Saturday, August 25, 2018

Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

Today's group of slides was a bit of a mystery to me... they are undated and unlabeled (I am guessing that they are from the mid to late 1980's). But there were enough clues to figure out that they are of  Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia). The park opened in May of 1975 as "Busch Gardens: The Old Country"; it had a European theme, as you probably gathered. Among the different "hamlets" were "Branbury Cross" (England), "Heatherdowns" (Scotland), "Killarney" (Ireland), "San Marco" and "Festa Italia" (Italy), "Rhinefeld" and "Oktoberfest" (Germany), "Aquitaine" (France), and "New France" (French Canada). 

This particular area is known as "Da Vinci Gardens". In the center is a large armillary sphere, and there are a number of statues, presumably of notable Italians such a Chef Boyardee and Roberto Benini. In the distance is the "Little Balloons" attraction, a simple spinning ride.


Blimey! It's Branbury Cross, a bit of Olde England, with attractions such as the 400-seat Globe Theatre (now the home of "4-D" shows), and one leg of the park's sky ride. The clock tower is known as St. Stephens Clock Tower, often referred to as "Big Ben" by guests. 


In the New France area you'll find "Le Scoot Log Flume", featuring a 50-foot plunge through a saw mill. Will you avoid the razor-sharp teeth of the giant rip saw? Probably not.


I'm suddenly in the mood for a soft pretzel and a beer. Luckily, we're in the "Oktoberfest" hamlet. Besides eating and dancing, you could ride bumper cars, a classic yo-yo swing ride, "Das Katapult", a basic carnival scrambler, and "The Curse of DarKastle", an indoor, technologically-advance dark ride/haunted house in which an ancient German king terrorizes guests through 3D and 4D effects in a motion-simulator style. Sounds pretty cool!


How's this for a spectacular scene? One of the park's 3 locomotives crosses the "Rhine River Trestle". The "Rhine" is not an actual river - it is a man-made lake, in fact. I couldn't find any info as to how high the trestle is, but it appears to be around 30 or 35 feet above the water. If you are interested in the trains at the park, here is some info (too much info?):

There are 3 locomotives, all built by the Caledonian Railway Company. They all have a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, and roll along 3 foot narrow-gauge track. The ride is about 2.5 miles, and guests are welcome to ride for as long as they wish.

Two of the engines were built for the park. Number 661 (the Balmoral Castle) features British styling, painted in a blue livery. Engine number 238, Der Hochbeinige, has European styling and red livery. Engine #17, the Alpengeist Express (later shortened to the Alpen Express) was originally built for the Lakeside Amusement Park in Salem, Virigina, and was acquired by Busch Gardens in 1997. It has a green livery and maintains an American appearance.

In the distance you can see a second trestle, the “Loch Ness Trestle”, named because of its proximity to the Loch Ness Monster rollercoaster.

The boat is part of the "Rhine River Cruise".


Speaking of the "Loch Ness Monster" rollercoaster, we are getting closer and closer to it. It is a looping Arrow Dynamics coaster with interlocking loops - the only of coaster in the world with this feature, nowadays. At the time of its 1978 debut, this was advertised as the "World's tallest and fastest rollercoaster".


There's the Sky Ride! And that yellow, twisting track is the dreaded "Loch Ness Monster" coaster that I mentioned earlier. Here's a description of a journey on that rollercoaster: The ride begins by departing the station and ascending a 130-foot (40 m) lift hill with a small, tight turn (with views of Griffon's lift hill and first drop) before descending 114-foot (35 m) toward the park's Rhine River. A large upward hill crosses over the park's 'Land of the Dragons', bringing the ride to the first of two interlocking loops, after which the ride accelerates through a descending, spiraling tunnel. 

The train descends 2.75 spiraling revolutions in a tunnel, subsequently ascending its second lift hill, making a wide turn and dropping into the second loop – ascending one final time before stopping. For years, there were special effects in the tunnel section of the ride, including lights, mist, and a mural of the Loch Ness Monster. These effects have not operated for years, and the mural has since been removed from the tunnel wall. In 2018 Busch Gardens restored the effects except for the mist.


