If you have never been to Busch
Gardens for Howl-O-Scream, or
any other time you may not be aware of just how enchanting the place is in the
fall. We regularly refer to Busch Gardens as “the park”, not just because
it would be short hand for Amusement Park, but because it is indeed everything
you expect from a park.
Busch Garden’s in
Williamsburg for the 15 past
years has taken its peaceful and beautiful park and turned it into something a
bit more sinister and scary for most of September and October, though it is
just as beautiful.
Howl-O-Scream
events begin every evening at 6 p.m. and are designed for the type of audience
who wants the crap scared out of them, so most of the time that is not little
kids. Actors fill the park dressed as ghoulish characters to jump out and scare
guests. So keep this in mind when visiting with children. There are also haunt
house mazes set up in most of the villages in the park. Each is themed
differently from each other, but all are full of your typical haunted house
décor and jump scares. Some have optical allusions to them, making these
haunted houses just a bit more thrilling.
We have taken Noah to Howl-O-Scream 4 times now since 2010.
The very first time we went, we didn’t think much of the warnings I just gave
you. He was 8 and I figured he would understand it wasn’t real, I also know he
has seen some spooky things on TV. But what I wasn’t planning on was just how
hella scary it would be for him because of his anxiety. (whoops) I also didn’t
have a plan for that. That year, this was our big family trip, so he had to
suck it up a little bit.
I have told him if he really hates the jump scare, and
doesn’t want to enjoy the feeling of being scared then he just has to be more
aggressive. Not in a physical sense, in fact I let him know he was not to touch
anyone, just as they aren’t going to touch him. But he could go through the
mazes ad the park feeling like HE was part of the “scare squad” that he would
be doing the scaring. This year he was willing to finally try Deadline,
since has been mesmerized by its outdoor TV’s for years, and we were getting a
VIP tour. He did well with that one,
when people tried to get him he would just say “No thanks!”
After coming out of there I noted to him that this means he
has done 3 haunted houses (there are 6) So it’s’ like he has survived 3 nights
of the Five Nights at Freddy’s
game he plays. (survival game about crazed animatronic animals coming to get
you). This resonated with him; suddenly it is now a competition, something he
can beat. So naturally he wanted to go on to other Haunted Houses so he can
survive more “nights”. We made it to the
Vampire themed Bitten,
and when Noah went through this one he would say to the Vampires “My blood is
full of garlic”. I caught one of the vampires break character for a second to
laugh, she smiled, but never uttered a sound.
This would make our 5th visit to Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream, and I am hopeful that sometime in the coming year we will be living down here so there will be numerous opportunities to tour the country’s most beautiful park.
When we arrived off of 64
into Williamsburg, I was listening to My Little Town by Simon
& Garfunkel and that always yields a few tears of joy and the feeling
of being home.
This year's theme is Unearthed. As
it turns out, when the park was doing maintenance in Ireland a house was
discovered by the crew in that village. It’s believed the house belonged
to a woods woman named Scarlett whose mysterious healing practices made her a
target from suspicious townspeople. Fearful of Scarlett’s dark arts, the
townsfolk killed her husband and buried her house deep in the earth. And
unlucky for us, they dug it up and are giving tours.
The weekend was overall cloudy, rainy and added to the atmosphere. It was also decently humid, which did promote some sweating, however, the humidity was quite pleasant compared to what we are use to in NJ.
Howl-O-Scream
is geared for adults and teens in the evening, and families during the day
(before 6) though if your kids aren't too easily rattled, or like being scared
then they will enjoy it. All of the rides are running weather permitting
with the exception of the water rides (Pompeii, Log flume, Roman Rapids) and
Europe in the Air, which is being used for the haunted house Unearthed There are still shows of a spooky nature in the Globe (England-Monster Stomp) and Fest Haus (Oktoberfest-Night Beats), in Ireland, is the only show that has adult themes (Fiends) so you may want to skip that one.
Over in France after 6pm there are "demons" running around
with chainsaws (without the chains on the blade of course so it’s not
hazardous, just noisy). Noah noticing the guys with the chainsaws, was
concerned they may cut off my arm. I told him "Well I hope not because I
sure am attached to it."
There is a demon DJ on top of this skull for dancing at night
New Haunted Houses
Unearthed.
Guest will journey into Scarlett's house and experience the splintered labyrinth of horrors and the wrath of this scorned demon. This haunted house is located where 13 Your Number is Up was previously (Europe in the Air) in Ireland.
Unearthed had a lot of
details within the haunted house maze and it was cool to be the first group to
go in. Though it may have needed a few more scare squad members, but for Noah
it was better because we did this first and it gave him confidence to do the
others.
Cornered takes guests to a 1977 farming community where townspeople are
disappearing at an alarming rate. A local corn farmer is the main suspect
but everyone who ventures into the maze of maize is never seen again. Every
time someone goes missing a cornhusk doll mysteriously appears.
We found Cornered pretty
cool with the visual illusions, maze of mirrors, and some kind of inflatable fabric that seems to promote mild claustrophobia. Rubber rats adorn some of the walls and air cans
blow at your feet in spots so you think they are trying to get you. Rats.
Definitely more scary in the dark, but good for those who are just too timid
(like Noah) during the day.
