The Displaced Mountain Girl: It's Officially Christmas Time

Christmas Countdown in Holiday Hills

Busch Gardens Christmas Town is open!

This year Busch Gardens opened Christmas Town a week early. Unfortunately due to my sprained ankle I didn't get to go to opening weekend. But hubby and I did go on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Probably not the most convenient day as it was one of the $12 discount days. The place was packed. It took us forever to get in the park. The traffic was lined up on all roads leading in. I even heard later that it took someone almost 2 hours to get in.

You could definitely tell there were a lot of newbies in the park. They had that totally lost look about them. And for some reason they always want to stop right in the middle of the path and block everything up. Somewhat trying to my patience. But since I was nursing my bum ankle I wasn't exactly sprinting through the park anyway.

Dasher's Diner Buffet

We decided to give Dasher's Diner a try. It's a buffet that's located in the Holiday Hills village. In all the times we've been to Christmas Town we have never eaten there for some reason. I kind of think it was due to Hubby's penchant for Festhaus German sausages. But I persuaded him to step out and try something new. I will say that Dasher's Diner is my new favorite place. I started out very modestly with a salad, roll and chicken leg. Then I moved on to chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and gravy and grilled vegetables. Very yummy. On my next trip I got Swedish meatballs (on Hubby's recommendation), more mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. The vegetables make everything OK don't they? I definitely think they do. There was also a dessert bar. I chose cherry cobbler. All in all a very yummy and satisfying meal.

The Festhaus all decked out with lights

The park is beautifully decorated. At night it's really stunning. If you can stand the height I recommend going up the Nacht Tower. I did it one time. Beautiful but scary. You really can see the whole park from up there though.

Each country has a different theme. My favorite village is Holiday Hills. I love that retro American style. It really screams "Christmas"! I also like France. It's so pretty in blue and white. OK, now that I think of it I love it all!

German village

There is a new show this year called Scrooge No More. In my opinion this show is worth the admission price all on it's own. I think this is the best show Busch Gardens has ever had and I have seen them all since the late seventies.

The sets are beautiful. The special effects were top notch and the talent was way above what you normally find at an amusement park. You don't want to miss this one. I hope to go back soon and get better pictures.

Sharon