Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[Vonni 1]

This is the exact point where "It would be nice to get a bobsled coaster" gets all scrambled up and birthed 10 pages later into "I heard SDC is getting a bobsled coaster."

 

I can even envision SDC's new construction chatter five years from now where people speculate over SDC's long rumored bobsled coaster installation.

 

 

 

[sdcfan88 7]

SDC just announced their 2017 season. No new coaster announcement so it is indeed for 2018. A revamp of their main festivals will be the core focus for 2017. There is also an expansion on their lighting displays for the Christmas Festival along with staying open for New Years. The theme for the season will be a special celebration of food and crafts along with a new "Festival of Wonder."

http://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/2017?cid=smc_000187

 

 

[prozach626 129]

I glanced quickly and saw "Craft" and my mind instantly went to beer... Then I remembered that we're talking about Silver Dollar City.

[Vonni 1]

The Festival of Wonder sounds cool

[ytterbiumanalyst 2]

I'm actually really excited about this! The website mentions an improvement in food quality and over 200 new food items, some seasonal. SDC's food quality is some of the best anywhere, but they have let it slip in recent years. World Fest offered a "dining around the world" pavilion that was always a must for me during that festival, but I stopped participating a couple of years ago when a particularly bad poutine was the last straw. Their skillets are still awesome, and the new Crossroads Pizza is great too, as is their barbecue. But there are some food items I just avoid, hamburgers in particular. They're just not very good, especially for the price (which is admitted much lower than most theme parks, at $9).

 

I'm glad to see them paying attention to the food and shows, which along with the cave have always been this park's bread and butter. The rides are a bonus; this is a park that you can go to and ride nothing and have an awesome time. Looking forward to trying the new items and watching the construction for the 2018 coaster!

[A.J. 58]

Hooray for backstage / guest experience improvements!

[ElvisLuv 1]

I glanced quickly and saw "Craft" and my mind instantly went to beer... Then I remembered that we're talking about Silver Dollar City.

 

Yea, but this is made right up the road.

[ZambeziZinger 0]

I'm actually really excited about this! The website mentions an improvement in food quality and over 200 new food items, some seasonal. SDC's food quality is some of the best anywhere, but they have let it slip in recent years. World Fest offered a "dining around the world" pavilion that was always a must for me during that festival, but I stopped participating a couple of years ago when a particularly bad poutine was the last straw. Their skillets are still awesome, and the new Crossroads Pizza is great too, as is their barbecue. But there are some food items I just avoid, hamburgers in particular. They're just not very good, especially for the price (which is admitted much lower than most theme parks, at $9).

 

I'm glad to see them paying attention to the food and shows, which along with the cave have always been this park's bread and butter. The rides are a bonus; this is a park that you can go to and ride nothing and have an awesome time. Looking forward to trying the new items and watching the construction for the 2018 coaster!

 

Mexican is coming. Rumor is at Mary's Spring House

[ytterbiumanalyst 2]

I glanced quickly and saw "Craft" and my mind instantly went to beer... Then I remembered that we're talking about Silver Dollar City.

 

Yea, but this is made right up the road.

Yes, Mother's makes a lot of good varieties, but I do like the Loopty Loop a lot. 3 Blind Mice is another good one from them.

 

Springfield has three breweries. Springfield Brewing Company is the oldest of the three and for the longest time was only a brewpub. They've recently started distributing bottles through the local chain Brown Derby (owned by the same family that owns Bass Pro Shops). They do not distribute it to be on tap anywhere but their own place.

 

Mother's was the first brewery to target regional distribution, and you can find it on tap in a number of bars in Springfield. Branson has virtually no bar scene, and what there is essentially is chain restaurants like Applebee's and Red Lobster.

 

The newest one is White River Brewing Co., named for the river that flows through Branson and forms Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo. Their C Street Pale Ale is one of my favourites, as is Table Rock Red Ale.

 

If you like good eats with craft beer (i.e. you are human), then I recommend Black Sheep. There are two locations, one downtown on Walnut St. in Springfield's theatre district, and the other on the south side in Chesterfield Village, a walkable mixed-use development with a cool vibe of its own.

 

Moral of this story: Silver Dollar City closes early. Head to Springfield after hours.

[prozach626 129]

These beers are all worthless to me if I can't consume them immediately before entering the queue for Outlaw Run.

[ElvisLuv 1]

In local news, Fritz's Adventure has announced their grand opening:

 

http://www.fritzsadventure.com/

[ytterbiumanalyst 2]

Awesome, been waiting to hear an opening day. Good news; Branson needs this.

