I wanted to share a few shots that Nancy and I took last
month at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. We were onsite for the official opening
day of this year's edition of Christmas
Town.
Photo by Jim Hill
We actually managed to make it inside this 350+ acre theme
park before it opened to the public and got to see some of BGW's decorating
team at work.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
I now want to direct your attention to the clock in the
bottom-left-hand corner of the above image.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
You see the time. 2:35 p.m.
At this point, it's just over a half hour 'til the very first Guests will enter
Christmas Town.
And yet the decorating team for Busch Gardens Williamsburg is still out &
about in that theme park, making sure that every last snowflake was being put
in its proper place.
Photo by Jim Hill
No detail was too small to be overlooked even at this late hour.
Whether it was picking the loose leaves out of that white gravel which surrounded
Santa's sleigh …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
… or making sure that there was the perfect amount of ice
inside of the "Ice Palace:
A Penguin Paradise" display.
Photo by Jim Hill
As the minutes ticked down, BGW staffers hurriedly put the
finishing touches on all of those 30 & 40 foot-tall "12 Days of Christmas"
-themed trees which were scattered around this theme park's France
section.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
But then — at the very stroke of 3 — all of those giant
green cherry pickers were quickly rolled backstage. And the beautifully decorated Village
of Aquitaine was then opened to the
public.
Photo by Jim Hill
So was all this extra effort worth it? Well, as you can see in the pictures
below …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the France
section of this theme park (which is decorated with 300,000 LED lights) is a
dazzler.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
FYI: The Village
of Aquitaine's "12 Days of
Christmas" theming is new for 2013. But what Busch Gardens Williamsburg's
decorating team cooked up for the 2012 edition of Christmas
Town was Holiday Hills …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
… which pays tribute to the sort of holiday decorations
that you used to see around the US
back in the late 1950s / early 1960s.
Photo by Jim Hill
Holiday Hills (which reimagines the Festa Italia portion of
this theme park) is back, baby. Bigger & better than last year.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
And then when you factor in all of the great holiday-themed
food items that Busch Gardens Williamsburg's chefs have exclusively cooked up
for Christmas Town's 27 day run (like gingerbread-flavored cheesecake …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and caramel apples made up to look like Frosty the
Snowman & Saint Nick) …
Photo by Jim Hill
… as well as all of the hand-made crafts …
Photo by Jim Hill
… not to mention all of this theme park's great
holiday-themed shows …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
… it's easy to understand why Christmas
Town is quickly transforming from
being just a regional Xmas favorite to now becoming a national Christmas
destination. So if you're thinking about heading down to Virginia
… er … I mean journeying up to "The North Pole" …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
… so that you & your kids can then get your picture taken with Santa
and then perhaps pass along some last-minute gift requests …
Photo by Jim Hill
… just be aware that Busch Gardens is now offering an
online-only Buy Three, Get One Free Christmas Town ticket deal which extends
through December 31. This special offer is good for four or more
tickets. And anyone who's interested in this online-only offer can visit
www.christmastown.com/va for complete details. Just be aware that this
promotional price is not available at the park and must be purchased in
advance.
And if you can't make it to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for
this year's edition of Christmas Town,
not to worry. For the Spring of 2014, this 38 year-old tourist attraction (which the National
Amusement Park Historical Association has awarded its "Most
Beautiful Park"
award on 22 separate occasions) will be opening "London Rocks " …
Photo by Jim Hill
… a brand-new 25 minute-long musical revue. Which will be
presented inside of this theme park's Globe Theater and should give theme park
fans plenty of good reasons to return to Busch Garden Williamsburg in the coming
year.
Your thoughts?
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Thanks and Happy Holidays!
