Kings Dominion opinions plus convenient hotel

We are thinking of trying out Kings Dominion this weekend. We went to Busch Gardens a three years ago and LOVED it. Debating going back there or trying out Kings Dominion. Any opinions on that?

Also, what hotels would be good bets to try for KD? We are a family of 6, so need a suite or a hotel that%26#39;s cheap enough for us to get 2 rooms. This is an impromptu, not budgeted for trip, so any where I can cut costs would be great! I checked out Embassy Suites, which was the only one I saw on a search of this forum, but it only has king bed suites available this weekend. Any other good, ';cheap'; bets??

Thanks for any advice!

Kings Dominion opinions plus convenient hotel

Kings Dominion has a lot of rides, but it isn%26#39;t quite as nice as BG. BG is pretty top of the line as far as cleanliness and overall park grooming-they pride themselves on it.

I find that KD will have more teenage kids there to just ';hang out';, and at times these groups can be a little obnoxious. I wish the park did more to curb this behavior. (NO, I am not a fuddy-duddy, but I don%26#39;t like going places with my children and people are cursing and otherwise acting oafishly and are not put out for it.)

I am VERY excited to ride the new roller coaster though!

BTW, Mothers Day and Fathers Day are GREAT days to go to theme parks-they are not as crowded. We went to BG last year on Mothers Day-just me and my sons. It was great!

Can%26#39;t help you with lodging-we only live 70 miles from KD, so we never stay overnight.

Kings Dominion opinions plus convenient hotel

If you are rollercoaster fanatic, you will not be disappointed by Kings Dominion. They definitely win out over Busch Gardens in the quantity department. They also have a few good thrill rides that can%26#39;t really be classified as rollercoaster.

However, my two favorite coasters are at BG. Nessie and Alpengeist.

If you go theme parks for the shows, then BG has more in that department, I would think.

The post above is correct, BG is definitely nicer in terms of landscaping and setting the mood. It%26#39;s really a unique park.

There%26#39;s really not much to choose from around in terms of lodging in varying qualities near KD. It%26#39;s all pretty much budget-minded. Search for hotels near Doswell, VA or Ashland, VA. I came up with a Best Western that%26#39;s right there at the park for $90/night or a Howard Johnson Inn %26amp; Suites in Ashland for $60/night from Travelocity. Hotels are going to be cheaper than Williamsburg for this area. The park admission is cheaper also.

The budget hotels in Williamsburg range from $40 to $85. If that%26#39;s not your thing, then your next best affordable bet would probably be the Williamsburg Hospitality House. I saw a double room rate on hotels dot com for $112/night.

You may want to try Ashland which is the next exit down from Doswell (more hotel selection, not sure of the rates, I know the Hampton Inn isn%26#39;t cheap)

I haven%26#39;t been to KD in a few years (since moving from Ashland), but I would agree BG is much cleaner and a different atmosphere than KD (although KD has more rides) BG seems to be more spread out and shall I say ';landscaped';.....KD is a lot of rides/entertainment in a more compact park

Hope this helps

Holiday Inn Express is Ashland was really good. Right at the exit - very easy to get to. And there is a Cracker Barrel right next door.

KD is getting better! Cedar Fair bought most of the Parmount parks last year, including Kings Dominion, and they are making a lot of changes.

KD is very similar to Carowinds in NC.

With all that said I still prefer BG, much bigger prettier park.

I agree with the poster above who said to go down an exit for a hotel, some of the hotels around the park are not the greatest places to stay.