Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

The ACE spring conference was amazing. Each day featured an awesome food spread from the park, plus plenty of ERT.

Yes, the park went out of their way to give us some of the first night rides on Time Traveler, and they printed shirts stating such that they gave us that night. Another nice touch on their part. They did so much for us, and they did it on probably the craziest weekend of the year for them with their biggest corporate client also coming in. A crazy, amazing weekend had by all.

Everyone seems to agree: Time Traveler is more fun each time you ride it. Once you get over your initial reaction, you start to really appreciate it for what it is. It is a huge hit with everyone, especially the GP.

They definitely need to keep those mason jar desserts around permanently.

...Oh, and roller coasters too. They do also have some of those....Get cinnamon bread. Do the cave tour. Have fun!

Noted!

Please don’t get out your pitchforks and torches, but has anyone else noticed that Outlaw Run has gotten rougher/bumpier in the last few years? I rode it for the first time in June 2016 and just rode over the weekend and noticed I couldn’t handle marathoning it like I did back then. Don’t get me wrong, it’s stilk a great ride, it’s just not my number one coaster anymore.

Please don’t get out your pitchforks and torches, but has anyone else noticed that Outlaw Run has gotten rougher/bumpier in the last few years? I rode it for the first time in June 2016 and just rode over the weekend and noticed I couldn’t handle marathoning it like I did back then. Don’t get me wrong, it’s stilk a great ride, it’s just not my number one coaster anymore.

Yup, its expected with any coaster as they age and there has been talk about the nasty jolt that has developed near the bottom of ThuNderaTion's helix around the time when Time Traveler's construction kicked into high gear. On the latter I suspect between the ride being over 20 years old and the heavy equipment and all the rain we had over the past couple years it might have caused a bit of a shift during that time which created that jolt that can knock you pretty hard if you are unprepared for it.

Thanks for the review, Andrew...tomorrow's the big day.

So glad that you got some night rides in!

I already mentioned to Michael that we'll skip breakfast and have cinnamon rolls at SDC early for breakfast and 'que for lunch.

Can't wait!

PS - If what's being said about Outlaw Run is true, are there rows that are "smoother" than others?

Front row of any car for the best ride. Very front row is great, as it's very open. Front row of the last car has the best hangtime in the final barrel roll.

For Thunderation, pick a middle row. The front car only has two rows, and the front row is in the middle of that car, so that's a good row too.

All the other coaaters are smooth, and are more intense in the back row. You'll be assigned a row on Time Traveler.

I already mentioned to Michael that we'll skip breakfast and have cinnamon rolls at SDC early for breakfast and 'que for lunch.

Cinnamon BREAD not rolls!!!!!

Totally different!!!!

They sell both so be careful and get the BREAD!!!!!!

They make awesome cinnamon rolls fresh in E&D's bakery up front as well. Gotta branch out a little

I didn't notice Outlaw Run being any more rough than usual. I didn't get any back row rides in, but in the middle/front rows it seemed fine to me. I barely noticed the supposed jolt in TNT's tunnel either. Some people are more sensitive to these things I guess. Usually I'm the one complaining about rides getting worn.

I already mentioned to Michael that we'll skip breakfast and have cinnamon rolls at SDC early for breakfast and 'que for lunch.

 

Cinnamon BREAD not rolls!!!!!

 

Totally different!!!!

 

They sell both so be careful and get the BREAD!!!!!!

Ahhhh...thanks for the tip, Elissa...headed there now!

Also thanks to Andrew for seat recommendations. Text if you want to grab a couple of pints later!

Edit - awesome day at the park today. Didn't get on Time Traveler or Powder Keg due to mechanical issues, but had complete walk-on's for just about everything else.

Outlaw Run was closed when we initially went back to that area, but after an awesome ride on the barn swing, we noticed it was running. One ride in the back and one in the front seat. Wow to both...love it.

Cinnamon bread was unreal, ribs were good at the BBQ event, and we met Andrew for beers at Branson Landing afterwards.

Full trip report later, but thanks to Andrew for all of the great tips for our visit...thanks again for coming down to have a couple of beers with us!

Can't wait to go back for Day 2 tomorrow...SDC is AWESOME!!!

I was there on Friday and got updated photos and operational video of Time Traveler. I have to say it's gotten A LOT better since it has finally broken itself in. I had not rode it since opening day and it feels quite a bit more intense now.

Really the only gripe I still have is how it stops at the first launch. Hopefully in the off season they can copy/paste the programing used from the second launch onto the first to eliminate that 10 second pause. (which also seems to be having issues stranding riders on the track causing the ride to get shut down for maintenance) Either that or construct some kind of simple show building with some smoke and lights or something.

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Great update on Time Traveler! Really looking forward to checking it out in just under 2 weeks.

I can't wait to get on Time Traveler. I'll be riding in July. Any seat suggestions from those who have ridden?

I can't wait to get on Time Traveler. I'll be riding in July. Any seat suggestions from those who have ridden?

A seat on the ride is a good start

In all seriousness, any seat is good. Outside of the drop, they all ride and feel the same. But if you want an intense whip down the drop, sit towards the back, if you want to hang and spin, ride in the front!

I can't wait to get on Time Traveler. I'll be riding in July. Any seat suggestions from those who have ridden?

They assign seats, but if you can request Row 7, that's the best ride I've had so far. You get ripped over the first drop before you're even out of the station, and the car is kicked out to the side pretty forcefully on the way.

^Agreed on both accounts, also note that this coaster gets more fun with every subsequent ride experience.

