Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[CaptainUnknown]

May or may not be planning a trip to the Branson area in mid-late May (Between 20th-30th) how heavy should I expect the crowds to be? Especially for my favorite wooden (and maybe of all time) coaster, Outlaw Run? I remember when I visited in mid-June 2013, all rides except Powder Keg were walk-ons or 1-2 train waits.

[PhantomPoster32]

Avoid Saturdays and you'll be fine. Sundays tend to be the better day to go. However if we have good weather again this Spring like last season it'll be busy.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

May or may not be planning a trip to the Branson area in mid-late May (Between 20th-30th) how heavy should I expect the crowds to be? Especially for my favorite wooden (and maybe of all time) coaster, Outlaw Run? I remember when I visited in mid-June 2013, all rides except Powder Keg were walk-ons or 1-2 train waits.

Awesome! That'll be during Bluegrass & Barbecue! You'll want to visit Red Gold Heritage Hall for lunch, next to Grand Expo. Just plan on that.

 

Memorial Day weekend will be busy, but outside of that, usually the spring's not bad. Area schools let out around Memorial Day, but it totally depends on winter weather. I couldn't tell you at this point what day my own kids will be out of school.

 

Keep in mind that with Silver Dollar City, the park can be very crowded yet ride queues are short. This is especially true during their music festivals, as a lot of people are there for the shows. Go to Powder Keg, Lost River, and American Plunge first; those three are the only ones that ever get hour-plus lines.

 

Outlaw Run is very reliable these days, and consistently has waits of around 15 minutes. The park has learned to control the beast, and they are excellent at operations. They may be assigning rows, but you can always request a specific row. You want the front row of the last car for amazing air over the first drop and amazing hang time on the barrel rolls, and you want the front for amazing air everywhere else.

 

Last, and most important of all, go through the cave. Even if you've done it before. Plan an hour of your day for that. The cave is the soul of the park, and it's the thing that ties the theme together. People miss that and assume the theme is "the 1880s." Not exactly. There used to be a real town on that spot in the 1880s, and the park's theme is based on the history of that very land. Not only is the cave beautiful; it shows you the real history behind the fictionalized one on the surface.

 

Enjoy Branson!

[PhantomPoster32]

It's quickly becoming the worst kept secret in the state, but 2017 will be a BIG year for the park. Budget for the new coaster is being mentioned/rumored at $35-40M. Local tour companies that line up school tours to Branson already stating that 2017 is THE year to visit.

[Kyle Coleman]

Going to be heading out to sdc for the first time in May and looks like I have enough time to spend two full days at the park. My question is is there enough to do there for two full days.

[ElvisLuv]

Going to be heading out to sdc for the first time in May and looks like I have enough time to spend two full days at the park. My question is is there enough to do there for two full days.

If you do the cave and most shows, yes. If you are there for mostly the coasters and some of the other rides, no. That said, considering Powder Keg's track record, you may need two days to get a ride in. Great fun if it's running, and do mean if it's running. It's a contrary SOB.

[PhantomPoster32]

It only has issues when it rains anytime during the day

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Going to be heading out to sdc for the first time in May and looks like I have enough time to spend two full days at the park. My question is is there enough to do there for two full days.

If you're going for the first time, and you can spend two days, you really need to spend two days. It can be done in one day, but two really helps you to pace and enjoy your time more.

[ElvisLuv]

It only has issues when it rains anytime during the day

 

Lot's of Showers in May and a heavy dew will screw it up. I've seen it down on perfectly fine days as well. It's a fantastic ride, love it, but it is what it is on reliability.

[Jaykethekid]

It's quickly becoming the worst kept secret in the state, but 2017 will be a BIG year for the park. Budget for the new coaster is being mentioned/rumored at $35-40M. Local tour companies that line up school tours to Branson already stating that 2017 is THE year to visit.

Dang, how do you get a hold of that info man! I hope it's really true, that could mean a wide array of possibilities for the park.

[PhantomPoster32]

When you know the right people and have the right "real world job" things sometimes things just fall into line.

Usally I just sit on the info when I hear it, but like I said, since the student group tour companies that line up trips with schools are already mentioning it - it's a pretty safe bet 2017 will be the year. The money portion comes from a contact at the park.

[coasterkid124]

I'm a bit skeptical about that number. 35-40 million even blows Fury 325 out of the water. I think for that cost it would have to be multiple large additions with a coaster (probably B&M) being the centerpiece.

 

I do believe that next year will be big though, and I hope that it's something very impressive.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I'm a bit skeptical about that number. 35-40 million even blows Fury 325 out of the water. I think for that cost it would have to be multiple large additions with a coaster (probably B&M) being the centerpiece.

 

It's called theming. If they are building a large addition, and it is very heavy themed, maybe a partly and/or mostly indoors coaster there is no reason it couldn't easily cost $35-40 million.

 

For comparison... If Mystery Mine at Dollywood were built in 2016 it would cost about $20 million. So if SDC is building a larger coaster than Mystery Mine and theming it as heavily (Which we know they most likely will) then it could easily cost $35-40 million.

 

I don't think we will see a "large addition with multiple coasters" for 2017 considering they just built Fireman's Landing, and that was a "multi-attraction" addition. I'm betting this will be a single coaster installation.

[coasterkid124]

I didn't say "multiple coasters" I said "multiple additions". That can be anything. Flats, restaurants, shops, etc. I get that they theme better than most chains, and extensively. But it's kind of hard to do if they plan on building something large, such as a hyper or invert. People won't really notice theming if they are zooming by at 50+ mph.

