Busch Gardens gave me complimentary tickets to the park and for food. All opinions are 100% mine!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the opening night of Busch Gardens Williamsburg Howl-O-Scream 2015!
Many of you know Busch Gardens Williamsburg is pretty much my happy place. I love the amazing feeling when you walk into the park- it’s like being somewhere else with no cares or worries and with incredible food. You can see the park’s transformation as soon as you walk in- the normally cheery entrance now beckons to the days when Jack the Ripper was terrorizing London.
As we walked in my favorite Howl-O-Scream show, Monster Stomp, was about to begin so we ran into the Globe Theatre. The show is SO much fun but it is not for the little ones. It involves alot of percussion and TONS of dancing but some of the scenes are scary. There are some incredible black light portions and I enjoy the music!
One of the things the park does that I love is make an announcement over the speakers at 5 p.m. alerting people that in one hour Howl-O-Scream will begin. Howl-O-Scream is not designed for small children- there are lots of actors who jump out at you, loud noises and smoke. So giving you an hour warning to get from one side of the park to the other is fantastic!
This year Howl-O-Scream returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with two new mazes and a new haunted house, Scarlett’s Revenge. Because I wanted to get pictures we went straight over to LumberHack at 6 o’clock when the park changed.
The idea of LumberHack is a camping trip gone awry. Hikers beware: the woods hold a terrifying secret. More than 50 years ago a logging camp was abandoned after a horrific accident where saws ripped into human flesh instead of tree bark. Tragically, the loggers perished … only to inexplicably awaken from death sometime later filled with inhuman rage. The undead loggers rampaged until every living thing in the camp had felt the bite of their axes. Now the forgotten lumberjacks lie waiting for unsuspecting campers to stumble into their den of the damned.
I want to warn you that the walk to this maze is LONG. The entrance is by the Festhaus so it may appear there is no line. It’s deceitful. We probably walked 10 minutes before we got to the maze. Once you arrive you begin by walking past campers covered in blood begging you not to go in (which of course you do). There are high wooden walls, lots of corners for people to jump out at you, a little bit of cannibalism and, of course, chain saws. We went through when it was light outside so it wasn’t horrible but in the dark it would be very scary!
After that we went over to another new maze, Cornered. It’s 1977 and a picturesque farming community is in an uproar over the ongoing disappearances of its residents. Each time someone goes missing, an intricate corn husk doll is left behind leading many to suspect local corn-farmer Jasper McCobb. The McCobb farm has fallen into disrepair since the death of Jasper’s mother. Could the missing townspeople be somewhere in the maze of maize? Join the search party and find out.
This was my FAVORITE new attraction. One of my biggest complaints about Howl-O-Scream is that every year it becomes less and less personalized. They use less make-up and more masks (for a million logistical reasons) so all the faces on the scary people start to look the same. In this maze they went with the corn theme so some of the masks were very unique looking compared to everything else in the park. When you walk across the floorboards the sound of the chain saws actually makes the floor shake- creating a complete experience.
At the end is a maze of mirrors. This was BY FAR the most disorienting thing I did in the park. They are so wonderfully frustrating! It was a beautiful maze inside and had some really great effects using corn! I LOVED this one.
After the mazes we went to the Bloody Banquet for dinner! It’s over near the Carousel and the seating is lovely outside. There is also a show several times a night but unfortunately while we were there it was raining and it made the stage unsafe for the performers. The food was GREAT. I highly recommend the mustard glazed pork loin, baked potato bar and red velvet cupcakes. It is a little pricy at $22 for adults and $15 for kids but honestly if you were going to buy dinner, drinks and dessert in the park you would probably spend that much. In this case you get all you can eat food, dessert, soda/lemonade and a show for that price. Plus it’s a chance to sit down and rest for a while!
My only real complaint about the dinner was the music. The speakers above where you eat provide the music for the entire square and it is LOUD. So don’t plan on talking while you eat- you will be hoarse by the time you finish.
Overall I found all the new attractions so much fun to see and just scary enough to make me nervous. Your favorite mazes and houses from last year are still around as well as the shows you love. If you want to just going during the day with the kiddos their areas and shows are still going on but please note the park is decorated for Howl-O-Scream.
With seven haunted houses, five Terror-tories, three live stage shows, themed dining options, shopping experiences and behind-the-scenes tours, there is something for every Howl-O-Scream fan to explore.
Howl-O-Scream opened Sept. 25 and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 1. Busch Gardens opens at 10 a.m., but becomes a seriously scary place at 6 p.m. when the Howl-O-Scream haunts come out.
Through 10/4 you can get Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream tickets 50% off! If the dates for the 50% off tickets won’t work for you check out these Coupons for Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream!