Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[Kevin Long]

As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.

 

Kevin

 

Here's the thing about Flooded Mine's "glory days" - when you look back at the old pictures and post cards it actually looks a lot simpler than it does today. No one remembers how goofy the old mannequins were, and they added a lot of details throughout the years. There are still some employees there that put a lot of care and work into making it look as sharp as it can.

 

The switch-over to the shoot-out format added a lot of quirks and gags that people love, even if they don't enjoy the shooting. The real problem with it now is that they won't spend the relatively small amounts of money on small upgrades like replacing the gun system or things like sound effects that break. I worry that they are letting it slip more each year until it is "justified" to take it out.

 

The more I look back over old SDC history, the more I realize how much truly changes from year to year. It's not so much the change that is hard to deal with as the way things change. I know we're all worried that if they completely re-did the flooded mine it wouldn't have the hand-made details or the funny non-PC story lines. It would probably be some kind of generic mystery mine with projection screens and all that. Who knows though.

 

A renovation in the way of knotts would be well received by the park fans, but I'm not sure they think they would get the ROI without doing something big and gimmicky. They are smarter than we give them credit for most of the time though, so we'll just have to wait and see. Won't be long until SOMETHING is done though.

 

well - if done correctly and with SDC's usual level of care for the overall scheme, i would not mind a reboot. I just hate to see it slowly decay - if done in house and not as a bought upgrade from a production house or vendor, I am sure they would do something great. I am NOT a big fan of the projection screen dark rides.

 

Side note - for me the "pew-pew" sound during the entire ride really ruins the experience for me. maybe vibrating gun handles would be more pleasing to the ear.

I skip the gunplay on my rides -

 

Kevin

[Kevin Long]

Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -

 

I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.

most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.

 

any info would be much appreciated.

 

many thanks

 

Kevin

No, that's a good question. Season tickets are identical to daily tickets, just that slightly glossy paper. I keep mine in my wallet all year, and though they do show some wear by the end of the season, they've never become unusable.

 

very helpful thanks

 

Kevin

[DoinItForTheFame]

Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -

 

I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.

most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.

 

any info would be much appreciated.

 

many thanks

 

Kevin

 

We take a strip of packing tape long enough to cover the front and pack, and cover it in tape to look like it's been laminated. Without the lamination. (I believe they say don't laminate) it's worked like a charm for years for us. Keeps them fully protected.

[thrillseeker4552]

Wait, forgive me because I'm not too familiar with this park, but they don't give you little plastic card like Cedar Fair and Six Flags? Why? Keeping a piece of paper sounds like a pain.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Nope, no plastic card. It's paper. Because it's cheaper. SDC is a great park, but they don't actually have a whole lot of money, at least not by theme park standards. They cut corners where they can, they're just intelligent about it. Nobody's really going to care that the season pass is printed on paper, so that's what they do.

[Kevin Long]

Nope, no plastic card. It's paper. Because it's cheaper. SDC is a great park, but they don't actually have a whole lot of money, at least not by theme park standards. They cut corners where they can, they're just intelligent about it. Nobody's really going to care that the season pass is printed on paper, so that's what they do.

 

well I would prefer plastic, but I can completely understand the expense part of it. Even sturdier cardstock would be appreciated more than paper -- not to worry I will make do. they do seem to push the upgrade to season passes from your daily ticket much more than other parks do.

 

Kevin

[djcoastermark]

^ 2 easy solutions here. 1. Laminate it yourself or 2. wrap it in a strip of packing tape. Both are preserved, super cheap to do, and relatively waterproof. Problem solved.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Their season pass is super affordable too, $75 for kids and $85 for adults. You won't find this caliber of park for that cheao anywhere else. Not that I'm shilling for my local park, it just really is that good.

[Nrthwnd]

^ 2 easy solutions here. 1. Laminate it yourself or 2. wrap it in a strip of packing tape. Both are preserved, super cheap to do, and relatively waterproof. Problem solved.

 

Also, if you have any leftover name tag / event pass plastic holders (don't know how else to describe them) that is usually attached to a lanyard.....get rid of the lanyard, and cut the plastic to be even at the top, and then just insert your pass in that. It should work.

