Covid-19 Getaway: Taste of Busch Gardens Williamsburg
As I mentioned in my two previous posts here and here, due to COVID-19 I hadn’t been out of Baltimore since March, and wanderlust was starting to get the best of me. I definitely needed to get out of town for a few days, but wasn’t ready to commit to a full-on vacation, and certainly wasn’t ready for international travel. So, weighing my options, my friend Jess and I decided that an Amtrak trip to Williamsburg hit all of the right notes: it was relatively close, we didn’t have to drive, and there was a theme park with coasters in the cards.
The big event of the trip was an evening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg for their 4-hour reservation-only limited-time event, “Taste of Busch Gardens Williamsburg”. About half of the park was closed and only three coasters were open, but it was still nice to stroll around and eat and drink and ride some rides with little to no wait times. At a cost of $45 (food/drink not included) I’m not sure it was a great deal, but since the park is still closed to the public because of COVID, this (and future reservation-only events) is the only way to visit right now.
We also enjoyed a few days of just strolling around Colonial Williamsburg. The weather was amazing, so we went up and down the strip a few times, popping in and out of the shops. We ate a very pleasant meal in Chowning’s Tavern’s courtyard, grabbed a fancy coffee at Illy Café, picked up some kick-ass sandwiches and drinks at The Cheese Shop, and had some awesome queso, beer, and hard seltzers at the Precarious Beer Hall/Electric Circus Taco Bar.
All in all I think this was a perfect trip to satisfy my travel cravings – Williamsburg is far enough away and different enough from Baltimore that it feels like a destination. And since most of its activities are outdoors it seems like an ideal place to visit during these times. Those who want to be super cautious would likely drive rather than taking Amtrak, but we felt very safe due to the extremely reduced ridership, and the convenience and relaxing experience make for a positive risk/reward ratio.
Leonard Kinsey is the owner of Bamboo Forest Publishing, and the bestselling author of “The Dark Side of Disney”, the Anarchist Cookbook of Disney travel guides. He has lived in Baltimore for over 15 years, and enjoys drinking craft beer in unique places, eating nachos and pizza, listening to 80s hair metal, and arguing about Star Trek minutia, often all at the same time. Watch out ladies!