We didn't get there until afternoon, and they closed the kiddie rides at 8 pm. Fortunately, we have season passes, so there's more for next time! We planned to go in the afternoon, so they could nap on the way there. We didn't plan for traffic, and since Daniel can't sleep through stop and go; needless to say, he didn't get much of a nap. Anabella did sleep most of the way. And, because we were getting there when most toddlers were tiring out, we didn't have to wait in many lines. Another perk was that it was cooler because it was later in the day.
We were there about 5 hours- 4pm to 9pm- the perfect amount of time for our first visit to a theme park, especially for two little ones who wanted to walk most of the park themselves! They are very anti-stroller these days, and apparently theme parks are no exception. I bet they walked at least a mile over the course of the evening. We were tired, so I know they were (though you wouldn't have known it from the way they were running through the park- good thing there were 4 of us to keep up with them!)
We started at the Sesame Street Forest of Fun! Here we are on our first ride- Bert & Ernie's Loch Adventure:
The next attraction was Oscar's Yucky Forest:
Then, to the Little Balloons....
Now this ride was special because they had to ride it alone. Honestly, I didn't think they would want to do it, but then again, they are not babies anymore!
Anabella cried when the ride stopped and she realized it was time to get off. So....they rode again!
Next Stop: Little Gliders:
Then, Anabella tried out the swings, while Daniel took a little snack break.
Then, we all decided to take a dinner break and headed to the Festhous, where we managed to time it just right to see a show while eating. PaPa got us great seats right by the stage!
We didn't stay seated too long, though the air conditioning sure was nice! And, the show was great.
Onward to the airplanes!
Daniel and Anabella were among the youngest, if not the youngest, on all the rides. This ride was especially funny to watch; you had to pull back on the gear to make the airplane rise up. Daniel, the pilot, never pulled back, so they were the only airplane grounded for the entire ride (although I don't think they noticed). Here's the video- I will warn you, you may get dizzy watching it!
What's a visit to a theme park without a ride on the old fashioned carousel?! (Daniel and PaPa skipped this attraction and headed for the Land of Dragons, where we caught up with them shortly after.)
Chip and I have gone to Busch Gardens with his parents several times in the 8 years we've been together. We've seen fireworks in July and Howl-o-Scream in October. LaRue told a story on the carousel about how Chip used to go to Busch Gardens with his parents and grandparents when he was a kid. She said she remembers when he was about 3 or 4, he told his MawMaw to "sit on bench, MawMaw" because he was afraid she was going to stand the entire time beside him! haha (see my hand on the right of Anabella in the picture above....I can see why his MawMaw wanted to stand beside him- that carousel goes fast- and there are no lapbelts!) Anabella did fine. And, I did not hold onto her the entire ride. Her Daddy stood beside her. (She is only 2!)
When we caught up to PaPa and Daniel, they were having a ball exploring the land of the dragons!
Daniel had already made his way across the net bridge below with PaPa, so now it was Anabella's turn:
Whew, it's a good thing PaPa walks 6 miles a day! LaRue and I agreed- we preferred to watch!
The Land of the Dragons seemed to be the most appropriate play area for Anabella and Daniel (not that there were many other 2 years old running around!) But, they had a blast in this play area. They could have stayed longer, but because we were short on time, we lured them away so we could check out the rides.
The boats were pretty chill.....but not the next ride! Hello, Bug a Dug! Daniel and Anabella, HOLD ON!!
Eggery Deggery was the last ride of the day.
Even though they closed the kiddie attractions at 8pm, we still managed to spend about an hour or so more in the park. This is where Daniel and Anabella seemed to get a second wind. Considering they still had some of their first wind remaining, there's a reason the pictures stop here!
See ya next time, Busch Gardens!
Thank you, MaMa and PaPa, for a fun day!!
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