Cedar Point or Williamsburg trip? Suggestions welcome.

[SuperShawn]

Although I may be biased being a resident of Virginia's "Historic Triangle," I think the BGW-KD-CW-DC option is best because you're traveling with someone isn't a big fan of parks and coasters. Cedar Point is a very good park, but there's not much there for your partner. (We have better restaurants in Williamsburg, too.)

 

 

This, there is plenty to check out in these areas for someone who isn't the die hard park fan. Plus numerous good restaurants and breweries in the area to check out. Cedar point is pretty much it's own little place with not much around in. Though spending an afternoon drinking at the TGIF patio is not a bad way to relax either

 

If you end up with passes and you have never been I would suggest stopping by SFA as well. It is in the area and it is always quiet, a two hour stop will give you time to do a lap and then head on to other things in the area.

[shivtim]

Just a thought - if your partner isn't really in to coasters, and can't do a fast-paced coaster trip, why not just go without him? You could do a shorter/cheaper trip by yourself (or meet up with some TPR people to split a hotel and car and save even more money). Then with the time and money you saved, do something with your partner that you'll both fully enjoy.

[bert425]

Just a thought - if your partner isn't really in to coasters, and can't do a fast-paced coaster trip, why not just go without him? You could do a shorter/cheaper trip by yourself (or meet up with some TPR people to split a hotel and car and save even more money). Then with the time and money you saved, do something with your partner that you'll both fully enjoy.

 

I already do a yearly trip by myself to Atlanta for a big sci-fi/pop-culture convention (Dragon*con).

 

so this is the yearly trip we take together

 

(and I like the culture and Museum stuff as much as he does. . we *loved* Philadelphia).

[bert425]

I'd definitely pick the Virginia trip as well. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is one of the best parks I've been to and Kings Dominion is probably the best middle-tier Cedar Fair park. You could probably do each park in one day, but if you want to take it easy and see everything at BGW (not just do rides) two days would be better. I'd probably recommend adjusting your plan slightly so that you do two days at BGW, then take a non-park day or two for other stuff in the area, then do Kings Dominion on the way to Washington DC (it is close to half way between Williamsburg and Washington...slightly closer to Williamsburg, but not much). I haven't been to Washington DC so I won't comment on that, but I will say it definitely looks like there would be plenty to do for 3-4 days.

 

If you do end up going to Cedar Point, I would allow three days if possible just in case of inclement weather. Without Fast Lane, it takes two full days to do everything in the park, so if rain causes operational issues you could end up missing stuff. Since Cleveland is the closest airport to Cedar Point, I'd recommend adding a day either at the beginning or end of your trip to do stuff there (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is definitely worth a visit). There's not a whole lot to do right around Sandusky, and the closest "park" to Cedar Point would be the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which is more of a zoo and is a two hour drive each way. If you really want to add a second park onto the trip, you can drive out to Waldameer from Cleveland, but you would be driving at least an hour and a half each way for a half-day park (a good park, but still not one worth a full day). The other option would be to do a Cleveland to Cincinnati trip (or vice versa) and include Kings Island, but this might not be feasible for a 4 day timespan and would be quite expensive.

 

thanks for the input.

 

yeah, we'd like to do the shows at BGW (at least *I* would. on our prior trip, we did NO shows. . and I really would have liked to do 1 or two at Hershey). that's why I tentatively planned for 2 full days.

 

good suggestion to do BGA, then full day at Colonial Williamsburg. . we could actually check out of the Hotel the next day, drive to KD and spend the day, and then drive on to Washington and check in Hotel there (or just find a cheapie along the way for 1 night).

[bert425]

If it were me I would vote Cedar Point all the way. My partner and I are in the process of booking a trip there right now. However he and I are both huge coaster fans, and we both know well will both enjoy everything there is to do there.

 

However for you and your partner I would pick the Williamsburg trip. Yes there are coaster he won't ride with you... but there is not as many as there would be at cedar point. You guys could do Verbolten together! As well as several of their other attractions. And aside from the park there are more things in the near by area for you to do as compared to cedar point. Aside from restaurants there's not really much near cedar point.

 

I look forward to your trip report from which ever park you decide to go to! Just make sure you make the decision that is best for both of you! Good luck!

 

thanks!

 

yeah. . he would definitely ride Verboten, as well as Loch Ness Monster (normal cars). .and that's it for coasters. . but he'd ride most all of the flats!