[thrillseeker4552]

Interesting. I guess I'm just surprised because Six Flags, which is largely considered the "cheapest" park/chain, even has plastic cards. They're super thin and flimsy, but they're still cards. I would expect them to cut corners before a high quality park like Silver Dollar City.

 

I don't intend to complain about it, because in the end it really doesn't matter (especially for that price!), but I'm just surprised. I would assume Dollywood does the same?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

SDC just cuts corners in different areas than Six Flags does. Six Flags only has season passes at the price point they do because of advertising, but they're also highly dependent on locals. SDC sells season tickets in the SWMO/NWAR area, but a lot of their guests are visitors to Branson. They're cognizant that Branson is a budget destination, and they price accordingly.

[RollerManic]

... why not just factor the unit cost of the card into the price of the season pass? ... I’d much rather pay a few bucks extra and have a plastic card than a paper one. I mean, really. We’re talking probably a couple dollars difference.

[ElvisLuv]

SDC just cuts corners in different areas than Six Flags does. Six Flags only has season passes at the price point they do because of advertising, but they're also highly dependent on locals. SDC sells season tickets in the SWMO/NWAR area, but a lot of their guests are visitors to Branson. They're cognizant that Branson is a budget destination, and they price accordingly.

 

 

Budget to a point, plenty of high end tourist folks as well. Add up the Springfield and Northwest Arkansas MSA and you have a local market of well over 1 million. Both areas are growing. The St. Louis Fed Reserve branch calls Northwest Arkansas their Gold Coast of the district.

 

Then when you add in the Fort Smith/River Valley, Little Rock/Conway, and Tulsa MSAs and the extended local market isn't as small as many assume. The only real close competition in those areas are Frontier City and Magic Springs. Outside of that, SIx Flags in STL and Dallas for all and Worlds of Fun in KC for NWA and Eastern OK.

 

Last I looked, if you add up the MSAs of Tulsa, NWA, Ft. Smith, Springfield, Little Rock, NEA, and smaller ones, it's well over 3 million.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

... why not just factor the unit cost of the card into the price of the season pass? ... I’d much rather pay a few bucks extra and have a plastic card than a paper one. I mean, really. We’re talking probably a couple dollars difference.

Because that couple of dollars will scare off a good number of people who otherwise would have bought the season pass. If you live outside this area, you don't understand how economically depressed it really is.

 

Missouri and Arkansas both don't provide a whole lot of services and have low tax rates. The people who move here generally like that and are choosing that situation. Those of us who grew up here may or may not favour it and may or may not have the means to be self-sufficient. The area is growing, and our median income is rising, but that's largely due to an influx of migrants from wealthier states such as California rather than an increase in wealth among those native to the Ozarks.

 

Budget to a point, plenty of high end tourist folks as well. Add up the Springfield and Northwest Arkansas MSA and you have a local market of well over 1 million. Both areas are growing. The St. Louis Fed Reserve branch calls Northwest Arkansas their Gold Coast of the district.

Being a budget destination doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who comes is poor. When you evaluate the Branson attractions, they are largely focused on value for money. There really aren't a whole lot of luxury attractions that would cater to high end tourists. So in this respect, the high end tourists are still focused on the budget aspect; they may just go to a few more attractions. Contrast this with, for example, Miami Beach, which does a lot to attract high end tourists. They're just different.

[legoerosion]

SDCfans has given us a few updates on Time Traveler!

 

The trains are currently on a slow boat from Germany.. they might be expecting testing around Christmas time or a little bit earlier!

 

Also.. SDC seems to be teasing something to do with Time Traveler in the next 3 days.. any thoughts?

 

Will add links when I can, currently out of town as I write this.

[SharkTums]

^Isn't it pretty assumed they will unveil the trains at IAAPA?

 

Especially with this Media Advisory: 11 – 11:30 a.m.: Mack Rides / Silver Dollar City / Herschend Family Entertainment, Booth 2269

[thedazza]

^Isn't it pretty assumed they will unveil the trains at IAAPA?

 

Especially with this Media Advisory: 11 – 11:30 a.m.: Mack Rides / Silver Dollar City / Herschend Family Entertainment, Booth 2269

 

Yes they will.

 

• Mack Rides will show off the ride vehicle for Silver Dollar City’s new Time Traveller, a complete-circuit spinning roller coaster.

