Best Bars at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Every time that I make a visit to a new theme park, I have a list of research points to get myself ready. Strategies for rope drop, best food options, and ride priorities all are a part of it. However, the area that I tend to struggle finding concrete information for are the best bars on property. Often, in mobile apps and official websites, they provide little to no information on what drinks are offered at each dining location around the park. Sometimes bars don’t make the map at all!
With that in mind, I thought it may be helpful to compile all of the important information into one guide for first timers that may be trying to plan out their day. This will be separated into a few sections, starting with a top five, then into some honorable mentions, and finishing off with some responsible planning practices for getting to and from the park. I tried my best to vary the selections to suit a number of tastes!
These are the best bars at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Top 5
#5: La Belle Wine Bar (France)
Located in the France/Aquitaine section of the park right outside of the Royal Palace Theatre, this bar features drinks for a pretty specific taste (which you probably gathered from the name). They serve exclusively wine, but have a pretty diverse selection to choose from that should satisfy most wine drinkers. The menu changes up, and is utilized in different ways for holiday overlays, sometimes even featuring event specific cocktails. It’s got a really nice terrace seating setup where you can relax and watch Griffon or the Busch Gardens Railway rolling by. There are flower beds nearby and grape vines wrapping around the terrace overhead. Overall it’s a peaceful place to kick back and enjoy a nice glass (or bottle) of wine, it’s just the lack of selections that kept it from going any higher on the list.
La Belle Wine Bar (right) with Griffon overhead
#4: BarKastle (Oktoberfest)
Located in Oktoberfest, BarKastle is a very conveniently located and well stocked option while on the go. Appropriately, it sits right in the shadow of DarKoaster. It features a variety cocktails on tap, a few local draft beers, a selection of wines, and some canned beer, seltzers and specialty drinks. Overall it’s probably the most well rounded bar on property, offering something for everyone. The only reason it isn’t higher is because of the vibes. There are a few patio style tables set up around the periphery of the building, but for the most part you should consider this bar to be grab and go.
The view from BarKastle
#3: Burgermeister’s Hideaway (Germany)
Controversial pick here. Located in Rhinefield/Germany section of the park, Burgermeister’s isn’t exactly a bar in the sense that it requires a reservation. In fact, you wouldn’t know that it’s a bar at all without one! The facade for Burgermeister’s is decorated as a candy shop, the doors of which remain closed for a majority of the day. However, every few hours, those doors open up and you are greeted by a colorful cast of characters pulled straight out of a Grimm’s Fairy Tale. They welcome you inside, and the show begins. First, you are given a fictional name for the experience (I believe we were the Fahrtentotten family, not sure of the spelling), and guided back into a broom closet where you need to repeat a password to enter. The actors welcome you in, take you to your table, and start you with your first of three cocktails. For this experience, you are given the option of three cocktails, beers, or mocktails, all of which change seasonally. Over the course of an hour, the actors put on a full scale performance while you enjoy your drinks, featuring interactive elements and screens scattered around the very well themed room. Think Trader Sam’s meets German Folklore.
Ready to enter the “Sweet Shop”
#2: Grogan’s Pub (Ireland)
In the streets of Killarney/Ireland sits Grogan’s Pub, which by all accounts feels the most like your local cozy hole in the wall. Grogan’s hosts an expansive tap list, usually offering 20 different draft beers. There’s your standard domestic fair, but also a really impressive list of local and craft beers that span everything from sour to stout. You can also purchase a whiskey flight while you’re there, though we have never been so brave on a long park day. The back section of the pub has cozy seating built into nooks and crannies and a few TVs usually playing sports for the occasional Dad needing an AC break.
Chilly nights call for pints at Grogan’s
#1: Brauhaus Craft Bier Room (Oktoberfest)
Festhaus looms large over Oktoberfest, and nestled almost secretly in the back is the best bar in Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Brauhaus is easily missable, as the main food area of Festhaus also features a decent little tap selection that without further investigation you could easily assume is the only offering there. This seclusion is a big difference from the unmissable Grogan’s, which is the first major bar that you pass once entering the park and often commands pretty lengthy lines.
