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Unless the crowd levels ever start actually dropping at Disney, hoping for a price reduction is a pipe dream.

Silver Dollar City has announced a $500 million future development plan, starting with a brand new resort! https://www.silverdollarcity.com/press/resort-announcement/ Silver Dollar City, America’s #1 Theme Park, today announced plans to invest half a billion dollars over the next decade on the construction of new family adventures, including the development of 1,200 acres adjacent to the Ozark Mountain theme park. The strategic plan represents the largest investment in the company’s 65-year history and begins with the debut of the Silver Dollar City Resort, the first theme park resort in America’s Heartland. “This is more than just growth—it’s a new era.” said Silver Dollar City Parks & Resorts President, Brad Thomas. “Over the next decade, we will mindfully transform 1,200 acres into an authentic, only-in-the-Ozarks destination starting with our first resort. The new resort will combine Silver Dollar City’s spirit of playfulness, discovery, craftsmanship and exploration with all that makes The Heart of the Ozarks so special.” Already under construction and set to open late 2026, the 262-room resort will feature never-before-seen vistas of the Ozark Mountains and Table Rock Lake, along with unparalleled access to Silver Dollar City theme park. The new resort will also be located just a stone’s throw from the company’s other family attractions, including White Water water park, Showboat dinner cruises, Pink Jeep Adventure Tours and the Silver Dollar City Campground. “This investment showcases Silver Dollar City’s commitment to tourism and economic growth in the Ozarks and for the State of Missouri.” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson. “We are excited to see this project bring thousands of new jobs and millions of new visitors to our great state.” Additional resort details will be provided in the coming months regarding guest amenities, park privileges, room types, and group meeting spaces. For more information, visit silverdollarcity.com/resort.

Looks great! Guess we have to come back down during FF at some point. My list of park Halloween events is getting so long I may have to start doing 2 a year

