Now you can brave the Black Forest of Verbolten, hang upside down on Alpengeist or get soaked to the skin on Escape from Pompeii without worrying about losing your wallet or ending up with a handful of soggy dollars.  Discovery Dollars, a new program debuting at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, offers guests a hassle-free way to pay for purchases while visiting the theme park.

Similar to purchase programs used at other theme parks such as Disney and Great Wolf Lodge, the new Discovery Dollars program uses a bar-coded waterproof wristband to take the place of cash and credit cards for most in-park purchases.

Visitors can now open a complimentary Discovery Dollars account at any Busch Gardens ticket window. Once registered, guests receive a wristband linked directly to their credit card. They can also preload a set amount of money directly to the wristband.

Each family member has access to the preset spending limit on his/her own wristband. Purchases are made by scanning the wristband's barcode at Busch Gardens' restaurants and retail shops.

"A Discovery Dollars wristband provides a safe and convenient way to spend a day at Busch Gardens," said Dan Dipiazzo, vice president of marketing for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. "Once you have your wristband, you can put your wallet away and enjoy the day."

Discovery Dollars wristbands are valid for most in-park purchases. Select retail areas are excluded from the program, including in-park games.

Don't miss all of the fun, thrills and musical events at Busch Gardens this summer, including Verbolten, the park's newest roller coaster, and the all-new Das Festhaus show "Entwined: Tales of Good and Grimm." For more information on Busch Gardens or to purchase tickets or season passes, please visit BuschGardens.com.

Located just 55 miles from Richmond in historic Williamsburg, Busch Gardens offers more than 200 beautifully landscaped acres of thrilling coasters, family fun rides, KIDsiderate attractions, and animal encounters, including the Highland Stables, Jack Hanna's Nature Reserve, Eagle Ridge and Wolf Valley.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is part of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, which operates 10 parks across the United States, including the newly formed SeaWorld Pictures division. Locations include SeaWorld in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa, the waterparks Adventure Island Tampa and Water Country USA Williamsburg, Sesame Place in Philadelphia, PA, and Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando, FL.

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