[bert425]

Although I may be biased being a resident of Virginia's "Historic Triangle," I think the BGW-KD-CW-DC option is best because you're traveling with someone isn't a big fan of parks and coasters. Cedar Point is a very good park, but there's not much there for your partner. (We have better restaurants in Williamsburg, too.)

 

 

This, there is plenty to check out in these areas for someone who isn't the die hard park fan. Plus numerous good restaurants and breweries in the area to check out. Cedar point is pretty much it's own little place with not much around in. Though spending an afternoon drinking at the TGIF patio is not a bad way to relax either

 

If you end up with passes and you have never been I would suggest stopping by SFA as well. It is in the area and it is always quiet, a two hour stop will give you time to do a lap and then head on to other things in the area.

 

a definite option on the table IF we get the passes.

 

there's a bunch of stuff he won't ride at Fiesta either (Iron Rattler, Superman, the new Batman). . but he loves Poltergeist, and RoadRunner express. . so we would buy it to make trips just for those. (and Frisbee. . I LOVE Frisbee)

[gisco]

Kind of looks like everyone thinks Virginia is the choice for you. I agree, there is just so much to do in the area besides the parks.

[KPfan]

We made similar trips last summer. I would vote for option 1 simply because of the mix of parks and culture. Williamsburg is a nice area to tour. We hit BGW twice, water park and KD on separate days. Then we mixed in time in the historic district and a local winery. We even threw in a day at VA beach in between our park visits for some R&R. On the way home we stopped in DC for a half day.

 

We spent a couple days at CP in late summer. Had a blast at the park but the lines were insane. We needed two days just to ride everything. i don't recall much in the area other than the usual shopping and restaurants. I'm sure there are some places if you're willing to drive away from Sandusky. There's always a few hours to Cleveland or Columbus (nice zoo). Or a trip to Cincinnati or Mason (kings island) might be enjoyable if you have the time.

[jacksoro2]

I too think the Virginia trip would give you more to do. There is also SFA right outside of DC if you wanted to spend a few hours there to grab some more credits. It doesn't have the selection of KD or quality of BGW but Superman is decent. I actually ran up to the DMV area last year myself and I loved it. I felt that KD was a very underrated park and I enjoyed every coaster there but Shockwave and that concussion inducing piece of crap Hurler. There are lots of great restaurants,night life and shopping and of course the historic stuff in the DC area. I can't comment much of Williamsburg since it's been years since I have been that way.

 

hmmm. . . if we're in DC anyways. . . . (tho I think a 3rd park might be a "hard sell". .in particular a Six Flags).

 

but then again, I mentioned in passing that I thought we might buy Season Passes this year, since Fiesta is only an hour or so drive from us. . and he didn't shut me down. So if we HAVE a pass at that point, and we're right there. . . . hmmmmmm

 

I wouldn't even bother with SFA unless you both had season passes and were going to be in DC anyway, and even then I'm not sure I would recommend going there. It's simply not a quality park, unlike many of the parks in the region.

 

I never said SFA had the quality of the other parks in the area but it isn't the worst place in the world either. Just a suggestion since they were gonna be in the area. My motto is to try to do as much as I can when I'm in a particular area since you never know when you may be coming back.

[DrachenfireOP]

I know you've been hearing a lot of this opinion in the thread, but VA is almost certainly what you're looking for. I'll try not to re-state the things that have been said over and over again while mentioning this.

 

BGW:

The coasters are pretty damn good. Nothing is probably going to be your "new favorite of all time," but nothing is a "meh, that wasn't worth the wait" experience either. LNM is probably the best Arrow that was ever built. Apollo is an air time machine. Alpengeist is a nice bridge between the "super extreme" early da

 

ys of B&M and the more recent builds like wingriders. Griffon is a very fine dive coaster. Tempesto obviously hasn't been finished yet, but I hear those coasters are a blast. Verbolten is a surprising amount of fun. Your partner might even do fine on it, since it's a launch (no lift/heights) but really isn't that fast. The drop track is surprisingly fun!

 

More important, this part is a true park. There's rides of all levels, and they're all fairly high quality. There's also a lot of transportation rides which sound like something you might enjoy. There's both a train and a sky ride that are beautiful tours and save your feet, and there's also a river boat cruise which doesn't really show much of the park, but is relaxing and pretty.

 

They also have a ton of shows, and the food is pretty damn good. Oh, and they have beer EVERYWHERE. Unlike a lot of parks, they let you take beer anywhere that it is legal (no beer on bridges, and other than that, that's about it.)

