager who broke up the group. However, when we left the food court to go to more rides, the group started stalking us. We then called for security who escorted us to our car.

The management was pleasant but would not refund our ticket prices. They offered a free pass for a future visit! We had only been on site about two hours. Needless to say, our children were extremely disappointed.

We've never been back to Kings Dominion. But we went to Busch Gardens annually for many years and never had a problem. It's cleaner and the staff is more pleasant. It does not seem to attract the same crowd that Kings Dominion does.