Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[Jaykethekid 18]

^One can dream

 

Is this ride supposed to be bigger than Cobra's Curse?

 

I hope so especially with a year of hype.

No one knows for sure, but it's being hinted as their biggest addition ever.

 

Not sure how i feel about the wall being gone behind the logo. It looks nice, but at the same time a little empty. I couldn't tell in the photo, but is the area around the logo any different? I wonder if its to prevent crowd congestion through that old archway.

 

^When a park makes a minor decision to take something as insignificant as a wall down. This is how the coaster community responds, because we all know what's best for the park more than the engineers, designers, management, corporate finance, etc.

I wasn't saying that because "I know what's best", because I don't. All I was saying is that it's an unusual change that's gonna make the entrance area look very different. I was just trying to think of a reason why they'd do it. No harm in that

 

Back on topic, does anyone know if most Missouri schools are on spring break this week, or will be next week? I went on my spring break last year and we had about 1 hour waits on everything. From what I've heard from friends in the area, a few were off this week. Also, has anyone checked out the new taco restaurant? Saw a few photos of it online and it looks really good!

[bachir 0]

^One can dream

 

Is this ride supposed to be bigger than Cobra's Curse?

 

I hope so especially with a year of hype.

No one knows for sure, but it's being hinted as their biggest addition ever.

 

Not sure how i feel about the wall being gone behind the logo. It looks nice, but at the same time a little empty. I couldn't tell in the photo, but is the area around the logo any different? I wonder if its to prevent crowd congestion through that old archway.

 

^When a park makes a minor decision to take something as insignificant as a wall down. This is how the coaster community responds, because we all know what's best for the park more than the engineers, designers, management, corporate finance, etc.

I wasn't saying that because "I know what's best", because I don't. All I was saying is that it's an unusual change that's gonna make the entrance area look very different. I was just trying to think of a reason why they'd do it. No harm in that

 

Back on topic, does anyone know if most Missouri schools are on spring break this week, or will be next week? I went on my spring break last year and we had about 1 hour waits on everything. From what I've heard from friends in the area, a few were off this week. Also, has anyone checked out the new taco restaurant? Saw a few photos of it online and it looks really good!

 

I would also appreciate any insight into crowd levels this week. I can tell you the majority of MO schools are off this week and next week. We're planning a trip there next week but if its likely to be bonkers we may push to a later date.

[coasterbill 650]

You can keep an eye on wait times here.

[ytterbiumanalyst 31]

This week is spring break for Springfield Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Missouri. Weather this weekend is sunny and in the 60s. Expect huge crowds.

 

Next week is Spring Break for Joplin, the area's second largest school district. Crowds should be slightly lower than this week, with emphasis on the slightly. As usual, weekdays are better than weekends.

 

It should be noted that the entertainment options usually available are very limited during Spring Ride Days, so the prevailing wisdom that the park can be crowded and still not have lines doesn't apply at this time. Still, Silver Dollar City does a great job keeping lines moving, and I've rarely seen lines for any ride longer than an hour, even at busy times.

[prozach626 194]

You can keep an eye on wait times here.

Lost river of the Ozarks has no wait! Nice!

[JFrombaugh 0]

Does anybody else think the Time Traveler theme (if it is not in fact being used for this new 2018 coaster) would fit in very well with something like an S&S El Loco, possibly indoors? I could see there being something like the first drop being themed to a "wormhole" or something, and then when you go past some obvious cardboard cutouts of Roman architecture on the block brake runs you realize that you've been "taken for a ride", both figuratively and literally.

 

One of my fears is that, if this is in fact going to be a spinning coaster with similar stats to Blue Fire as the rumors suggest, you could end up going too fast while on the coaster itself to really appreciate the theming, especially the "fake time travel" storyline. For this reason I'm really hoping that there will be at least a couple of slow themed sections a la Mystery Mine/Verbolten, or maybe even something like a midcourse elevator lift thrown in.

[ElvisLuv 2]

This week is spring break for Springfield Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Missouri. Weather this weekend is sunny and in the 60s. Expect huge crowds.

