By Cindy Loose
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 21, 2001
If Disney folks are wondering where their customers from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are, they ought to come to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. They'll find, no doubt, many of them here.
Both the amusement park and the Colonial village report that they were enjoying a good year prior to Sept. 11, in part because both have added new attractions and events, in part because of the trend for families to take more, but shorter, vacations. The attacks that decimated attendance at some destinations -- Washington among them -- have, if anything, bolstered interest in Williamsburg attractions, three hours from the District.
Regional destinations are hot these days, as travelers balance the need to get away with their fears of flying and being far from home.
"Not only do we benefit from being a drive destination, but there is also a renewed sense of patriotism at this time," said Lorraine Brooks, head of public relations at Colonial Williamsburg.
Reservations at Williamsburg dropped the week after the attacks but climbed to normal shortly after, Brooks said. At the Busch Gardens theme park, "this fall is even stronger than last year," said park spokeswoman Cindy Sarko.
"I'm thankful we're a drive market, and families are looking for a short haul," Sarko added. "We're on pace for a record season." The park is open one more long weekend before the winter break.
The lines to get past newly erected metal detectors at Busch Gardens had already formed before the park's 10 a.m. opening last weekend, and another huge surge of visitors began arriving in the early evening for "Howl O Scream," when the park is transformed with fog machines and ghostly lighting.
Even children eager to get inside quietly submitted to the search of backpacks, the lines through metal detectors and the sweeps with hand-held security wands. Once inside, those in the know headed left, toward the park's Italy-themed section. You could see how smug they felt in their knowledge that most people would naturally turn right to clog up the British section, while the smart visitors hit the rides without a wait in their backward journey through the park.
Tipped off by a park employee, we took the road less traveled. But as amusement park neophytes, we didn't have an action plan, so we spent much of our trip in a zigzag walking tour. Hint: Either get a park map with amusement descriptions before you go, and map a course, or spend the first moments of your visit doing so.
Despite the crowds, all but the biggest attractions -- the log luge, the roller coasters and 3-D show on Corkscrew Hill -- were accessible, with short waits. Of the shows during the day, the 30-minute music and dance show "Irish Thunder" gets the top marks, and the longest lines. At night, check out "Jack Is Back." Four times a night, the streets of "Ireland" are packed with visitors and parades of huge carved pumpkins and scarecrows on stilts and other Halloween creations.
The sprawling grounds of Colonial Williamsburg can accommodate tens of thousands without feeling crowded. But the high turnouts this fall were best gauged at mealtime.
Hungry people who'd failed to make dinner reservations at Colonial Williamsburg's four big taverns were being turned away Saturday evening. We'd been told the best chance for finding a seat was at Chowning's Tavern. We arrived just past 7 p.m. and learned we might get a seat after 9, when only snacks and desserts are served.
We left the village and wandered around town looking for sustenance. At the Trellis Restaurant, would-be patrons were adding their names to the long waiting list and strolling around Merchant Square until their turns came.
We finally found seats at Seasons Cafe, which had both good adult selections and a stellar kids' menu. Shirley Temples were not on the menu, but on request our waiter delivered them, with extra cherries.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, and the living history museum for the first time is changing programming by day and season. So if you have, say, an interest in politics during the revolution and none in 18th-century religion, you'd want to visit on a Monday or Thursday, and avoid Sunday.
Another new feature this year is regular extended hours for candlelit visits after dusk. Unlike the shopping malls, Colonial Williamsburg will begin breaking out its Christmas decorations -- including 1,500 wreaths and 15 truckloads of holly and such -- on Thanksgiving weekend.
The season highlight: fireworks and revelry at the Grand Illumination on Sunday, Dec. 2, beginning in the late afternoon.
Summer and the holiday period are the best times to catch a wide variety of special events. Last Sunday, aside from the church-related activities on the grounds, it was a quiet day. But we enjoyed a talk with a very convincing George Washington impersonator, and played hide and seek in a maze in the gardens of the Governor's Palace.
Chestnuts fell from trees, begging to be collected. The sun was warm under blue skies. It felt good to think not ahead to a perilous future, but behind to a glorious past.
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