Shavethewhales

I was talking with one of the Flooded Mine workers and apparently a bunch of stuff suddenly decided to break all at once this week. They've already been constantly forced to do more with less every year. The park has had countless opportunities to replace the guns, sound system, etc, but they don't see the ROI in it, so they let it limp along. It's the Mean Streak treatment: let a formerly good ride slowly die until the guests forget what it used to be and are begging for a replacement. I mean, they practically hid it with the new restaurant setup. Didn't even give it a new sign. There's no way that was simply overlooked... Anyway though, Time Traveler was fun, but different than I thought it would be. Everyone seems to really enjoy it, so it's a definite hit for the park. It is the most gentle thrill ride ever built, but that's not a bad thing when they already have OR and Wildfire across the park. It's already having some typical opening issues though. It was down most of Sunday due to some kind of launch issue. Some riders were temporarily stuck on the launch apparently - nothing major and I don't think they were there too long. The restraints are also acting tricky - they keep not wanting to release on the unload platform, so they often have to pull into the station and reset some stuff to get people off. This slows everything down of course. I also took my annual Marvel Cave tour which always blows me away no matter how many times I've done it. I'll post some of my photos and more thoughts later.

The parks actually do have their own cinnamon bread recipes actually. From what I remember, DW's is bigger and has more brown sugar, whereas SDC's is a little bit more dense and has more cinnamon and glaze with primarily white sugar. It's been awhile since I've had the DW stuff though, so my memory is fuzzy, but it was definitely different.

Its certainly a paradox of a coaster that is confusing to set expectations for. It looks very much like an extreme thrill coaster, but seems to actually provide a family-friendly ride experience if you can handle the drop and loops. Usually you would see parks wanting either something that is obviously gentle or obviously extreme, but SDC took a gamble here and went with something they think will have lasting allure to a broader audience. I also think it's obvious that they went through several design iterations, as evidenced by some changes in the layout of the survey markers and other things early on. That's typically how projects like this go. It would not surprise me at all to learn that the original design was much more thrilling, but cost overruns and other factors made them move things around. The launch segments both seem like they were holdovers from an original design that used them perhaps more effectively. $26 million is a ton to spend for a coaster like this, and a lot of that went straight into the ground just to make the slopes stable. It's also clear from a lot of the GP response that they are under pressure here to convince riders that it isn't going to be an ultra-extreme spin-till-you-puke ride, while at the same time playing up how unique and record-breaking it is. What we are left with is a frankenstein of gentle and thrill elements, and somehow it seems to work out beautifully to create a distinct character for this ride that sets it apart and will have lasting value. There will be rides that follow this one that are much more extreme, but will they be as re-rideable, or have the same old simple fun factor?

Lol, yeah, crazy I know. After 13 years of discussing this stuff on here I probably should know that by now, but the whole live stream experience threw me off. Shoulda gone with the TPR stream.

Whew, I feel like even just the announcement was a roller coaster of emotions for me personally. The opening speeches were great. It was awesome to hear Brad go through the inspiration and story of the ride again. As I've said many times before, that's what sets this place apart and is what I love about it. So then I was thrown into some confusion and temporary let-down as the official SDC livestream guy wandered through the queue line, showing little more than blank walls and a couple of clocks before reaching the top level. AS IT TURNS OUT, he simply walked past a ton of theming THAT DOES IN FACT EXIST, but due to choppy service quality and the fact that he had the camera pointed on himself the whole time the viewer does not see it at all. I haven't had a chance to watch the TPR coverage yet, but I'll bet you guys show it off better. I was seriously thinking the station building was basically empty at first, and it turns out there's a lot of cool stuff! The spinning gears in the loading deck and the spinning sign are amazing! It sounds like the ride is a huge hit as well!

Wow, going through Jan. 5th is interesting. I wonder who is in Pigeon Forge around then? Late family Christmas parties? I'll be interested to see how that works out. SDC was open for NYE last year for the first time, but it was 20 degrees with possible winter precipitation, so they had a turnout of around 100 people...

