Free Preschool Pass at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

A performance in the Sesame Street Forest of Fun

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has decided to offer their free preschool passes again this year.  Do you have a child between the ages of 3-5?  Are you considering going to Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Water Country USA this year?  If you answered yes, then the Preschool Pass is for you!

Busch Gardens has offered the free preschool pass for many years.  There have been times in the past that they even extended the end date from September 7 to the end of Howl-O-Scream, but they haven't done that in the last several years.  Also, I believe, two years ago was when they started offering the free admission to both Williamsburg, VA parks on the preschool pass.  That means you can take your preschooler to both Water Country USA and Busch Gardens Williamsburg for free!

Sesame Street Forest of Fun water play!

In previous years Virginia Residency was a requirement to sign up, but not this year.  Any child age 3-5 can be registered for a free preschool pass.  So, if you live in any state surrounding Virginia I would recommend signing up.  A Fun Card for both parks costs $75, so even if you only get to the park once it is still a huge savings!  Also, as long as your child is 5 at the time you register the still get the free preschool pass.  What may be tough for out of state participants is that the passes must be redeemed at Busch Gardens or Country USA by May 31, 2015.

If you have any questions you can contact Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Water Country USA, or go to the FAQ that is available with common questions about the Preschool Pass.  Busch Gardens also has a Kidsiderate guide to fun in the park.  Each year there are fireworks, they are often done the entire month of July, with longer shows the week of Fourth of July.  Then there are the many concerts throughout the entire summer.  These extra events are all included in admission.  As of yet, there are no schedules for fireworks or concerts this season.

Take advantage of this free deal before it's too late!  Busch Gardens opens at the end of March.

Happy Halloween

Today is Halloween and I am about to get my kids ready to go trick-or-treating.  Usually we decorate shirts, go to the pumkin patch, carve and paint pumpkins etc...  But for some reason, this year we have been out of sorts.  I'm not sure why.  The only thing we have accomplished that is part of our tradition is that we went to Howl-o-Scream at Busch Gardens, like we do every year, but without our matching shirts.  Also, as a bonus, I won a couple of passes to Kings Dominion's The Haunt (which I took my kids to.)

Now, when I say that we went to these scary functions at the amusement parks we left before it got dark and before the scary stuff actually happened.  Even my 14 year old isn't in to being terrified in the haunted houses.  If I had to judge which park was scarier without ever having participated with the actual events, I would have to say King's Dominion by far.  They have things set up throughout the park that seem just more scary without the added 'monsters.'  But, they also have much better stuff during the day for kids like a treasure hunt.

Anyway, here we are at Halloween, with temperatures that are 20 degrees colder than the last several years, sadly.  So, it is all about the layers tonight.  I bought my son thermal underwear to wear under his costume because he can't wear tights like my daughter.  I am hoping the promise of candy will make them happy enough to not complain about being cold.  Last year we got some loose nuts.  I wonder if we will get more of those?

I recently learned about a program called Treats 4 Our Troops and am considering donating some of our ample candy load, being ex-Navy and living in a military area makes me feel like it is a good thing to teach my kids about. 

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!  And to all those in the north that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy stay safe and warm and I hope you are able to celebrate in a way that is special to your family.