 

It's the same reason why Herschend hasn't been able to do much with Outlaw Run, Wild Eagle, or Lightning Rod. They can spruce up the station, add a pre-show, and make a nice little plaza, but not much else. I could very well be wrong, we're still a year away here, but I expect 2017 to consist of one big thing, surrounded by a new or refurbished plaza.

[DoinItForTheFame]

. . .People won't really notice theming if they are zooming by at 50+ mph. . .

 

What if it were a "Revenge of Mummy" style coaster? A lot of theming, that you don't zoom by at 50+mph. For the most part a fairly friendly coaster, yet still thrilling enough for coaster enthusiasts... oh, and cost about $40 million.

 

They don't have to build a 500ft tall, multi-looping, Aqua Trax as their next coaster. They could very easily build a ROM style coaster. It would be a great addition to the park, and it would fit in the price range... and would fix the problem of people of not noticing the theming because they are zooming by at 50+ mph.

[PhantomPoster32]

I'm assuming the budget is for the entire area. So shops, infrastructure, clearing. It's going on the side of a massive hill so I imagine that played into the extra cost.

[chickenbowl]

I'm assuming the budget is for the entire area. So shops, infrastructure, clearing. It's going on the side of a massive hill so I imagine that played into the extra cost.

 

Do you know the possible location inside the park? Or any info on what type of coaster it may be?

[PhantomPoster32]

If you go off the latest word backstage it is to go between PK and Wildfire but I don't have any hard evidence to back that up. I'd say until ground is broken over there, location should be treated as "up in the air"

 

Another thing that is uncertain is type. It's pretty well known that it is a B&M but conflicting reports on what type. My safe guess is wing rider but who knows for now.

[chickenbowl]

If you go off the latest word backstage it is to go between PK and Wildfire but I don't have any hard evidence to back that up. I'd say until ground is broken over there, location should be treated as "up in the air"

 

Another thing that is uncertain is type. It's pretty well known that it is a B&M but conflicting reports on what type. My safe guess is wing rider but who knows for now.

 

Interesting. Well I'm curious to see how they extend the layout beyond the midways like the other coasters.

 

Personally, if it's a B&M, I'm hoping for and Invert, Dive, or Hyper - not a Wing. It does seem like SDC and Dollywood have a tradition of taking the other park's new coaster and stepping it up a bit.

Thunder Express(1989) -> Thunderation(1993),

Tennessee Tornado(1999) -> Wildfire (2001),

Powder Keg(2004) -> FireChaser Express(2014),

Outlaw Run(2013) -> Lightning Rod(2016),

Wild Eagle(2012) -> Unknown(2017).

 

Hopefully this coaster is a better, more interesting version of Wild Eagle!

[Jaykethekid]

I think a dive coaster would do well. The general public love wildfire, so to them, a more extreme version of that which dive coasters kind of are, would probably do quite well. I'm sure a wing coaster would do fine but it's not too different than Wildifre other than the seating arrangement.

[baileybrucem]

I thought the general concensus was that the park is planning to get rid of echo hollow and make the Grand exposition seem less excluded from the rest of the park? They definitely have the room in that area and it would be a good decision adding ANYHING over there because it gets so crowded right by the train crossing! I love new rollercoasters as much as the next guy, but I definitely can't see them adding another coaster on the left half of the park, especially when powderkeg and wildfire leave so little room between them.

[PhantomPoster32]

^It was... then the park decided to invest a lot of money into Echo Hollow on upgrades so that they can bring in bigger names to perform.

[A.J.]

I think a dive coaster would do well. The general public love wildfire, so to them, a more extreme version of that which dive coasters kind of are, would probably do quite well. I'm sure a wing coaster would do fine but it's not too different than Wildifre other than the seating arrangement.

Yeah, Dollywood could get away with a wing coaster because they really didn't have a major multi-looper (Tennessee Tornado is a little obscure and not typical of a B&M looper like Wildfire, Kumba, etc). If Silver Dollar City were building a B&M they'd probably have to make it pretty different, like a dive coaster, inverted coaster or flying coaster. A wing coaster would probably still fit but it would need to set itself apart - either with a launch like Thunderbird (but that's stepping on Powder Keg's toes) or with wing coaster specific elements like keyholes and a dive drop.

[Jaykethekid]

I think a dive coaster would do well. The general public love wildfire, so to them, a more extreme version of that which dive coasters kind of are, would probably do quite well. I'm sure a wing coaster would do fine but it's not too different than Wildifre other than the seating arrangement.

Yeah, Dollywood could get away with a wing coaster because they really didn't have a major multi-looper (Tennessee Tornado is a little obscure and not typical of a B&M looper like Wildfire, Kumba, etc). If Silver Dollar City were building a B&M they'd probably have to make it pretty different, like a dive coaster, inverted coaster or flying coaster. A wing coaster would probably still fit but it would need to set itself apart - either with a launch like Thunderbird (but that's stepping on Powder Keg's toes) or with wing coaster specific elements like keyholes and a dive drop.

That makes me think. What does the park seem to have a gap in? I think an inverted coaster would work great as well. If it is an invert, wouldn't that probably mean it would be something along the lines of banshee size wise? That could work well for the park.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^B&M launched invert? Herschend likes to break new ground with the rides they put in their flagship parks.