To be sure, I do understand the position these parties are in, and I know how a death can throw a huge wrench in a project like this one. Overall their plans make sense and are apt for their situation. We've just lost so many classic coasters over the last 10-15 years that it's hard to stay positive anymore when one hangs in the balance. It has always seemed like a matter of time before they threw in the towel due to the low interest the park seemed to create in local patrons. Wooden coasters are expensive to keep running, and just like an old house there are so many things that pop up along the way that can make you regret your investment. We'll see though. I will try to hold out hope that everything goes through the way they planned it.

Yeah... they tried that in Branson and it didn't go over so well. It takes a LOT of new visitors to make a second park work, otherwise you are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Plus, a lot of that extra 100 acres is incredibly difficult to build on, right? Just look at how finangled this addition is going to be. You have to walk through a bunch of switchbacks to get up to it, and it's twisted around a gully. It's taking them an incredible amount of earth moving to get even this much space opened up. They are no stranger to it at this point, but they can't level the whole place out.

Woof. Not looking good. I mean, it's good that they are getting back on track and have a vision for the property, but there's no mention of the coasters in that statement and they've now been sitting idle for two years. Wouldn't surprise me if they finally get around to focusing on the coasters and find that it will cost too much for them to re-open and maintain them in the grand scheme of what they are focusing on now. I don't want it to happen, but I've been around this too much that I'm pessimistic. Too much time spent closed is bad for wood coasters.

Look at the big colored tube thing, see how it follows the same path as the vekoma sketch that chickenbowl just posted? The colored tube is the ride envelope. It looks like they put it in these plans to show the area it will occupy as well as the noise it will create. I assume the colors correspond to noise somehow? This was presented at an environmental hearing, right? That would explain why it's been presented like this.

It really looks like a suspended coaster to me. The "mystery structure" looks like part of the station. Maybe the fans blow something at the riders (snow?). It would be weird if they are actually building a tunnel around it, but crazier things have happened. The "enclosure" might just be the ride envelope? I know we've seen it on other coaster blueprints.

Ah man, the actual blueprints deflate the earlier reports just a bit. So the pendulum ride is not a frissbee, but a pirate ship. And the coaster isn't indoors, that's just the ride envelope or something shown around it. It actually looks like a family suspended? Lots of interesting stuff here though. Some good family rides. Hard to deduce the theme.

INDOOR ROLLER COASTER!? Consider me PUMPED. I love indoor coasters, and DW/SDC have such an awesome track record of intensively themed indoor attractions. This is awesome news. Also glad to hear of a frisbee coming to the line up. Solid additions. The indoor play area confirms that this will indeed be part of DW's take on Fireman's Landing at SDC. I knew that was going to be worked in somewhere, they are always predictable in that. And if DW is getting a new indoor coaster, that means SDC will get one down the road too!

Wow, I really didn't think they would pull off a coaster, but that will be a good fit for them. Has anyone been by the property? Are they building any permanent structures such as bathrooms, or is it just going to be completely fair style? The fact that they are making a big permanent sign is a good... sign. The new water park/white water course is a whole different league though. That is seriously a huge game-changing proposal, and I will be watching closely for news about the meeting tomorrow.

Well that makes a lot more sense. I completely forgot that there was an SDC that made roller coasters. I was thinking it was a pinfari. Still not hopeful for them to bring in a roller coaster though. Hard to tell what is going on with the project, but their social media presence and branding makes me believe this isn't a hugely experienced operation. They already had to change their name shortly after announcing due to an apparent trademark complaint. Again though, it sounds like it could be interesting and I hope it leads to something bigger and permanent. In other news, we are less than two weeks away from opening day!

That new amusement "park" is merely some fair rides that are going to be parked there for a year. SDC does not have a windstorm coaster. CC had one, but they sold it to Glenwood Caverns after it closed. I think it will be a cool spot, but think closer to Trader Village than an actual amusement park.