as part of Fright Bash, we had reserved seating for several shows - and although Fiesta is well known for their shows, I had seen versions of the evening ones, and so was most excited about "Haunted Hollywood" - a Halloween version of the excellent Hollywood thru the years show the park had new for 2024. it's mostly the same cast (a few new faces) performing "spooky" or "scary" songs. . .y'all. .it's SO good. highly, highly recommended: wish I could remember all the songs. . but they were mostly of the Halloween variety. . . really talented cast tho. (the only one I didn't care for was "Feed My Frankenstein" - as the guy was way out of key (and that's hard to do on an Alice Cooper song). . but huge props to him for making it down all those stairs in the giant Frankenstein boots). the Count with the puppet Dracula was hysterical. . and the song was so good too (even if I can't recall it right now) this one I remember, as it truly is a show standout: "Psycho Killer". . featuring little Vignettes of each victim being chased by their killer. . . before all joining up in the center stage for some great choreography. and HUGE points to the park for staying in true character - the "bad guys" all run. . . except for Michael Myers. . he just slowly walks after his victim. perfection! the Addams Family theme song a kinda cringy "dancing pillowcases" number for Casper the Friendly ghost. but I mean. . it was amusing. and of course, the show ender/ show stopper, is a full performance of "Thriller" after the show, the organizers asked all attendees on the stage for a group picture (I kept my hat on, so a bit noticeable) and then we got a meet and greet with the cast. . these 3 are among my favorite performers at SFFT, and any show they are in? I'll be there! back out into the heat, we had a couple of hours until dinner. . so it was time to ride some stuff! pic by my friend Belinda - who's in the very front. SO many characters out during the day (I would guess many of them change outfits to be ghouls at night). . but so many photo ops, and this is a lovely park anyways! Supergirl retheme completely done, and the Starflyer looks great. after a bunch of riding (I had my camera put away, so not many pics) it was time for dinner, and some Q&A with park folks. I didn't take a pic of my dinner, but did bump into the Quirky Coaster Couple (who had changed from Luigi/Mario for a "nighttime" look). Glad I snapped this pic, as you can get a look at the food. the chicken schnitzel on a stick was incredible, as were the ribs, and the german potato salad (and potato pancakes with applesauce). as a group of 17 strong (!) we decided to hit some of the houses that opened at 6.. as most folks were heading over to the Crackaxle train station for the Arrival (where the scarezone actors arrive by train and pour out into their own scare zones thruout the park). it was SO crowded that day, that I didn't want to be anywhere near Crackaxle - so instead we hit the Stranger Things House (yawn), the Conjuring House (excellent!!), Slaughterhouse (very good), the Voodoo House (which during the day is a kid friendly "tour of the collector's store" walkthru, but at night is filled with scare actors and low lights), Trapped (way better than in previous years, as they took some of the props from the discontinued Buried Alive house). the Voodoo house let us out right into the scare zone in Spassburg, so we decided it was close enough to the Arrival, that we would wait for the characters to arrive in the Scarezone before continuing onto the boardwalk - as the big outdoor maze (Hell Cemetery) is staffed by some of the ghouls on the train. it was a perfect spot to get some pics as they slowly made their way into the park, from a PACKED (so I was told) Crackaxle train stop. once they scare actors were out and about in the park, we headed to the boardwalk for the last House, Twisted, and the large (free) outdoor maze Hell Acres: the clown zone had filled up with scare actors from the Arrival. I think people don't realize this is a house here, and they think it's a queue for Pandemonium. but it never really has a line, even without the skip the line, we wouldn't have had to wait very long in the regular pass line. but it's a great house, with some really good animatronics in it. it had gotten a bit too stuffy, so had put the hat in the car after dinner. . . loved Twisted, but then down the steps to the Cemetery. Excellent. Large. and Free (as it's considered a Scare Zone, not a house) SUCH atmosphere down here. and some wonderfully spooky pics of the boardwalk due to the lights and fog. this one also benefited from reuse of props from the closed Buried Alive and Rockkill High houses. after this, we walked across the park to the other outdoor walkthru "Scarezone" - "Fear Acres" - which takes over a pretty good chunk of the waterpark, and has historically been SO packed, that I've never even gone thru the whole thing. Surprisingly as packed as the park was? "Fear Acres" had no line to get in, and the crowds were moving pretty well thru this large, and very well staffed haunt zone. crazy farmers, scarecrows, pig masks, machetes and chainsaws. . . check. very good, and for free too. . even if the makeups were mainly greasepaint and not as intricate as in the houses. we had reserved seating for two more shows, and the fireworkds "Frightful Finale" - followed by an hour + ERT on Dr. Diabolical and Iron Rattler. . . . but doing the math in my head, I said to my friend (who had driven). . if we stay for the fireworks, we're not getting home until 2am. as even if we dont' stay for ERT, we'll be stuck in the parking lot. I was exhausted - having been to a late concert the night before, and still not recovered from Germany late nights. . . so I told him I'm ok with whatever he wants to do. His son had come with us and he also works nights and he had gotten off work and immediately got in the car with us to San Antonio. . so I know he was tired too. so Russell asked him, and he was ok with leaving, so we called it a night, and left before the fireworks. . but it got me home by 11:45, so that was nice - even if I did need to stop and get a slurpee so the sugar would keep me up on my drive home. all in all? a great event, and FrightFest at SFFT is highly recommended.

I agree with this to an extent. Even with ticket prices being as high as Snoop Dogg on April 20th in a White Castle parking lot, the parks get a metric assload of visitors per day. So it's no question that a corporation would rather price some people out than lower ticket costs and cap attendance.