[sdcfan88]

Here are my photos from the ACE Coaster Christmas event at SDC yesterday. For SDC/Time Traveler it was a mini recap of the media announcement followed by another construction site tour.

 

FULL ALBUM HERE:

 

 

[thrillseeker4552]

Nice photos! This thing looks awesome.

 

Will this run two or three trains? I assume two since I see two transfer areas, but it's hard to tell if one of them is "deeper."

[WOFanatic]

Nice photos! This thing looks awesome.

 

Will this run two or three trains? I assume two since I see two transfer areas, but it's hard to tell if one of them is "deeper."

It will run 3!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Very nice photos. I'm getting more excited about this. 3 trains will be fantastic, since this likely will have fewer passengers per train like Powder Keg does.

[sdcfan88]

Thanks all! Yes Brad himself said there will be 3 trains on this coaster.

 

In other news I just saw this on the MACK Rides FB Page. Looks like we got one of the Time Traveler cars in transit.

[ElvisLuv]

... why not just factor the unit cost of the card into the price of the season pass? ... I’d much rather pay a few bucks extra and have a plastic card than a paper one. I mean, really. We’re talking probably a couple dollars difference.

Because that couple of dollars will scare off a good number of people who otherwise would have bought the season pass. If you live outside this area, you don't understand how economically depressed it really is.

 

Missouri and Arkansas both don't provide a whole lot of services and have low tax rates. The people who move here generally like that and are choosing that situation. Those of us who grew up here may or may not favour it and may or may not have the means to be self-sufficient. The area is growing, and our median income is rising, but that's largely due to an influx of migrants from wealthier states such as California rather than an increase in wealth among those native to the Ozarks.

 

Budget to a point, plenty of high end tourist folks as well. Add up the Springfield and Northwest Arkansas MSA and you have a local market of well over 1 million. Both areas are growing. The St. Louis Fed Reserve branch calls Northwest Arkansas their Gold Coast of the district.

Being a budget destination doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who comes is poor. When you evaluate the Branson attractions, they are largely focused on value for money. There really aren't a whole lot of luxury attractions that would cater to high end tourists. So in this respect, the high end tourists are still focused on the budget aspect; they may just go to a few more attractions. Contrast this with, for example, Miami Beach, which does a lot to attract high end tourists. They're just different.

 

They move here because it provides a greater bang for their buck and there's plenty of opportunity to make a good living. You may be speaking for Springfield but you're not close to Northwest Arkansas. NWA is a baby Dallas Metroplex.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I'm not sure how any of that contradicts what I wrote. There's an economic divide here. You have a lot of very poor people and a lot of middle class. If you're a working class person with only a high school education, it's tough. It's not hard to find a job, but it is hard to find a good paying job. If you're working per hour, $15 is high here. Good luck trying to find $20. And you're going to be stuck there with no real chance at advancement.

 

You seem to be seeing the Ozarks from an outsider's perspective. People who move here are already ahead. Those opportunities are going to be there for them because they have the money and education to make it happen. You come from a blue collar family or a farm family, it's going to be tough for you. This isn't an area that creates opportunities. It has opportunities for those who already are ahead.

 

When setting your price, you've got to take the economy into consideration. SDC still has a large contingent of bobbie socks families who are there for crafts and gospel music. They don't want to alienate those people, who often are very price sensitive. When you're buying 10 season passes, you have to be. That's the reason season passes are less than most parks. It's the reason parkong is free. It's the reason you can bring your own food into the park. Yes, they're wanting to attract the new money here, but they have to keep their core audience too.

[ElvisLuv]

I'm not sure how any of that contradicts what I wrote. There's an economic divide here. You have a lot of very poor people and a lot of middle class. If you're a working class person with only a high school education, it's tough. It's not hard to find a job, but it is hard to find a good paying job. If you're working per hour, $15 is high here. Good luck trying to find $20. And you're going to be stuck there with no real chance at advancement.

 

You seem to be seeing the Ozarks from an outsider's perspective. People who move here are already ahead. Those opportunities are going to be there for them because they have the money and education to make it happen. You come from a blue collar family or a farm family, it's going to be tough for you. This isn't an area that creates opportunities. It has opportunities for those who already are ahead.

