One of our many trips away from Salisbury was this trip to Kings Dominion. We decided to pack up the Motor Coach once again and head somewhere that offered a lot of entertainment and since I hadn't been there since the 1970's, why not.
We considered Busch Gardens but when we checked around, many told us the prices were too much and the lines were forever long. On the other hand, many told us that Kings Dominion was not as clean. If you know anything about me, I like the underdog!
We hit the road after making on line reservations, (which I highly recommend) for both the amusement park and the campground. To our pleasure, we pulled into the campground and noticed it was directly next door to Kings Dominion. They offered a free shuttle bus to the park every 15 minutes. We thought this would be nice so we could go back and forth and have our main meals in the Motor Coach.
However, when we went to the park, that all changed. The prices for food were so reasonable, we chose to eat almost every meal there. on our second day we decided to take a break from the park and head back to relax for a little while and enjoy a private sit down meal. There's nothing better than a Felet Mignon on the grill while camping, (if you want to call it camping). There was a swimming pool at the campground and the fee was only $32.00 per night with full hook up. They also had a very nice general store and all kinds of additional things to do to keep you entertained outside the park.
Once we got into Kings Dominion, WOW! Talk about an incredible change. Whomever was making the claim that Kings Dominion wasn't clean was completely out of line. Mind you, the parking lot seemed to be in need of new pavement but so what. It was no different from traveling any road in Salisbury.
Here's the really cool part. We went there on the 3rd through the 5th of September. Folks, there were NO lines! We were able to walk right up to each and every ride, (with exception to maybe two rides). It was almost as if we had the entire park to ourselves. Every employee there was very courteous and they had a 50's section there that was just fabulous. In fact, that's where I'd go to relax and enjoy a rare but very relaxing cigar. I was like a little kid, sitting back and enjoying every single 50's song being played throughout that section of the park.
The only thing we didn't enjoy there, (believe it or not) was the food from Chick Felet. Yeah, we were surprised at that one but everywhere else we ate was very enjoyable. All that being said, I highly recommend Kings Dominion and a get away destination. It took about 3 hours to get there, not bad in a big Motor Coach. We took Rt. 50 over the Bay Bridge. One of the key reasons we chose not to go to Busch Gardens was two fold. The fee to take that beast through the Bay Bridge Tunnel as well as the major delays everyone experiences in the Hamptons and the backups at the smaller tunnels.
If I find the time down the road I'll share some of the many other locations we enjoyed within many of the Delaware State Parks. If you're a resident of Delaware, these Parks are only $24.00 a night with full hookup. Great fishing, boating and other activities. However, there's nothing like getting away and banging your aging body apart on roller coaster rides and being a kid, even if its just for one weekend a year.
6 comments:
We went to King's Dominion the week before school started and had the same enjoyable run of the park. If you want roller coasters, this is the place. My family had a blast. The newer coasters are so smooth. I made the mistake of getting on the Rebel Yell (childhood favorite) that thing beat me up. Now the park isn't as pretty as it use to be, the flowers that they use to have outside have dwindled down fromm the glorious past. If you want a great time of riding coasters, this is the place.
We also went to Bush Gardens the same week. I love this place as well. There aren't as many coasters, but the ones they have are great. I love the food and going thru the many different European themed areas. Of course my favorite is the Festhaus. Additionally, my daughter and her friend went to Water Country USA and had a blast while my wife and I ran down to the Norfolk Naval Base. The memories just came flooding back from my 7 years we lived there during my stint in the navy. Folks if you can just hop in your car or motorhome, there are many nice places within a couple hours drive that are very nice to visit and get away from here.
Thanks for the update on Kings Dominion. When my kids were small we went there at least once every summer, and enjoyed it immensely. I was also told that it wasn't what it once was, that it had fallen in ratings, etc., but I'm glad to hear that a (fairly harsh!) critic says it's still good.
And, I'm glad to hear you had a good time!
Looking at the pictures of the log flume just brought back memories for me. That is and always will be my favorite ride. I can remember going there one summer with my parents and standing in line and seeing a large black snake trying to slither up the concrete by the waterwheel. Scared the you-know-what out of me, but still the best ride ever! Second favorite is White Water Canyon. Ultimate water ride on a steaming hot summer day. Guarenteed to drench you to the bone!
It's been a few years since we have been to Kings Dominion. Our son is now grown so we dont go there. We did stay at the same camp ground and it was very nice. Only problem we had was their water pressure was POWERFUL lol It blew out our hose and we had to run get another one. Cedar point is probably my favorite of all the parks. The RV parking is right there on the water and the view was wonderful and the kids were 15 at the time and could walk to the park and back to the camper when they wanted to. Was well worth the long drive!
We let the kids choose between Kings Dominion and Six Flags New Jersey this year. We usually do Busch Gardens and love it, but wanted to go somewhere different. They chose Six Flags because they wanted to do the Safari. The park was great, roller coasters were awesome, and prices were decent. We bought our tickets, food vouchers, and Flash Pass online. The only downfall was the water park. Very crowded and not enough employees. I had to physically hold some punk thug back from cutting in front of my family in line for one of the slides.
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