as mentioned above, I was at the park this past Saturday to participate in the annual "Fright Bash" - which is put on by ACE, but the park tends to go all out, so I always attend. (not only does your lanyard count as Flash Pass, but also gives VIP lounge access, park admission (if you don't have a pass), skip the line Haunted House fast pass, reserved seating for shows, behind the scenes tours, and a great dinner (that this year featured all the Oktoberfest food from the festival also going on at the park - it was fantastic, and I say that after eating German food with TPR for the past 2 weeks while at Oktoberfest in Munich). I'd even go as far to say as this event and being able to purchase a ticket to attend (*way* more value than just the cost of Flash Pass), is worth it to maintain my ACE membership. anyways, there was another large group there, and it was a Saturday/Fright Fest night, so it was PACKED. . but I still had a wonderful day. Even if Jefferey Siebert wasn't around (I hear he had taken his family to check out Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando). . . but still, it was wonderful to see all my friends who work at the park, and Jeff F. and Jorge took great care of us. on to pics! I'm here! and forgot to take a pic of the front gate entrance (oops). but I DID remember to bring my "Helga" hat, bought at Europa Park from the Snorri ride exit shop! - hey, it's Fright Fest (and I got lots and lots of compliments on my hat) it's the wonderful Jeff Filicko from SFFT, and the wonderful "OMG, I'm blanking on her name, and i can't recall it event tho we're facebook friends, and I've known her for a while. first ride of the day was on Wonder Woman - which is riding fantastic! (and yes, the hat stayed on). absolutely LOVE what they have done in Rockville - the home of the "Stranger Things" house, in the High School. really retro decorations, and the freestanding doorways all up and down the street, where kids can "knock" on the doors during the day and be answered by 60's themed park reps who hand out candy. (and at night the area is flooded with fog, and the porches are filled with creatures) My friends the Quirky Coaster Couple were here too - they came out looking amazing - as they always do. we had a bit of time before the the 1st official back stage tour (lights on tours of the two new IP houses). . so we headed over to Sangerfest Halle to grab a bite to eat, as dinner wasn't until 5pm. . . we ended up with a gang of friends going. seems since I was last here, the store that used to sell (I think) candles, has been repurposed as an indoor Looney Tunes meet and greet! Great Job by the park, moving the meet and greets inside in the A/C. I'm sure those in the costumes really appreciate it in the Texas heat. anyways as we were walking in, there was Vampire Bugs, and Scarecrow Taz out, so we hopped in line for a pic. (and Bugs took a bite of my neck) then it was across into Sangerfest for food, tho it's not a trip to SFFT without a visit to "Sweet Connie" - whom I've been told personally by Jefferey Siebert that they saved her when they re-did Sangerfest Halle a few years back mainly because I made her into an icon in the park from all my posts about her. . LOL while eating, a few more characters came out from backstage and walked over to the meet and greet - including the rarely seen Speedy Gonzales. . so I went back across to get a pic with Luchiador Speedy, Devil Sylvester and Frankenstein Yosemite Sam Sylvester loved my "hair". . but Sam pointed out it matched his Moustache. . so of course! by the time we were done eating, it was time to head over to Rockville for our lights on tour of "Stranger Things" - one of the two new IP houses this year at the park. and hey. . Jorge was waiting to guide us on this tour! (along with the head Lights/effects guy who sets up the houses, who hosted a short Q&A after our walk thru) normally no photography is allowed in the houses, but we were told it was ok to take pics, and/or record, as long as we did not stop, as we were "conga-lining" thru the house. I didn't mind at all - if there's one thing I'm good at? taking pics while walking and having them come out decent it really didn't look that much different at night, only darker, and harder to see some of the really nice details they put into it. there was a huge lack of scare actors in here, tho - they were only allowed to do certain things, so other than the stuff you're seeing in these pics (several of which ARE animatronic and moved at night), other than one or two actors on stages away from the attendees - this house really has no scare actors in it. they are going for atmosphere. it looked great, but was really rather dull, and ranked lowest on my list of the 6 houses - even below all the on property houses such as Slaughterhouse & the Puppet Theater (which both were great). I'd even rank this as below the two outdoor mazes (think they are called scare zones) - but which are long, and were stuffed with scare actors. anyways, here's the "Stranger Things" house: just look at that silly hat! (I'm still waiting for one of my friends to photoshop a butcher knife into Jorge's hand) after an interesting Q&A, we were led thru the park to the other new house for a walk thru: the Conjuring House. It's in Crackaxle - in the location where the old "Buried Alive" house was, so they had a lot of space to work with. we passed by the recently opened, brand new, Daily Planet store - which now serves as not only a gift shop (with A/C !), but also the ride entrance to Superman Krypton Coaster, and the ride Exit for Supergirl skyflight (the starflyer). yeah. . it made traffic in the store a bit nuts when we rode a little later. . so they might need to work on the register layout a bit to tweak traffic flow. under the awning - which is one of my favorite parts of Frightfest at SFFT - many of the pumpkins light up. and these pumpkin towers are amazing. there are several of them thruout the Crackaxle section. yay! Iron Rattler is back up and running (but sadly Roadrunner was down for scheduled maintenance). the DC Universe section is looking fantastic, even if much of it is not back open yet. . but at least Green Lantern (the old Zoom Jets) is now back open outside of the construction walls. I seem to have snapped no pics as we went by - probably out of sadness of the giant paper-weight that is Kid Flash (many of the light panels seem to be missing now too, and they aren't even running the lights. I'll be shocked if it's still there in 2025 season). on to the other new IP house - and 100% the BEST house in the park: The Conjuring Universe. seriously, this house is fantastic, and absolutely worth the cost of admission. I walked thru during the day (as seen in these pics) and they STILL got me with some excellent jump scares, and over a dozen scare actors in multiple rooms. so, so good, and I'd say the gold standard. if you want no spoilers, skip to the next post, as the rest of these are pics from the Conjuring House. and with that. . (I was impressed), we moved on to our first reserved show seating. . . next post.