Lumberhack takes guests to a literal new territory. Situated in the
woods behind Busch Gardens’ Oktoberfest village, deep in the "Black Forest" LumberHack beckons unsuspecting hikers into a forgotten logging camp
inhabited by zombie lumberjacks.
Lumberhack
was the star of the haunted houses in our opinion. The fact they set it up in
the woods was not only cool for the ambiance of being in the “Black Forest” but
also gave an even better scare factor. The whole thing made it instantly
believable as far as these things can be. The scares were great, and the
effects of chainsaws and saws added some more scare. This was the only haunted
house out of all I have been into (and that would make 9 over the years) where
I literally ran away from the scare squad. If you can only do one haunted
house, be sure to do this one.
Lumber Hack had great atmosphere working with the natural environment.
The Food
Dined at the Blood Banquet,
but it was so rainy all day it was too wet for the show. The food was mostly
good; I think we arrived at the end of a service so some of the meats where a
bit on the dry side. So I would recommend arriving on the earlier side, you do need reservations. (you can get them there or at Guest Services). The star was the Cherry Cobbler dessert, the baked potato
bar and the Chili. Personally I enjoyed the pork loin.
The menu consists of
all-you-care-to eat buffet and had 2 meat carving stations, a baked potato bar
with toppings, and dessert table. The cost is $22 for adults and $15 for kids
includes beverages. The price is fair for adults, but for kids I found it to be
a bit high for my picky eater. We were fortunate to be given complimentary
dinner tickets. If you have a picky eater who won’t enjoy the sauce on the
pasta you can get it plain.
Menu for Blood
Banquet
Rosemary Beef Trio-colored spiral pasta with Vodka or Alfredo Sauce
Mustard Glazed Pork Loin Chicken
Parmesan
Diablo Turkey Casket
Chili
Corn Medley Salad
Rolls Cherry
Cobbler
Beer, Soda White
cake with lemon frosting
Vampire Martini Chocolate
Tart
Sangria
Trapper's Smoke House
I can’t really pick a
favorite place to eat, or note one as best. But we did spend more time at
Trapper's this weekend, so I am spotlighting them. I would say the top 3 are
Trappers (New France), Fest Haus (Oktoberfest), and Ristorante Della Piazza
(Italy) and it depends on what you are looking for, Italian, smokehouse or
German. Sometimes we wind up at Fest Haus simply because it is indoor eating
(when it’s too hot or rainy) they have Noah's favorite (pizza) and there is
usually a show. Italy has a show as well.
But Trappers is a
carnivores dream, they smoke their own meats here and you can choose from
smoked chicken, brisket, ribs or all 3 when you can’t decide. (that's the
sampler) They also sell desserts,(also baked on premises) salads, kid’s
meals, mac-n-cheese, and some of the best green beans I have ever had. It may
sound weird to say, we go to a theme park for the green beans…but we do! We ate
at Trapper’s twice opening weekend since the weather was nice during those
times (the time it rained we ate at Fest Haus). A must visit for meat (and
green bean) lovers. Prices for dinner are $10-$15 and include one side.
Desserts and additional sides are about $3
The Smoked Brisket Platter
at Trapper's with green beans (you can also get waffle fries or Mac-N-Cheese,
but trust me the green beans are worth it). The sampler is big enough to share, you can ask for an additional plate, no charge.
Drinks
IF you are looking for fun
Halloween themed drinks, you can have the option to visit Open Casket outside
of Fest Haus in Oktoberfest, Pirates Baarrrgh in Italy going
towards the Ristorante, Demon Drinks in France and there are a
few "wenches" serving outside Unearthed in Scarlett's Square. We
sampled the Scarlett’s Potion. It is a 10.99 vodka cocktail (raspberry
cranberry) in a souvenir class that has the ability to light your way through
the park (or give you a mild seizure if you are downing the potion too slowly
and you have the strobe feature engaged) you can change the way it lights up on
the bottom of the glass (which is also plastic for safety reasons). It was
delicious and fun, sometimes you need to take the edge off with all the
stimulation and scares of Howl-O-Scream, or give yourself some liquid courage.
One thing I can also say about drinking at the park. In 40-50 visits I
have never seen someone drunk, belligerent, rowdy or puking. So either
people hold their liquor, or the security here has some kind of underground
secret lair. Either way you should feel comfortable to drink responsibly and
not worry about those who don't.
Howl-O-Scream is scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from September 25-November 1, 2015
Overall
Howl-O-Scream was a lot of fun and even a peaceful time, regardless of it being also scary. Since we were there for a media event, the staff was kind enough to give us all ponchos, wish
I had brought them with me the second day when it really rained.
I for the
first time slipped and fell leaving Oktoberfest over the bridge to Italy, the
ground was slippery because of the rain, it was dark, and though I was wearing
proper footwear I must have stepped in the wrong spot and it just slipped like
I was on ice. Probably should not try to take pictures while I am walking.
I walked it
off and cleaned up at the bathrooms in Italy. It freaked Noah a bit. My camera
wasn’t as lucky. I didn't drop it though, some how held on to it and my glass of water. But despite that, had an awesome night, and weekend, happily giving this
place my blood sweat and tears.
Even after many days here, I never get
tired of the beauty of the park
Howl-O-Scream is scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from September 25-November 1, 2015
Bridge
from Ireland into Scotland at night, who knows what spooky adventures await.