Once you enter this little room in the back right corner of the building, you find yourself faced with 30 taps featuring an amazingly diverse selection of beers. There is little filler featured in this room, as there is not one beer on the tap list that I would consider a standard choice. Even the pilsners and lagers are all from local or craft breweries. Since this room is usually pretty quiet, the tvs on the wall provide a nice opportunity on a Saturday or Sunday to escape the crowds and watch a bit of football or whichever sport is on. Another bonus is that you can easily time your visit with one of the many shows normally happening at Festhaus throughout the day, so you can get one of the best beers in the park and enjoy the performance. All of those elements combined make this undoubtedly the best bar option at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Taking in a show after a quick stop at the Brauhaus
Honorable Mentions:
Find the walking beers for our honorable mentions
On busy days, the major bars can be slammed with customers, so it’s good to have a few back up plans ready. Some of these actually offer very unique choices that are specific to the country that they are located in! Here are a few of our favorites:
Ireland: Right across from Grogan’s is a souvenir store called Emerald Isle Gifts that sells cans of Guiness and a variety of flavored Jameson shots from a small counter in the back. On very busy days, this is such a hidden gem.
New France: Acadia Traders, adorned with Canadian flags across it’s entrance, rightly sells some Canadian staples like Moosehead and Molson.
Germany: German Gifts has a wine tasting that consists of a number of German made wines. This same location also has a cooler at the counter with domestic beers and seltzers for those not interested in the wine tasting.
Oktoberfest: The Prost Patio in Oktoberfest would have likely edged out La Belle for #5 if only it was open year round. Located on the plot where Mach Tower once stood, they usually are only operational during peak summer and a few busy seasonal events. I love this option, as it offers pour your own beer from a pretty wide selection.
Italy: Another near miss from the top 5, outside of the San Marco Theatre is Silk Road Bar. This walk up bar offers 8 beers on tap and a selection of canned beers, cocktails, and seltzers. Perfect to grab a drink before taking in a show at the San Marco Theatre. Right across the walkway from that, the souvenir shop Italy Gifts also offers Italian wine tastings and Peroni to go.
Safe Travels
Personally, I prefer not to drive even if I only plan to have one or two beers. Always better to be safe than sorry. With that in mind, there are plenty of options for you to safely get too and from the park if you plan to enjoy a few drinks throughout your day.
Obviously Uber is an option. The best tip that I can give you is to place your pickup spot at the bus station right at the edge of the England Lot. It saves both you and the driver a lot of grief as they don’t have to pull into the actual park. Most drivers in the area are very familiar with that pickup spot and are much happier to accept your ride for the convenience. On very busy days, I would recommend pre-booking your ride home in the morning so you aren’t fighting the other people leaving the park for the Ubers in the area.
Information on where to place your UBER pin and bus drop off/pick up
The other very reliable option is taking the bus. Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) operates a local commuter route called Route 1: Lee Hall that picks up and drops off at Busch Gardens hourly. This is an incredibly affordable option at $1.50 a ride or $3.00 for a daily pass. The bus generally begins its route on the hour from central Williamsburg, with stops in walking distance to most of the major area hotels, and drops off about 15 past the hour at the aforementioned England Lot bus stop. To get back into town, the bus picks up on it’s return trip every hour around the 40 minute mark, the only catch being that it’s on the other side of the road. So you need to cross at the stop light by the employee entrance. We use this option most visits, just be sure to check what time the final bus of the day leaves so you don’t get stranded!
Final Thoughts
So that about wraps it up, an overview of the best bars at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and some responsible travel tips to help you have the best day possible! Let us know if we missed any gems so that we can update the list, but after years of visiting, you can trust we’ve put in the research.