I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

17 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

I probably visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg about the time of these images. I remember very little of my visits there, other than riding on the Loch Ness Monster.

Thanks, Major, for the memories.

TokyoMagic! said...

I haven't seen too many pics of this park before, except for the double, interlocking loops on the coaster. I think I remember seeing something about it on the news when it first opened.

The log flume ride appears to have a "dip" in the flume, where the logs went downhill, but then went back uphill right after. Splash Mt. was the first time I ever experienced that in a flume ride, but it appears that Bush Gardens beat Disney to the punch on that one.

I'm confused by those last two pics. Shouldn't we be able to see the skyway ride in that second to last pic? Where did it go?

Scott Lane said...

TM: That pic was taken from the sky ride, possibly with a wide angle lens. As I recall, the buckets were not as close to the Loch Ness Monster as they look in the last shot.
My last visit to this park was also around the time of these photos. Maybe a bit later since I don't see any of the Big Bad Wolf, a hanging coaster, that was new in '87.

Anonymous said...

These are great – thanks, Major. I always wanted to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg but I only ever made it to the one in Tampa.

K. Martinez said...

In the first pic, the area is officially known as Da Vinci's "Garden of Inventions" which features flat rides based on Da Vinci's various creations. It's located in the hamlet of "San Marco".

The Loch Ness Monster celebrated it's 40th Anniversary this year. It was also where ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) held their first Coaster Con in 1978.

If you look at the Aeronaut Skyride, you'll notice only one cable holding the sky buckets. It is the only sky ride in existence that operates in a triangular layout. Back in the early days each station had a different name for the sky ride depending on where you boarded. In England it was known as "Aeronaut", in Aquitaine "Blimp Debarcadere" and in Rhinefeld "Zeppelin Landung".

Nowadays, Alpengeist's (B&M inverted coaster)track intertwines with Le Scoot's footprint so this open view of the log flume no longer exists.

To the disappointment of many Busch Garden park goers and fans, "The Curse of DarKastle" is no more as of January 2018. The park claims it was closed due to high maintenance costs.

I do have a beautiful set of Busch Gardens, Williamsburg postcards. Perhaps I should share them here. Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

Scott Lane, Unfortunately "The Big Bad Wolf" (Arrow Suspended Coaster) no longer exists. That bummed me out when I heard the news of its closure as there are very few left of that type of coaster in the U.S. with only "Ninja" at Six Flags Magic Mountain, "The Bat" (2nd version) at Kings Island and "Iron Dragon" at Cedar Point. A lot has come and gone at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg. I haven't' been is so long though.

JC Shannon said...

Wow, so much to see! Major, you forgot Sophia Loren and Iron Eyes Cody. I have visited many theme parks over the years, but never got to this one. From the scans, it sure looks huge. I like the themed lands. One wonders where did they get that idea? Thanks to you Major, for the cool pics!

Melissa said...

I remember seeing lots of ads for this park on TV when I was a kid. I didn't realize it was still around!

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I’ve never been there, but as always, I wish I could have seen it in its early days.

TokyoMagic! I noticed that dip in the flume… I guess the water has enough momentum to carry it (and the vehicles) uphill for a short stretch. So “Splash Mountain” has the same thing? I think in the next to last photo we can at least see the cables for the Sky Ride.

Scott Lane, I was wondering if the second-to-last photo could have been taken from the “Loch Ness Trestle”, but the Sky Ride would work too I suppose.

Anon, I only visited the one in Van Nuys - RIP.

K. Martinez, “Garden of Inventions” - I’m sure that is correct… I used a number of sources. These posts can be like homework - sometimes I wonder why I am giving myself more work! It sounds like you know a lot about Busch Gardens, Williamsburg - is it a park that you have personal memories of? Bummer about “The Curse of DarKastle”. High maintenance costs, boo.

K. Martinez, when I read about the suspended coaster, I immediately thought of “Ninja” at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Do you remember when it recently hit a tree that somehow got in its way??