Ahh Branson... land of 10,000 motorized scooters. And here's a brief Photo TR from May 9-10.

My first time at SDC was in summer 2013 during Outlaw Run's first season. I decided almost right away that it was one of my top favorites and even now, five years and many parks later, it still is. But I hadn't been back since then and the opening of Time Traveler was the prefect occasion to go back and see if Branson was still one of the nation's best places for scooter-watching. It is.

Mid-week in May ended up being the perfect time to visit. Only Time Traveler and Powder Keg ran more than one train, but that's all that was needed. My longest non-TT wait was about 20 minutes for Outlaw Run and most were 0-10. I still love just about everything about this park. I don't bother with the shows and stuff like that and two days was the perfect amount of time to enjoy the coasters, food, and scenery.

Time Traveler

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure I'd like this ride. The contemporary Mack coasters I've ridden are a little too tame for me and I wasn't sold on the spinning concept despite the positive reviews it was getting. The only spinner I'm a big fan of is Euro Mir, which is also a Mack, so I should have had more faith because it turns out TT is awesome! It's the most intense Mack I've been on. I haven't done Helix yet, but I thought TT was more thrilling than Blue Fire and much better than Star Trek. Photos and video do not do the 90-degree station drop justice. I truly did not expect the kind of sustained ejector air it has in the back car. It's not like that in the middle or front, but other elements make up for it. The twisting airtime hill after the loop was another highlight and the front car really tries to whip you out of your seat there. It's true that no two rides on this are exactly alike, though you eventually get to the point where you can kind of anticipate the spins at certain times. Overall it's extremely fun, more intense than I would have believed, and my favorite Mack so far. Now if they can just program it not to stop on the first launch track... 9/10

Outlaw Run

As good as TT is, Outlaw is still king at this park. It might be tracking a bit rougher than opening year, but it barely registers. This was my first RMC five years ago so I was curious how it would stack up after riding a bunch of others. I slightly prefer Medusa and maybe Wicked Cyclone, but I think Outlaw Run will actually move up a few notches when I do my rankings next year. RMC just packed so much into this layout. Every element delivers. My dad and I had a blast seeing who could clip the leaves on a tree branch overhanging the wave turn most often. We're both 6'2" with a long reach, so I doubt too many other riders could touch it, but apparently someone else did and freaked out about it, so the ride went down 3 hours before closing on our second day and never re-opened. A minor down-note to end the trip on, but I got plenty of rides in beforehand. 9.5/10

Powder Keg aka "No, Ally, not Powder Cake..." (overheard in line)

I love this coaster and I think I ranked it higher in the poll than anyone else that I saw. It has a forceful launch and several moments of strong, sustained airtime, plus it takes advantage of the mountain setting to offer great views and terrain interaction as do Outlaw and Wildfire. I could ask for a couple more cammelbacks after the mid-course lift, but even without, it's still a great coaster that's entirely unique to SDC. 9/10

Wildfire

One of my favorite B&Ms and also one of the most overlooked. I'd still take Kumba over it, but I think Wildfire is easily better than any of the floorless coasters and quite a few of the hypers too. I'll go as far as to say that this is B&M's best first drop outside of the dive coasters and Fury. It's not often that you find prolonged ejector airtime on a B&M looper and the view off the side of the mountain makes it feel like you're falling forever. I like how you can easily tell when Wildfire is really cooking, because you can hear the trim brake before the cobra roll activate, but it barely nicks you and you still plow full-steam through the cobra roll and can feel the higher forces. I don't often rate this many coasters at one park so high. 9/10

Thunderation

Though I had no issues, Thunderation was a bit too jerky for my dad so we only rode it once per day. Regardless, still one of the greatest mine trains there is as well as one of the few actually thrilling ones. It's even better now with some nice views of Time Traveler while on the ride. 7.5/10

And some bonus Brownfire...

^Awesome trip report!

IMO While Time Traveler is awesome and fun in its own category. Wildfire and Powderkeg have remained neck and neck to me as the best coasters in the park. ThuNderaTion is also highly underrated for what it is.

^^ Great report and photos! Silver Dollar City really seems to have an awesome, well-rounded coaster collection.

Great report! I pretty much agree with everything you said. Glad you had a good time, but it's pretty hard not to.

Ahh Branson... land of 10,000 motorized scooters.

Now, I'm sure it was just an oversight, but it looks like you might have left out the part of the report where you did the cave tour and bought cinnamon bread. Because you didn't go all the way to Branson and not do those things.

^Yeah, I didn't feel like making this a full play-by-play trip report, but I certainly had my caves and cinnamon bread!

Do the stairways and ramps on the Marvel Cave have railings or something to hold onto? I'm trying to determine whether or not to wear my ankle brace when I visit. Leaning towards yes just as a precaution, but if there's limited handholds it'll be a must.

^^ Nice. You did it right then.

^ Yes there are railings and handholds, and in some instances high friction flooring.

^ Thanks! Sounds like the brace probably isn't necessary then.

^Yeah, I didn't feel like making this a full play-by-play trip report, but I certainly had my caves and cinnamon bread!

 

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We were there on Tuesday and probably saw you in the park. You probably recognized me...I was the guy with an older guy that was in a motorized scooter...oh wait.

I agree with how you ranked your coasters. Despite only getting one ride on Powder Keg and Time Traveler, they both impressed. I ended up with about six rides on Outlaw Run and agree that it is definitely the star attraction of the park.

Can't say enough good things about this park - we LOVED it!!!