Mid-September Photo Update: Gods, Dragons, and Monsters
Prologue I have been feeling nostalgic lately and, with so much happening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (and Water Country USA) right now, I thought I’d hold some content back from our social media channels for a bit and take the time to write a longform, in-depth photo update. Somehow, that idea ballooned into this absolutely […]
Newly-Leaked Document Depicts Project 2021's Station
This is not a normal BGWFans leak. Typically, our coverage of unannounced attractions proceeds fairly formulaically—we identify internal park activities and patterns that suggest an upcoming attraction is on the way, we track public filings, and then, if the stars align, we leak as many actual, legitimate, confirmable documents as we possibly can from sources […]
Pantheon Basics Pantheon is a new Roman-god-themed, Intamin-made, steel roller coaster which is slated to open in the Spring of 2020. Notable features of the ride include four launch experiences (three forward, one backwards), a fast-track switch which will change the layout of the coaster while the train is in motion, a 180 foot, 95° […]
Project 2021 Height Waiver Vote Happens Tomorrow
June 11th, 2019 Update: At tonight’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting, James City County approved the 355 foot height waiver Busch Gardens Williamsburg requested! Now that Project 2021 can move forward, we have launched a new page dedicated to tracking the progress on BGW Project 2021. If you’d like to catch up on information you may […]
It has been a long time since BGWFans published a basic, barebones, in-park construction update to its frontpage. Instead, progress photos for new rides, shows, etc have been largely relegated to our various social media channels for the past few years. That said, now that we have a major new roller coaster to keep tabs on […]
A few weeks ago, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened Finnegan’s Flyer, the park’s new S&S Screamin’ Swing, to near-universal acclaim. This weekend, Water Country USA will be allowing membership holders the opportunity to preview their brand new, incredible-looking water coaster, Cutback. In 2020, as we recently exposed through a collection of leaked internal documents, Busch Gardens […]
Busch Gardens Williamsburg has filed for a new height waiver requesting permission to construct a structure of up to 355 feet above finished grade. This planned structure is to be located in the Oktoberfest area and is currently labeled as “Busch Gardens Project 2021” in James City County’s permitting system. This new height waiver appears […]
Important Note This article assumes a fair bit of knowledge regarding Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2020 addition. If you are not yet familiar with what Busch Gardens Williamsburg plans to build, please read this article before proceeding. We have been on top of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2020 roller coaster for years now and, despite successfully leaking nearly […]
“Forgot this was a thing.” — @thatcoasternerd That was a comment in response to our Instagram post Thursday about Water Country USA’s Cutback Water Coaster, and it was hardly out of the norm. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is currently building and designing two thrill rides—Finnegan’s Flyer and Project 2020—that are large enough to overshadow Cutback, their sister […]
? I think that, any leaks are good leaks, so I took what I could get? Source looked at me with big brown eyes and said ? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet? Baby, you just ain’t seen n-n-n-nothin’ yet? Here’s something, here’s something, here’s a leak you’ll never forget? Baby, you just ain’t seen n-n-n-nothin’ […]
DISCLAIMER This is still a breaking story. The article below should be considered a work in progress for as long as this disclaimer is present. In its current state, this post is not up to BGWFans’ typical quality standards but, in the interest of getting it published before anyone signs off for the night, we […]
New Membership Program Gets a Substantial Overhaul
I have been pondering what to say about the new membership program, announced by Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Monday. My initial response was surprise, followed by confusion, and rounded out by concern. Before I go any further, I want to highlight the fact that both Zachary and I supported the original introduction of the Membership […]
“But y’all already leaked what Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA are building next year! Why y’all writin’ another article?!” Well, dear reader, a closer look at either of the articles you’re referencing (BGW’s, WCUSA’s) would reveal that those were theories. Pretty good theories in my honest opinion, but theories nonetheless. This article is […]
Railroad Fire Shuts Down Part of Busch Gardens
Here we are again. Following the New Years Eve forest fire and the Escape from Pompeii roof fire, we have a third major fire event at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. This afternoon, one of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s trains burst into flames behind the Caribou Train Station injuring one person. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, […]
Revealing Water Country USA's 2019 Attraction Plans
Guess who’s back, back again BGWFans back, tell a friend I’ve created a monsta, ’cause nobody wants to see reviews no more They want leaks, opinions are chopped liver Well if you want leaks, then this is what I’ll give ya A little bit of analysis mixed with some hard data Some hypotheses that will jump […]
In an effort to avoid burying the lead, let’s jump right into the news. One of our forum members, kingadam, tipped us off to a new filing with James City County regarding Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Festa Field plans (codenamed Project Madrid). The site plan included in this new round of documents depicts impervious areas of […]
A Little Context In late April we shared that Project Madrid—long thought to be the next major attraction addition for Busch Gardens Williamsburg—was currently forecast for a 2020 opening date. Around that same time, we started talking about a possible Water Country USA project for 2019. In mid-May we elaborated on those rumors—specifically stating that, […]
So, Zachary and I had been considering when and if we were going to write a front page article on Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s newest ride, Battle for Eire. It seems like a reasonable topic, and we have been asked for a formal review. Unfortunately, that discussion has, again, been completely derailed—this time by the park’s […]
Permit Filed for Dedicated Entertainment Facility
According to a new special use permit filed with James City County late last month, Busch Gardens Williamsburg appears to be giving their entertainment department something they have needed for decades now: dedicated, non-theater space inside the park. The Plans So, what is the permit for exactly? A 15,500 square foot rectangular building located behind […]
Sesame Place Williamsburg: Pros & Cons
Yesterday, Zachary reported on a recent survey soliciting feedback on a new, proposed SEAS theme park in Virginia, which we are calling “Sesame Place Williamsburg.” While his extensive analysis of the included site plan and concept art focused on the How, When, Where, and What in depth, we decided to address the Why separately, because it is such a complex […]