Busch Gardens Amusement Park
1 Busch Gardens Blvd., Williamsburg, VA 23187 Phone: 800.343.7946
Voted the America’s “Most Beautiful Theme Park”, Busch Gardens is a seasonal theme park designed in different European themed villages. It offers more than 50 thrilling rides and attractions, ten main stage shows, a wide variety of authentic cuisines and shops. It also boasts two of the top ten nationally ranked roller coasters, Loch Ness Monster and Alpengeist.
Younger children will enjoy riding the Park Train, Jack Hannah’s Wild Animal Reserve, The Land of Dragons kiddie rides, and the The Sesame Street Forest of Fun. The Sesame Street play area is complete with kiddie rides, a junior roller coaster, 4-D movie, and a special dining area with Elmo and friends.
Check out the Busch Gardens Fun Pass for unlimited visits thru labor day for Virginia residents. There is also a special Preschool Pass for kids 3-5 that live in Virginia. It offers unlimited admission thru Labor Day, but registration is required. Combination tickets with Water Country USA are available.
Water Country USA
176 Water Country Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23187 Phone: 757.229.9300
Water Country USA is the mid-Atlantic’s largest water play park. The park features a ’50s and ’60s surf theme with more than 30 slides and water rides including lazy river raft rides, a toboggan race, spiraling water slides, and little play lagoons for the littlest kids. The park offers a surf shop and gift shop, several restaurants, locker rental, bathhouse facilities and free use of life vests and inner tubes. Combination tickets with Busch Gardens are available.
Paramount’s King’s Dominion
16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, VA 23047 Phone: 804.876.5000
Located 20 miles north of Richmond, King’s Dominion is a 400 acre theme park where many of the attractions are based on Paramount movies and TV shows. The park has twelve roller coasters, live shows, simulator rides, and water slides. There are family and kiddie rides as well, including Planet Snoopy. Open seasonally and located within King’s Dominion, Water Works has water slides, rapids, wave pools, a splash pool for little ones, and a lazy river. Swimsuits are required. The water park and rides are included in the price of each ticket. King’s Dominion started offering a preschool pass in 2018 that we hope will continue for years to come!
Pocahontas State Park – Pool and Aquatic Center
10301 State Park Road, Chesterfield, VA 23838 Phone: 804.796.4255
Pocahontas State Park is part of the Virginia State Park network. The Pool and Aquatic Center is open seasonally with several different pools available to visitors. There is a 16” baby pool as well as a playground pool with slides, water shoots, spray guns, tunnels, and other contraptions. There are even adult slides. The pool can become very crowded on weekends during the summer months so go early. Pocahontas State Park also offers two small lakes for for kayak, paddle boat, and canoe rentals.
Cobblestones Park
13131 Overhill Lake Lane Glen Allen, VA 23059 Phone: 804.798.6819
Cobblestones Park is Virginia’s largest concrete swimming pool- 38,000 square feet! The park has water slides of all sizes, a beach area with 20 ft umbrellas, volleyball and basketball courts and softball fields. There are aquacycles available on the 7 acre lake and a full service kitchen. You can also bring your own meals, although no glass or alcohol is permitted. Swimsuits are required.
Great Wolf Lodge
549 East Rochambeau Drive, Williamsburg, VA 23188-2148 Phone: 757.229.9700 or 800.551.WOLF
Great Wolf Lodge combines a first class, full service resort with a 55,000 square foot water park and 7,000 square foot game room. The water park includes 8 water slides, 5 indoor pools, a 4-story water fort, an interactive water play station, and wave pool best enjoyed on a raft or inner tube. There is also an arts and crafts room, spa, fitness room, outdoor pool, two restaurants and a confectionary on site.
Sandy River Outdoor Adventure
Sandy River Outdoor Adventure is home to Central Virginia’s largest adventure park with over 60 obstacles and 20 ziplines. Children 7 and older are eligible to climb, and their friendly and safety conscious staff are there to help them the whole time. The courses are as follows: Yellow – Ages 7-9, 12 ft off ground; Green – Ages 10&Up, 20 ft off ground; Blue & Black Diamond – Ages 15&Up, 28-50 ft off ground. Every climber gets 3 hours in the trees and can advance as they are able. Parents do not have to climb. The Adventure Park is all about self-improvement. They provide a positive environment to encourage growth, and have invested in state of the art safety equipment to allow their adventurers to try, fail, and try again, overcoming fears and building self confidence with no risk. Canoe and kayak rentals are also available. Relaxing floats on the Sandy River Reservoir are perfect for younger children, while older children may enjoy the more challenging Appomattox River journey. Sandy River Outdoor Adventure also offers bike rentals in the Downtown Farmville location, The Outdoor Adventure Store, to the scenic High Bridge State Park. Team building camps, school group programs, and party packages are available at the Adventure Park. Families can also make a getaway out of their trip to Farmville at one of the four log cabins, or new Luxury Glamping Tipis. The tipis sleep 4 to 6, have air conditioning, heated floors, a king size bed and queen pullout couch, a fully ADA accessible bathroom, a kitchenette, and more. All overnight guests receive a discount on activities.