 

When setting your price, you've got to take the economy into consideration. SDC still has a large contingent of bobbie socks families who are there for crafts and gospel music. They don't want to alienate those people, who often are very price sensitive. When you're buying 10 season passes, you have to be. That's the reason season passes are less than most parks. It's the reason parkong is free. It's the reason you can bring your own food into the park. Yes, they're wanting to attract the new money here, but they have to keep their core audience too.

 

I live in Fayetteville.

 

I own land adjacent to Buffalo National River that didn't "get" water till a decade ago. I understand the economics well. I know how much the land in Newton Co. Arkansas can sell for. And... most importantly I know real honest to goodNess moonshiners that sell it in gallon milk jugs that act as poor as they can only to go out west and drop 10k on an Elk hunt when they aren't poaching the local herd. Plenty of methheads too.

 

But,...the fact of the matter is that the Ozarks are sparsely populated out side of the the MSAs.

 

REGIONAL RANKINGS

 

BEST CITIES TO LAUNCH A CAREER

 

Realtor.com in mid-2017 created a list of the 10 Best Cities to Launch a Career. Northwest Arkansas joined far larger middle America regions on the list, including Dallas, Kansas City and Nashville. Among the places listed, only Kansas City had a lower median home price.

 

BEST AFFORDABLE PLACES TO LIVE

 

U.S. News & World Report put Northwest Arkansas at No. 1 in its May 2016 ranking of the 20 Best Affordable Places to Live.

 

BEST IN THE U.S.

 

Lonely Planet, the world's largest publisher of travel-related books and guides, in February 2016 ranked Northwest Arkansas at No. 7 in its list of "Best in the U.S."

 

BEST CITIES FOR WHITE-COLLAR JOB GROWTH

 

Forbes and NewGeography.com ranked Northwest Arkansas at No. 3 among the nation's medium-sized cities for white-collar job growth in July 2016. The region ranked 16th among all U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.

 

BEST MIDSIZE CITIES FOR JOBS

 

Forbes ranked Northwest Arkansas at No. 2 on its list of Best Midsize Cities for Jobs in May 2016. All the midsize cities had 150,000 to 450,000 nonfarm jobs in their metropolitan area.

 

BEST-PERFORMING CITIES

 

The Milken Institute, which published a new report in December 2016, put the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area's economy at No. 30 among 200 large metropolitan areas. The region was especially strong in job and wage growth.

 

BEST PLACES TO LIVE

 

U.S. News & World Report put the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers (Northwest Arkansas) Metropolitan Statistical Area at No. 5 on its 2017 list of Best Places to Live. Northwest Arkansas ranked No. 3 in 2016.

 

BEST PLACES FOR MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES IN 2016

 

Only San Jose in California ranked ahead of Northwest Arkansas when it came to creating a climate for minority-owned businesses. Northwest Arkansas was No. 2 nationally, according to Fast Company and Nerdwallet.

 

BEST PLACES TO RETIRE

 

Money Magazine in 2015 lists Northwest Arkansas as one of 25 Best Places to Retire. Northwest Arkansas offers a wealth of year-round outdoor outlets.

 

BEST SUBURB TO PURCHASE A HOME

 

According to Realtor Magazine's June 2015 issue, Centerton in Northwest Arkansas was ranked by online publication Niche at No. 3 for best places in the nation to purchase a home with an average home price of $133,400. Niche recently ranked America's suburbs, factoring in home values, property taxes, housing costs, and age of new homebuyers.

 

FAMILY FRIENDLINESS

 

Researchers at Chapman University's Center for Demographics and Policy in California determined in a report that Northwest Arkansas ranked No. 1 in the nation in family friendliness. The report, called Building Cities for People and made public in January 2016, measured metropolitan areas in such categories as commute times, housing costs, income and migration.

 

FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY THROUGH 2021

 

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area (Northwest Arkansas) economy, according to a report by IHS Global Insight for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The report showed the region's economic growth rate will rank No. 5 nationally through 2021. Only four U.S. regions — two in Utah and two in Florida — are expected to see their economies grow at a faster rate. The 3.9 percent annual growth rate predicted for Northwest Arkansas will push the region’s economy past $30 billion. The report is available here, and Page 36 shows the expectation regarding Northwest Arkansas' future growth.