 

KD:

 

I like KD fine. It's got a larger array of coasters, and things like i305 and Grizzly provide an experience you don't get at BGW. Some of their rides are clones that you may have been on already, but everything is pretty good all around. They do still have some flat rides, but not to the same extent as BGW. It's still a beautiful park, but is a lot closer to the "parking lot" feel than BGW is (as others have said, the BGW terrain is just astounding). I love all the coasters there personally, but some of them you need to know "how to ride." (Anaconda will give you a head ache if you don't hang on, plant your feet firmly, and keep your head pressed back. Also, brace extra hard when the helix changes directions, that part is some terrible Arrow roughness). Your partner might like rides like the Avalanche, which is a ton of fun.

 

Other sites in VA:

 

There's so much touristy stuff to do in VA, I didn't fully appreciate it until after I left the state. All the historic stuff is fantastic. Something I haven't seen mentioned yet is that they have a living museum there that's sort of like a zoo but for local wildlife. It's a fun educational trip, and has a nature walk as part of the experience. There's also an area with nautical history/marine life history if you head the other direction towards the harbor. Some people have mentioned going up to DC. I would actually recommend against this. DC is it's own can of worms, and you should probably spend an entire week just there if you ever want to see the monuments/Smithsonian. My girlfriend had never been, and we just took her for one day this past fall. We only had time to see the Air and Space Museum/Natural History Museum and the White House, pulling a 12 hour day, and we actually skipped some exhibit wings in both museums. There's just an overwhelming amount of stuff to do there. I wouldn't day trip it.

 

CP:

 

CP is an amazing park, and I've enjoyed my time. It is definitely a parking lot with rides though. In the summer, it gets very hot. There are much fewer flat rides than any of the parks mentioned so far. Some of my favorite flat rides there have since vanished or gone to other parks (curse you Demon Drop for leaving me!... yes I know I could go ride it with a trip to PA).

 

What makes CP special is the coasters. However, my first trip there I went with a group, and 2 of the 5 of us were not coaster fans. It made the day suck for everyone. The coaster fans felt held back by the non-coaster fans, and the non-fans felt like they paid a lot of money to not ride many rides. We went on every flat ride they had there and almost all of the coasters, but it was a bit frustrating for all parties involved. I could forsee this happening to your partner.

 

Another thing I would recommend is that when you do go for CP, plan a longer trip and go to KI as well. All around I actually like KI better than CP if I'm not going with a hard core enthusiast. The Beast is my favorite woodie in the world, and The Bat is tied with Vortex (since they're the same thing) up in Canada for the best Arrow suspended coaster around. (Although to be fair, BBW and EF are closed now). Those parks are about 4 hours apart. While the coaster enthusiast in me prefers CP, I actually think the two parks complement the state pretty well the same way BGW/KD do down in VA. Both are DEFINITELY worth going to, but for this year, you might want to tackle the VA trip first.

 

Hope this helps!

[bert425]

^ it does, thanks for more input!

 

one thing about DC, is we would be going there for 3-4 days.

 

I'd plan at least two full days for the Smithsonian Museums we want to visit (I was surprised they are all free, but yay, since the hotel prices in DC are mucho $$$$). Then a 3rd day to do Monuments around the museums.

 

I *think* that would be enough time, tho I'd love to fit the zoo in too (considered part of the Smithsonian complex, so maybe 1/2 a day at the monuments, rest of the day at the zoo).

 

but yeah, it would be 3- 3 1/2 days in Williamsburg, then 3-3 1/2 days in Washington if we end up on that option.

 

(as a bonus, a friend of mine from HS lives/works in DC with his partner, and he said if we come we can meet them for dinner one night).

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ it does, thanks for more input!

 

one thing about DC, is we would be going there for 3-4 days.

 

I'd plan at least two full days for the Smithsonian Museums we want to visit (I was surprised they are all free, but yay, since the hotel prices in DC are mucho $$$$). Then a 3rd day to do Monuments around the museums.

 

I *think* that would be enough time, tho I'd love to fit the zoo in too (considered part of the Smithsonian complex, so maybe 1/2 a day at the monuments, rest of the day at the zoo).

 

but yeah, it would be 3- 3 1/2 days in Williamsburg, then 3-3 1/2 days in Washington if we end up on that option.

 

(as a bonus, a friend of mine from HS lives/works in DC with his partner, and he said if we come we can meet them for dinner one night).

 

When I go to DC, I prefer to stay outside of the city at a hotel near a Metro station. It's a hell of a lot cheaper and nearly every major attraction is a short walk from a station.

