The 2nd year of our Christmas Trip Tradition found us in beautiful Williamsburg, VA. The year 2018 had brought about some big changes to our family. Specifically, we were under contract to purchase our new home! During the months of November and December we were smack dab in the middle of selling our house. We were busy with showings, inspections and scheduling repairs, all while trying to make the most of our last holiday season in that home that had served us so well the last few years. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Adding to the chaos, we had to be very careful about our outgoing finances because any large sums of outgoing money might jeopardize the purchase of our new home. All of these factors made planning our 2nd Christmas trip a little challenging. There was a point we thought it might not happen, but we were determined to keep our new tradition alive.
We decided it would be best to stay closer to home this year with a shorter trip duration. We threw around a few ideas, maybe a cabin in Asheville or Christmas at the beach? Of course, nosey Facebook knew I was searching holiday destinations and it wasn’t long before ads for Busch Gardens Christmas Town began popping up in my newsfeed. We had taken the kids to Busch Gardens one spring a few years back and remembered it being a really great amusement park for their ages. It’s only 3 hours away from Raleigh so it checked the “closer to home” box. I browsed the website a bit and the more I learned about Christmas Town the more excited I became. Then I found an incredible vacation package deal on their website so it checked the “affordable trip” box.
We spent 3 days and 2 nights in Williamsburg, VA and it was such a sweet trip. The 3 hour drive from Raleigh to Williamsburg goes by very quickly. We had wrapped a few small road trip activities for the kids and let them open one each hour. About a month before we had purchased these awesome car activity trays which have been a game-changer for our road trips! The kids were so happy and distracted that our drive went by without any stops! We ended up in Williamsburg around 2pm, with several hours to spend at Busch Gardens on our first day.
Let me tell you, Busch Gardens Christmas Town is simply amazing! The park boasts nearly 10 million lights on display throughout the park, creating a truly spectacular experience. We grabbed our park map and checked out the show schedule so that we could make a game plan. The great thing about the vacation package we selected was it offered us 2 day tickets to Busch Gardens, so anything we missed on the first day we planned to enjoy the next day- Christmas Eve.
Because the park is usually closed during this time of year, some of the thrill rides typically open are still closed during Christmas Town, but the number of seasonal and festive attractions more than makes up for it! We highly recommend Christmas Town and visiting Williamsburg, VA during the holiday season!!
Our Favorite Christmas Town Shows:
Scrooge No More
A fun musical based on the classic Scrooge story!
Deck the Halls
An exciting dinner show full of sing-a-long holiday carols and energetic dance numbers.
Twas the Night
A wonderful ice skating featuring Champion figure skater, Elvis Stojkoshow. Full of amazing figure skating stunts, music and a visit from Santa.
Our Favorite Christmas Town Rides:
InvadR
The full-size, wooden roller coaster with high speed and sudden drops. This was my kids’ first roller coaster! I was a little nervous about them riding, but their huge smiles and thumbs up at the end of the ride eased my mind. We rode InvadR several times.
Christmas Town Express
This is one of the most popular rides at Christmas Town, so the wait was pretty long. It was worth it! The train ride spans 1.5 miles of brilliant lights and popular Christmas carols. It was pure magic.
Peppermint Tea Cups
We love these spinning cup rides! They provide endless giggles for the whole family.
More Favorite Williamsburg, VA Attractions:
Yankee Candle Village
Yankee Candle Village is a fantastic indoor experience from the famous candle company. The village consists of several themed shops with plenty to see and do. The year round Christmas Village section was especially magical. There is also an area where kids can make their own candles. We love wandering Yankee Candle Village and picking out fun little gifts.
Colonial Williamsburg
Our Christmas morning was low-key but special all the same. We headed to Colonial Williamsburg to explore. The living museum is open on Christmas Day, but we decided against purchasing tickets. Instead, we grabbed a hot chocolate and popcorn before walking around the historically-rich grounds in the crisp winter air. It was the perfect ending to our 2nd Christmas Trip.
Pro-Tips:
- Get the souvenir travel mug at Busch Gardens, with discounted refills on hot chocolate and coffee!!
- Bundle up! It gets pretty chilly up in VA.
- Check out the vacation packages at https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/vacation-packages/! Our package included our 2 night hotel stay, 2 days at Busch Gardens, parking passes for both days AND 2 meals per person at the theme park, all for $380 after taxes and fees!
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