^ Makes me sad that many families will put themself into that position of income (i.e. poor house), once they start planning and paying for their WDW trips.

Ah. I had a reading fail. I missed the part where you were pregaming. Your choices make sense. I think out of all of the canned cocktails I tried I didn't mind the mules. I've seen them, but I haven't had a Beat Box. Sounds like I was way ahead of my time when I used to pour Vodka directly into the Boone's Farm bottles, at an undisclosed age.

I went to SFStL for the first time this past weekend. Um, quick question, but why so so many people whine about this park? It's GREAT! I had a blast all day long! The Boss - Holy crapola, maybe it's because I had bottom-of-the-barrel expectations from hearing nonstop bitching about how rough this ride has become, but goddamn this is one of the most balls-out coasters I've ever been on. This thing just RRRRRRRRRIPS through the course and tells the passengers to hold the hell on. I truly, 100%, unironically, LOVE this ride. Love love love. Give me more. The morning rides were exceptionally fun because they still had the sprinklers going during the post-MCBR turnaround. I was hooting, hollering, and laughing the entire ride every time. My only complaint is the queue being nothing but uphill ramps for five miles. Other than that, no notes. 10 laps. Mr Freeze - D-D-D-DAYUM!!!!! I've never been on a Freeze before (the one in Texas was dead when we visited) and holy hell what a fun ride! Surprise airtime kicks all throughout the course, the spike is wacky, the launch is punchy, and the track switch in the station is a hoot! 7 laps. American Thunder - Not great, not terrible, extremely mediocre but still cute and fun enough. 1 lap. Screamin Eagle - Classic woodie that's gotten a little worse for the wear over the years but I still had a blast flying through the woods! 3 laps. Would have been more but it's in the worst area of the park to walk back to over and over and I just wasn't feeling it. Ninja - Ow. 1 lap. Batman - Mirror clone! Still a fantastic invert, even if it has been cloned all over the world a thousand times. It's always worth the ride. 1 lap. Boomerang - Pass. Pandemonium - Zippy little spinner, fun enough but nothing amazing. We hardly spun for the first half but realllllllly got moving for the second half. We hit the brakes and kept spinning like a teacup for a while until we moved far enough ahead to catch the reset bar. 1 lap. River King Mine Train - I love me a good, classic mine train. While this one isn't big or fast it has heart. I loved the terrain style layout. 2 laps. Rookie Racer - Cute little ride for the young'ns but nothing noteworthy for adults. I really got tired of listening to the revving engine sound effect that plays near nonstop while waiting for Joker. 1 lap. Joker - Fun, but without the funhouse queue operating. The views from this ride, though, holy cow. Supergirl - I've been on a bunch of Enterprise-style flats, this is my first time in the open-air style seats. Fun, though hardly a thrill, and over-engineered compared to a classic Enterprise. Justice League - It broke as soon as we left the loading area. Sat there for about 10 minutes, then rode half of the ride with the lights on. No offer to re-ride with show lighting, no desire to try again. SkyScreamer - I love Sky Flyers. This is yet another one. Catwoman's Whip - Closed most of the day, when I saw it operating it already had a 45-minute wait and I really didn't care enough to wait. Seriously, people, this park is a lot of fun. It certainly isn't the greatest but it is FAR from the worst.

This is a great replacement to what was there. I wonder if Williamsburg adds one of these now to replace Battle of Eire.

I think the industry is trending more towards "what the f*** is going to happen in the next 6 to 18 months? We better stop spending money now and do everything we can to cut costs just incase because it aint looking good", and sprucing up a previously existing family area is just a convenient low cost maintenance project that they can market as a new addition. Also I loved Jungala so any signs of life back in that area of the park are welcome.