Jonathan, I NEVER forget Sophia Loren! And ha ha, Iron Eyes Cody, ZING! One of the greatest Sicilians ever. If you couldn’t get to Disneyland or Disney World, Busch Gardens looked like it provided a quality day of fun.

Melissa, you never know, amusement parks seem to close regularly. I hope the one in Williamsburg sticks around for a long time.

Crumb Crunchers said...

Hi all,

Never posted here before, but now seemed like a good time, since there seemed to be some questions and misconceptions here.

The dip in the flume on Le Scoot is gone now. It's now just a small drop. This unique drop type was known as a 'spillway drop'. The last remaining one was on Kennywood's Log Jammer in Pittsburgh and closed last year.

The second-to-last photo was taken from a guest bridge between Italy and Oktoberfest. It you look closely and squint, you can see a Sky Ride car in front of Loch Ness Monster. Since it looks yellow it sort of blends in. The Sky Ride cars at Busch Gardens are and have always been much more spread out than on the Disney versions.

Also, the 'Loch Ness Trestle' is not the one seen in these pictures. It is out of view to the right, intertwined with the roller coaster. The second trestle in the background of these pictures has no name as far as I know.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures!

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I see the cable now!

Crumb Crunchers, and now I see the lone Sky Ride gondola! Thanks for that information about the park!

Melissa said...

I just noticed the lady in pink trousers and puffy white newsboy cap in both the first and fourth pictures. I wonder if she was part of the photographer's party, or if they just happened to be taking the same route?

@Crumb Cruncher, in two weeks I'm going to Kennywood for the first time! Bummer that I won't get a shot at the Log Jammer! (P.S. if anybody wants a picture of something specific there, let me know and I'll give it a shot.)

Chuck said...

Late today (like, the next morning), but will echo everyone's sentiments. Visited twice ('81 and '82) but had forgotten a lot until seeing these photos.

I remember the theming being very good and consistent for a non-Disney park. Rode the Loch Ness Monster several times, and more than once experienced perfect timing as two trains negotiated the interlocking loops at the same time. It was pretty awesome to look up and see another train screaming by just a few feet (it seemed) from your head.

I had my first rides on an Orbiter here, at night, which made the experience that much more fun. There was an indoor, themed Scrambler ("The Catapult," I think it was called), which added loud music, lighting, and maybe giant fans simulating a storm to enhance the experience.

While we were riding Glissade, their example of a Schwartzkopf Jumbo Jet coaster, the emergency brakes kicked in while we were in the helix. My mom's purse went flying, but she was able to catch it by the strap before it was lost forever. We were stuck in that position, leaning to our left for a long time, maybe 20 minutes - long enough for us to start thinking and talking about how we might get down if the ride was shut down for the day.

At that part of the ride, there was no handrail for the catwalk, and we were wondering how we would keep our balance on the way down. Then a BG employee who sounded like the ride lead walked up the catwalk to do a safety check and reassure us. He used the rail as a handrail, and the mystery was solved. Fortunately, they got it running again and we exited the ride in the traditional manner.

This may have also been my first personal experience of finding an attraction at an amusement park one year and gone the next. There was a funhouse in '81 that I had been too scared to go beyond the sliding steps at the entrance. I was bound and determined to conquer it in '82, but it had been turned into an arcade. One of many "man, I wish I'd done that" amusement park experiences.

Melissa, could you get a shot of you fighting the Gorn on the Loch Ness Monster?

Steve DeGaetano said...

Just got back from Busch Gardens Williamsburg! It is a beautiful theme park. Their trains were closed, one of the engine tenders having caught fire a few days previous.

Nancy said...

Have been to Busch Gardens in VA twice. It such a beautiful park. I especially loved seeing the Clydesdales. Great coasters,too!

Anonymous said...

I never knew there was any other Busch Gardens anywhere except Van Nuys.

Thanks Major, this looks like a fun park. Da Vinci Land sounds like a lot of fun.

There's a superhero movie concept with action figures in there somewhere.

JG

Melissa said...

Man, I hope "engine tender" is the name of a piece of machinery and not a job description.