 

MOST ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2016

 

Northwest Arkansas is No. 7 among 18 regions that will see the most economic growth in 2016, according to research by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June 2015.

 

BEST PLACES FOR BUSINESS AND CAREERS

 

Forbes ranked Northwest Arkansas at No. 24 in its list of Best Places for Business and Careers in 2016. Criteria included labor supply, quality of life, college attainment, crime statistics, local college quality, and cultural and recreational opportunities. In the ranking, Northwest Arkansas was ahead of larger metropolitan areas, including San Jose, Orlando, Nashville and Minneapolis/St.Paul. Ranked No. 11 in job growth, Northwest Arkansas finished ahead of cities such as Denver, Dallas and Atlanta in that category.

 

CITY RANKINGS

 

BELLA VISTA

 

The city on the northern end of the Northwest Arkansas region was selected as one of the nation's 25 Best Places to Retire in 2017 by Forbes. The affordability of housing was a significant factor in the ranking.

 

BENTONVILLE

 

NerdWallet put Bentonville at No. 9 on its list of Best Small Cities for Families, publishing the list in October 2017. The online publication ranked cities with populations between 25,000 and 75,000 residents. Bentonville was the only Top 10 city that isn't a suburb to one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas.

 

National Geographic in May 2017 selected Bentonville as one of America's 20 Best Mountain Bike Towns. Mountain bike trails at Slaughter Pen in Bentonville, Lake Atalanta in Rogers and Mount Kessler in Fayetteville were mentioned as part of the recognition on National Geographic's website.

 

Thrillist in May 2016 put Bentonville in its list of "25 Best Small U.S. Cities to spend the weekend." Thrillist is a website focused on food, drink and travel.

 

Outside Magazine in March 2016 ranked Bentonville on its list of "28 Best Trips of 2016," noting the region's growing interest in and places for mountain biking.

 

Yahoo! Travel in June 2015 has identified Bentonville as one of 10 Newest Hipster Neighborhoods. According to Yahoo! Travel, great things are happening in some relatively unknown neighborhoods across the U.S. The opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 21c Museum Hotel, Scott Family Amazeum and the recent Bentonville Film Festival attended by many of Hollywood's royalty, has identified Bentonville as a hub for art and culture.

 

FAYETTEVILLE

 

Money magazine put Fayetteville and three other Northwest Arkansas cities in the Top 70 in its September 2017 ranking of Best Places to Live. Fayetteville led the way at No. 43, but Rogers (No. 45), Springdale (No. 58) and Siloam Springs (No. 68) were each ranked, too. The ranking was for cities with 10,000 to 100,000 residents.

 

The University of Arkansas System, which has the flagship University of Arkansas located in Fayetteville, was ranked at No. 65 in a list of the world's 100 top utility patent producing universities. The list was published in June 2015 by the National Academy of Investors.

 

Ranked by Southern Living at No. 11 in its list of The South’s Best College Towns, Fayetteville was cited for “a slew of music venues and bars” but also noted that Dickson Street is the “town’s life force on the weekends” and connects the University of Arkansas to “the revitalized downtown, where streets are blocked off on Saturdays for the 60-stall Fayetteville Farmers’ Market.”

 

Fayetteville was identified by Flipkey as one of Six Amazing Small Cities for a Family Vacation in November 2016. The other five were Chapel Hill, N.C.; Columbia, Mo.; Rockville, Md.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Sioux Falls, S.D.

 

Men's Journal identified Fayetteville as one of the Fittest Places to Live in America in 2015.

 

SPRINGDALE

 

WalletHub ranked Springdale as the nation's 17th on a list of the Fastest-Growing Cities in America among 515 cities evaluated in 2017. It sits at No. 6 among small cities. The ranking is based on 15 metrics and it gave the greatest weight to population growth, working-age population growth, and college-educated population growth over seven years.

 

Springdale sits at No. 45 on a list of America's 50 Best Cities to Live as ranked by 24/7 Wall St. The website evaluated 590 cities with populations over 65,000 residents. Data was collected in nine categories, including crime, health, housing and infrastructure

 

 

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY:

 

Travelocity recently released its new Beer Tourism Index, and Fayetteville, Arkansas (and our friends in the surrounding Northwest Arkansas area), hopped up onto the top-20 list in the large-metro category.