I love the blog lately. Both SDC and DW have finally figured out how to make their blogs relevant again. Themeing looks nice so far. Looking forward to the "clock shop" downstairs. I hope some stuff makes it to the outside of the building as well. Been looking a little sterile out there now compared to the "old" SDC areas where stuff was strewn about whimsically. I'm sure its a work in progress at this point though. How many of us are set to be there opening weekend/day? I'm planning on being there for the weekend. They are still not specifically saying that Time Traveler will be open for spring break, but I've also not seen any indication that it won't be.

I don't mind Dragon, but I wouldn't notice it gone either. The Underground is awesome though, and I doubt it would be replicated with anything modern. It is one the main reasons I'm debating driving 8 hours up there again this year. It's such a cool concept and so unique. A modern dark ride would be nice for the park, but there's no reason to make it at the expense of one of their most interesting rides. I have a feeling that the next major addition/replacement will be the removal of the Splash Over for something new. Those rides never last.

Yay, it's something. Probably a detailed explination of why they've decided to not re-open any of the rides and will be converting it all to ball fields... Not to be too pessimistic, I just have a feeling that with so many rides gone the rest of this house of cards will fall, despite the original intentions.

Silver Dollar City hasn't had the same issues with the water, even on an older version of the ride and winters that are just as cold... I think it was mainly a maintenance decision. Water is hard to manage and is causes a lot of deterioration that you have to stay on top of. Additionally, Flooded Mine is/was full of animatronics and an old-fashioned gun/target system that is/was tough to keep in working order. DW has always been quicker to say out with the old and in with the new whenever they want to "upgrade". SDC seems to be showing signs of getting ready to get rid or completely rebuild their version. I've also heard they had issues with snakes, which may have been the real final straw. I think we discussed it on here before, but I'm not sure how to look back through hundreds of pages to find it. Great photos though, thanks for sharing! Love the old photo of Pigeon Forge's main strip.

Well, every other coaster since Powderkeg has it's own recorded song - even RiverBlast has it's own song. They even put together a bunch of soundbites and stuff for Fireman's Landing. I'd say there's a good chance they've got something worked up in that department. Did you guys realize this thing opens next month? Time is flying...

It's a little late to change the marketing, lol. I think our fears of people being scared off are probably overblown. Especially now as they post more videos - even the GP can see for themselves that it's not that intense. It's going to be a fun looping coaster with a few twists. Plus you have to remember that it will vary with different loadings. Even with a heavy control on the spinning, each ride will be unique.

It's going to be a big hit for them. There are a few nice Christmas events around, but not as many as other metros. There's definitely a need and a large market for this. I think they will make some serious dough off of this, and hopefully that leads to some bigger attractions down the road. At some point they may as well rebrand the park as Silver Dollar City Oklahoma though, lol.

Sounds like a combo of she is getting old, and maybe opinions have shifted about her involvement in that specific parade in general. Whereas at one point they probably viewed it as an honor to have her, I could see how today's crowd might interpret it as attention hogging. Just perspective really. I think her getting older and not wanting to get out as much is probably as big a part of it.

I've probably said it a few times before, but I'll say it again: I am glad that they are still putting effort into the architecture of the park. The new buildings use the same stye of roofs and siding materials as the "old" SDC, and with similar details such as authentic props and painted signs that connect them to the city. It's a step above Six Flags or Frontier City where the buildings may have a bit of "theme" but never carry the same kind of ambiance. From what I can tell, the only structure of any "substance" that was removed recently was the old Poke Salad Mary's, which was rarely used and wasn't very big or auspicious. There is already another location for the big skillet, and I assume they'll probably add back food locations anyway. It's not like they tore through midtown. The new gift shop building looks pretty nice, and I've heard talk of them potentially adding a new restaurant or food stand of some kind to replace what has been removed. It should be a huge help for the park in general with much more room to move around. I expect to see them eventually clear out more all the way to Grand Expo and maybe even over to Fireman's Landing. That would give them a lot more room to absorb crowds going to the most popular areas of the park for kids activities. The other side of the park is hillier and has more substantial structures in place, making it harder to clear out like this.