[BrianGC 0]

Has anyone on here ridden the "Runaway" alpine coaster that opened a couple of months ago? If so, how does it compare to others? How much of a crowd does it draw on a Saturday? I'll be checking it out this weekend while I'm in Branson for SDC.

[TrashcanMan 0]

Has anyone on here ridden the "Runaway" alpine coaster that opened a couple of months ago? If so, how does it compare to others? How much of a crowd does it draw on a Saturday? I'll be checking it out this weekend while I'm in Branson for SDC.

 

Interested to hear what you think - might check it out during the event next weekend.

[ZambeziZinger 0]

Has anyone on here ridden the "Runaway" alpine coaster that opened a couple of months ago? If so, how does it compare to others? How much of a crowd does it draw on a Saturday? I'll be checking it out this weekend while I'm in Branson for SDC.

 

Yeah I rode it Opening Weekend. I would put it in the same quality as the Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster.

Here's how I rank the ones I've ridden

 

1. Smokey Mountain

2. Goat Coaster

3. Runaway

4. Spirit Mountain (MN)

5. Gatlinburg

6. Snow Mt at Ober

[BrianGC 0]

^^I got a chance to ride Runaway on Saturday and really liked it! It was a little bumpy but it kept up its speed very well. I even felt a little bit of floater air in some spots. Crowds were very minimal, as I only had two people in front of me at mid/late afternoon when I rode it.

 

^I've actually ridden the same ones, and I'd probably agree with your ranking. It's been almost 3 years since I did the one at Spirit Mountain, though.

[JFrombaugh 0]

SDC_Project2018

Manufacturer: Mack Rides

Type: Xtreme Spinning Coaster (Custom)

Lift Height: 82 ft

Highest Drop: 105 ft

Max Angle of Descent: 49 degrees

Max Speed: 53 mph

Track Length: 3,150 ft

Inversions: 2 (Sidewinder and Inline Twist)

Ride Time: 2 min 20 sec

Min Height Requirement: 48 inches

Misc Features:

*Spinning cars themed to mine carts. 4 riders per car, 4 cars per train.

*LSM Launch (0-47 mph in 1.8 seconds)

*82 foot dual-platform elevator lift

 

So if this is in fact true, it sounds like this will indeed be like a cross between Cobra's Curse, Mystery Mine, and Verbolten. Doesn't say whether or not the cars will actually spin the entire ride, or if it'll have a backwards section or anything like that. From the sound of it, the silver mine theme won out in the polls, and I agree that was my favorite one too (though I have to admit the time travel one would've been pretty funny & amusing). Regardless, it sure sounds like it'll be an awesome family coaster that will fit in very well with the rest of the park's lineup! SDC is still a park on my must-visit list, so I guess I'll have to make the drive up to Branson in 2018 to check this thing out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..............PSYCHE!!! GOTCHA!!!

 

(Sorry, I couldn't resist, I'm getting bored here with the off season and the prospect of a fairly uninteresting 2017 season save for Wave Breaker)

 

Seriously though, I think something like this would be awesome, especially if the level of theming is as good as it seems like it will be...fingers crossed.

Edited November 21, 2016 by JFrombaugh

[ytterbiumanalyst 2]

So anyway....

 

Went to Branson yesterday. Fritz's Adventure is putting the finishing touches on their parking lot. They're supposed to be opening this weekend, but there's a lot to do still. Lots of people working, though, so hoping them the best! Will definitely be visiting once it's open.

 

Rode the Runaway. It was only my second alpine coaster, the first being at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, MN, this summer. This one is much faster and much more intense. It was fairly slow this afternoon, so I was far enough behind that I could go full speed the whole way, and it really felt wild going that fast. Two double downs produced airtime, and two helices (not a double helix, they're quite a ways apart) produce some pretty extreme laterals. Get down to Branson to ride this!

[Superbatboy 7]

So anyway....

[prozach626 129]

So anyway....

My thoughts exactly. Who does that?

[ZambeziZinger 0]

Found this photo update on the sdcfans website. A lot of work has been done since someone last posted photos

http://tinyurl.com/sdc2018update

[Shavethewhales 0]

This is a huge project. I know it's tough to get excited when it's not even for next season, but when the track arrives there should start tp be some serious hype around this ride.

[sdcfan88 7]

Does Mack use footers like that? I thought they used square ones which before seemed to be the case when they were framing them up to be poured.

[RyanTPM 0]

^They do, if you look at Cobras Curse for example, a lot of the footers look identical to those ones.

[ZambeziZinger 0]

This is a huge project. I know it's tough to get excited when it's not even for next season, but when the track arrives there should start tp be some serious hype around this ride.

 

Some parts have already arrived.