Monday, September 5, 2011

Howl-O-Scream PREVIEW edition

Greetings all.  I've just been to Busch Gardens and taken a few photos.  These will serve as "before" photos.  When Howl-O-Scream opens I will return to get the "after" photos.
I did notice a little pre-Halloween Howl-O-Scream action however, which I have posted below.  I did not get a picture of the Venetian Masks for Halloween, a preview selection of which were available in Italy.
It was ball-sweatingly hot at BG today.  The lengths I go to for your happiness...
When you first enter the park you are in this quaint English village.  The clock is unassuming during the Summer season.
The market square in England
The bridge into the Ireland section called Killarney
Another shot of Killarney, after entering through the bridge gate
The stage in Killarney.  This is where Jack appeared last year and will do so again this year, presumably.
The streets of France.
The entrance to Aquitane (France)
This empty space is behind a closed store.  The store sold pearls and jewelry, but closed after the Fall season of 2010.  BG built walls over the doors and now there stands this empty concrete slab.  I suspect something interesting will be put there for Howl-O-Scream 2011.
The New France (Canada) section, which was werewolf territory last year.
In this pic your (cough) humble narrator is feeding his shark a nice piece of brisket.
The ever beguiling Frau Punkinstein with a Bud Lime beer and a big kosher pickle (we had our luncheon at the Trapper Smokehouse in New France)
Ahhh Bear!  Ahhhh a camera!!  Ahhhh TOURIST BEAR!!!
The wonders of Italy; nice columns
A shot down the streets of Italy (witches stalked these streets in 2010)
Pompeii as seen from the train (mummies were present last year)
BG remodeled it's Bavaria section and now calls it Oktoberfest.  The colors (seen above) are brighter and the beer and pretzels more plentiful.
The older Germany section (last year this was full of vampires)
The facade of the Festhaus.  Beer, sausage, cabbage, pizza?
The long stone bridge that crosses over the man-made lake has a series of canopies (shown above) that reflect the park themes, such as Military Appreciation, or Seasonal Events.  You can see the theme of this year's Howl-O-Scream on this canopy.  The Dark Side of the Gardens.  Look closely and you can see the words on the inside of the canopy.  Each canopy tells a little more of the tale and as you walk you can hear disturbing laughter, singing, and an otherwordly voice, all preparing us for the Howl-O-Scream goodness to come.
Look at the lamppost and you will see vines with roses wrapped around it.  These posts are part of the upcoming Howl-O-Scream decorations.  See below for a detail shot.
This is a close up of one of the lampposts.  Each blooming rose has an eyeball inside, which one can see on the canopy above as well.  I am looking forward to this year's Howl-O-Scream very much.  Frau Punkinstein is also, but she is totally freaked out by eyeballs, so this promises to be a most interesting year at BG's Halloween event.  I will have more info as soon BG releases it.

Until next time, keep your pumpkins lit.

8 comments:

  1. Can't wait to see what it will look like!

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  2. Me either. Frau Punkinstein noticed a large Grim Reaper type thing on the backlot, outside of the public spaces, as we rode the train. I am going to guess that this is either storage or a staging area for the Howl-O-Scream decorations. Since it was in the open, I am leaning toward staging area.

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  3. Wow...I like your Busch Gardens way better than mine! I mean ours is nice, don't get me wrong, but my travel dreams are of 'The Old Country', not the 'Dark Continent' as ours is tagged! And then when you throw in all the witches and vampires and werewolves for Halloween....perfection! I should like to visit it! I think I will start planning a trip to Virginia! Wonder how long it would take to drive there from Central Florida?! Gotta go Map Quest it....

    Great photos too....thanks for sharing those! I'm really hungry right now and your brisket and Frau Punkinstein's brew is looking mighty tasty! But beer and pickles just don't sound like a good match....ha!

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  4. Hey, it's me again....sorry about the deleted post. Apparently I am 'comment inept' and I somehow managed to post the same comment TWICE! So I deleted one in an effort to not be 'repeating' myself, but then it leaves that 'cryptically mysterious' comment about "the post being removed by the authour"! Now my innocent double post has taken on the appearance of possibly having been something nefarious instead! That's not right!

    Maybe I'm over analyzing this....but couldn't blogger just delete the freakin' post entirely without leaving behind an alert that you made the mistake in the first place? Sheeesh!

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  5. Wendy, it's cool.
    We are heading up the Gardens this Saturday, so look for some "after" pics soon.
    Central Florida to Tidewater...let's see...carry the seven...multiply by Pi...12 years, 16 days and a parsec?
    Actually I've not looked, but I imagine it is somewhere in the 12+ hour range.

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  6. Yeah...I have no idea how long that drive would be. I've only ever driven through Virginia, and that was as a kid. I have been to West Virginia to go snow skiing in college...and that was a pretty long drive if I remember correctly. Can't wait to see some more pics all decked out for Halloween. You kids have fun!!

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