 

Next week is Spring Break for Joplin, the area's second largest school district. Crowds should be slightly lower than this week, with emphasis on the slightly. As usual, weekdays are better than weekends.

 

It should be noted that the entertainment options usually available are very limited during Spring Ride Days, so the prevailing wisdom that the park can be crowded and still not have lines doesn't apply at this time. Still, Silver Dollar City does a great job keeping lines moving, and I've rarely seen lines for any ride longer than an hour, even at busy times.

 

All schools in NWA are out as well. Very large school districts.

[ytterbiumanalyst 31]

Cool, thanks. I don't keep track of the Arkansas schools.

[MrFurious 0]

This week is spring break for Springfield Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Missouri. Weather this weekend is sunny and in the 60s. Expect huge crowds.

 

Next week is Spring Break for Joplin, the area's second largest school district. Crowds should be slightly lower than this week, with emphasis on the slightly. As usual, weekdays are better than weekends.

 

It should be noted that the entertainment options usually available are very limited during Spring Ride Days, so the prevailing wisdom that the park can be crowded and still not have lines doesn't apply at this time. Still, Silver Dollar City does a great job keeping lines moving, and I've rarely seen lines for any ride longer than an hour, even at busy times.

 

All schools in NWA are out as well. Very large school districts.

 

When you say NWA, do you mean this week or next?

 

Also, Springfield isn't the largest school district in Missouri. Though it clearly is the largest of importance in the area. That "honor" belongs to KC, then STL city, then Francis Howell in St. Charles. I work for the FHSD...and our spring break is next week. And...we're coming down worth another family. I'm expecting crowds. Thankfully I'm also going early June...when it should be somewhat quieter.

 

Either way...I'M HANKERIN' FOR SOME COASTERIN'

[ytterbiumanalyst 31]

This week is spring break for Springfield Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Missouri. Weather this weekend is sunny and in the 60s. Expect huge crowds.

 

Next week is Spring Break for Joplin, the area's second largest school district. Crowds should be slightly lower than this week, with emphasis on the slightly. As usual, weekdays are better than weekends.

 

It should be noted that the entertainment options usually available are very limited during Spring Ride Days, so the prevailing wisdom that the park can be crowded and still not have lines doesn't apply at this time. Still, Silver Dollar City does a great job keeping lines moving, and I've rarely seen lines for any ride longer than an hour, even at busy times.

 

All schools in NWA are out as well. Very large school districts.

 

When you say NWA, do you mean this week or next?

 

Also, Springfield isn't the largest school district in Missouri. Though it clearly is the largest of importance in the area. That "honor" belongs to KC, then STL city, then Francis Howell in St. Charles. I work for the FHSD...and our spring break is next week. And...we're coming down worth another family. I'm expecting crowds. Thankfully I'm also going early June...when it should be somewhat quieter.

 

Either way...I'M HANKERIN' FOR SOME COASTERIN'

You'd think KC and STL would be the largest, but they both split their special ed departments into a separate district. The largest in Missouri in order:

 

1. Springfield (25,670)

2. St. Louis (24,496)

3. Rockwood (21,931)

4. North Kansas City (19,984)

5. Ft. Zumwalt (18,289)

6. Hazelwood (18,193)

7. Francis Howell (18,104)

8. Lee's Summit (18,073)

9. Columbia (17,963)

10. Parkway (17,764)

 

https://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/District%20and%20School%20Information/District%20Enrollment%201991-2016.xls

[ElvisLuv 2]

This week is spring break for Springfield Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Missouri. Weather this weekend is sunny and in the 60s. Expect huge crowds.

 

Next week is Spring Break for Joplin, the area's second largest school district. Crowds should be slightly lower than this week, with emphasis on the slightly. As usual, weekdays are better than weekends.

 

It should be noted that the entertainment options usually available are very limited during Spring Ride Days, so the prevailing wisdom that the park can be crowded and still not have lines doesn't apply at this time. Still, Silver Dollar City does a great job keeping lines moving, and I've rarely seen lines for any ride longer than an hour, even at busy times.