[SuperShawn]

 

I'd plan at least two full days for the Smithsonian Museums we want to visit (I was surprised they are all free, but yay, since the hotel prices in DC are mucho $$$$). Then a 3rd day to do Monuments around the museums.

 

I *think* that would be enough time, tho I'd love to fit the zoo in too (considered part of the Smithsonian complex, so maybe 1/2 a day at the monuments, rest of the day at the zoo).

 

If you've never been before I will say the Smithsonian is incredible. It is huge and allowing 2 days will still just let you see what you want too. Every time I head down there it's simply overwhelming how much there is to see. I will also say it's inpressive just how far apart everything can be down at the mall, really have a game plan of all your must sees in place.

 

The zoo is actually rather small compared to many others, it's also not the nicest zoo ever. If you get there great if not you really aren't missing anything special.

[bert425]

 

If you've never been before I will say the Smithsonian is incredible. It is huge and allowing 2 days will still just let you see what you want too. Every time I head down there it's simply overwhelming how much there is to see. I will also say it's inpressive just how far apart everything can be down at the mall, really have a game plan of all your must sees in place.

 

what's good is that we're frequent Vegas visitors, so we're used to "Vegas blocks" walking from Casino to Casino.. so I'm EXPECTING long walks between buildings.

 

(heck, in Chicago, I walked from the Art Institute to the Willis (Sears) Tower. .they told me it was too far, but it only took me 15 minutes. so a walk between museums won't bother us).

 

When I go to DC, I prefer to stay outside of the city at a hotel near a Metro station. It's a hell of a lot cheaper and nearly every major attraction is a short walk from a station.

 

Once we lock in the decision that we ARE doing this trip, that's the next discussion.

 

because we're DINKs (Double Income, No Kids), we don't mind paying for convenience on vacations.

 

In Philly last year, we paid $$ to stay at the Marriott across from City Hall, so we wouldn't need to drive to anything (we walked to the Museum District, and also to the Historical District (Independence Hall, Betsy Ross house, etc). . even tho we were paying for the EXPENSIVE parking at the hotel.

 

so knowing my partner, we'd likely end up at a more expensive hotel close to the National Mall than something cheaper, but would involve a train ride to get to it.

 

but we shall see

 

thanks for the input tho. .it's all good!

[Barge84]

I read your first post, but skipped the rest of the thread, so I apologize if I'm repeating anything. Based on your previous posts, I don't think your partner is much of a coaster fan, is he? If that's correct, VA is easily the best option. You get one to the best parks in the world with BGW, one of the best rides on the planet with I-305 and a ton of non-coaster things to do in the area for your partner. Seems like a can't miss trip. Then you can butter him up for Cedar Point in 2016!

[DrachenfireOP]

When I go to DC, I prefer to stay outside of the city at a hotel near a Metro station. It's a hell of a lot cheaper and nearly every major attraction is a short walk from a station.

 

This is extremely important advice. I'd recommend Springfield as it's a VERY nice area, but also pretty far away from DC so the prices aren't as bad. If I recall, the parking garage for the Springfield metro is stupidly cheap, maybe $5 a day. You do need to pay for the metro itself, but it's not terrible. Also, while Reagan isn't the nicest airport on the planet, the metro goes through the airport, so you can go straight from the airport to Springfield and vice versa if you're flying into DC. Also, because it's not a super nice airport, the prices are WAY cheaper as they're mid-renovation and trying to get people flying through there.

[bert425]

ok, starting the serious planning this weekend (since we're just about 2 months out).

 

what we are ending with (at least according to my tentative plans) is:

 

day1) Fly into Washington, DC (Dulles), and rent a car, and then drive to Williamsburg (2 1/2 hours per Google, so not too bad). (check into Hotel)

 

day2) Busch Gardens (stay in same hotel)

day3) Busch Gardens (stay in same hotel)

 

day4) Colonial Williamsburg (stay in same hotel)

 

day5) check out of Hotel and drive towards Washington DC, stopping at King's Dominion for the day (undecided if grab a hotel after, or just go into Washington after and check into hotel there)

 

day6) Washington DC (Smithsonian/mall) check into hotel if not done night before

day7) Washington DC (Smithsonian/mall) (same hotel)

day8) Washington DC (zoo? Smithsonian?) (same hotel)

day9) check out of hotel, return rental car, and fly home.

 

so we end up with 9 day trip (8 nights in hotel, 4 in Williamsburg, 3-4 in DC).

 

is that enough time to hit what we want to do? (I'm thinking 3 days in DC SHOULD be enough).

 

getting excited now

[Superbatboy]

CP

[coasterbill]

^^That sounds like a great trip, and it's not too rushed which is nice (and totally unlike how we usually travel).

 

Have fun!

[bert425]

^^That sounds like a great trip, and it's not too rushed which is nice (and totally unlike how we usually travel).

 

Have fun!

 

thanks for the reinforcement .

 

in digging, I think we might fly into Reagan instead of Dulles.

 

the gotta-get-away fares on Southwest for Regan are more than $100 cheaper than going thru Dulles! (so we can get round trip for each of us for less than $430 each!)

[GwaziBSRider1]

Sounds like a solid trip! Depending on how much you want to see and do in DC, three days should be plenty. You might want to consider driving to DC and checking into your hotel after Kings Dominion; that way, you won't have to deal with morning rush hour.

[bert425]

Sounds like a solid trip! Depending on how much you want to see and do in DC, three days should be plenty. You might want to consider driving to DC and checking into your hotel after Kings Dominion; that way, you won't have to deal with morning rush hour.

 

the trade off is a much cheaper hotel on I-95 instead of the more expensive Washington hotel.

 

that's the only reason the decision hasn't been made yet.

 

Even if exhausted after full day at park, Washington is only an hour away, so shouldn't be too bad if we decide to drive it.

 

I expect plane/car rental to book this weekend, and then we'll start locking in hotels.

 

I'm just glad I realized that Williamsburg is less than 3 hours from DC. . that made it possible to do round trip from same airport, as well as rent/return car to same place. That SHOULD save a ton of money.

 

even if making a full day of travel (airport, flight, rental, then drive 2 1/2 hours)

[bert425]

yay. . ok, got him to buy off on the proposed trip.

 

booking Plane and Car rental this weekend, and then need to get Hotels and attraction tix bought.

 

 

So now I need to know what suggestions do y'all have for Restaurants, and Hotel in Williamsburg?

 

CFC / SuperShawn ? (should I start a new thread for that, I wonder?).

 

also, just starting to research Colonial Williamsburg, and we have a full day for that. . any "don't miss" tours y'all would recommend?

 

thanks!

bert

[cfc]

^You'll want to see the CW Governor's Palace and the Colonial Capitol, of course. I'm not sure what sort of programs will be offered while you're in town, but "Cry Witch" is a re-creation of a witch trial, and "Revolutionary City" ("street theatre" about the town's role in the American Revolution) might be going on (both should be part of your admission ticket).

 

The Kimball Threatre in Merchant's Square might have some interesting evening programs. As for dining, the DOG Street Pub is good, as are the Fat Canary and Blue Talon Bistro (all in Merchants Square). If you want a good, sitck-to-your-ribs breakfast, you might want to check out the Five Forks Cafe on Rt. 5, or Shorty's Diner on Merrimac Trail (aka, Rt. 143). The Second Street Bistro (also on Rt. 143, which is also knows as Second Street) is very good, as is Guiseppe's Italian Restaurant on Olde Towne Road (bit off the beaten path, but worth it). Great sandwiches at the Cheese Shop (Merchants Square), too.

[bert425]

^You'll want to see the CW Governor's Palace and the Colonial Capitol, of course. I'm not sure what sort of programs will be offered while you're in town, but "Cry Witch" is a re-creation of a witch trial, and "Revolutionary City" ("street theatre" about the town's role in the American Revolution) might be going on (both should be part of your admission ticket).

 

The Kimball Threatre in Merchant's Square might have some interesting evening programs. As for dining, the DOG Street Pub is good, as are the Fat Canary and Blue Talon Bistro (all in Merchants Square). If you want a good, sitck-to-your-ribs breakfast, you might want to check out the Five Forks Cafe on Rt. 5, or Shorty's Diner on Merrimac Trail (aka, Rt. 143). The Second Street Bistro (also on Rt. 143, which is also knows as Second Street) is very good, as is Guiseppe's Italian Restaurant on Olde Towne Road (bit off the beaten path, but worth it). Great sandwiches at the Cheese Shop (Merchants Square), too.

 

thanks!

 

since we want to do 2 days at Busch, I'm debating buying the Williamsburg Flex pass. . seems to be good for BGW and CW for 7 days, and it's only ~$125. . seems to be a rather good deal, as opposed to buying separate day passes for BGW, and then a day pass for CW.

 

just need to figure out where to stay. . i'd rather stay closer to BGW, even tho they seem to be close to each other.

 

I'd love to find a hotel that offers shuttles to both BGW and CW. . that would be the perfect thing. But I just started digging. .