 

All schools in NWA are out as well. Very large school districts.

 

When you say NWA, do you mean this week or next?

 

Also, Springfield isn't the largest school district in Missouri. Though it clearly is the largest of importance in the area. That "honor" belongs to KC, then STL city, then Francis Howell in St. Charles. I work for the FHSD...and our spring break is next week. And...we're coming down worth another family. I'm expecting crowds. Thankfully I'm also going early June...when it should be somewhat quieter.

 

Either way...I'M HANKERIN' FOR SOME COASTERIN'

 

They are out this weekend (18th) thru next (25th)

[ytterbiumanalyst 31]

Today I took my son to Silver Dollar City. It's his last day of spring break, and he has been feeling the offseason as badly as a lot of us have. The weather forecast was utterly perfect: 60s and scattered showers! Just the sort of forecast to keep people away and yet be an absolutely fantastic day.

 

Let's get the negatives out of the way: Powder Keg and Firefall were closed all day for mechanical issues. But Powder Keg is often iffy on rainy days, and Evan is now tall enough for Outlaw Run, so it wasn't as big of a deal today as it would have been last year at this time.

 

We started off the day with Fire in the Hole. I kind of let him lead me in the direction he wanted to go, and that's where he ran first. Crowds weren't going to be a problem today (don't expect the same this weekend), so it just became about what he wanted to do. After not riding a coaster for several weeks, I thought it a good idea to do a smaller one first. He may be a fan of Outlaw Run, but he's also 7.

 

Speaking of Outlaw Run, that is where we went next. He knows the way and will often lead me in that direction if we get anywhere near it. I think it's safe to say it's his favourite roller coaster. After two laps on it, we went over to the Giant Barn Swing. He didn't like it when we tried it last year after he hit 48", but he was staring at it and saying "Woohoo!" He's not very verbal, so I kind of have to interpret things. I asked him if he wanted to ride the giant swing, and he ran toward the entrance, so I guess we're doing this. He was pretty enthusiastic until we actually sat down on the ride. Then he shook nervously and held my arm. It apparently wasn't quite what he thought it would be. Still, cool for him to be willing to try it again. It's one of my favourite flats, but I'll admit it's intense, especially for a 7 year old.

 

It was time for a break, so we got lunch. He had a Nathan's hot dog and I a pretzel bratwurst, which is new this year and which I forgot to take a picture of. It was great--go get one. They're sold at the Carousel Barn, next to Tom & Huck's River Blast.

 

Speaking of which, SDC is making a big effort to improve food service this year, and in fact is advertising this season as the Year of Food and Crafts. It's been a sore spot with a lot of longtime guests who remember the park of the 80s and before. Food was always cheap and high quality and in fact was a selling point for a lot of people. As the park grew, they turned to higher capacity food service, and quality suffered. It's understandable, but food was always something they were known for, and fans of the park just hated to see it go to typical theme park quality. Crossroads Pizza was a great first step. It's a super high capacity restaurant with seriously good pizza. This year they're adding lots of new options at existing places, and adding a few new locations as well, including Percy's Southwest Grille in the former Mary's Springhouse. And don't worry, cinnamon bread is back and the same as ever.

 

And that's a nice segue back into the narrative, as we followed up our lunch with the very first cinnamon bread of the year. Mmm...cinnamon bread.

 

What was I saying? Oh yeah, I was telling you about my day. We followed up cinnamon bread by... Mmm...cinnamon bread.

 

Focus!

 

We went over to Thunderation both to ride the best non-Disney mine train in existence and also to check on the progress of what is apparently going to be called Wild Mountain, according to in-park signage. This thing is massive, and the station building is beyond belief. It's about the size of Banshee's station, seriously. There's been a lot of work on it already; the steel frame appears to be complete, and workers were putting up the wood frame while the park was open.

 

We finished up with the Grand Expo, Flooded Mine, and American Plunge. We were there about four hours all total and had a really great day to start out the year!

New look for the entrance sign

New food options at Wagon Wheel

It pays to be early

New food options at Lumberjack Camp

I love the little details all over the park.

All the water rides were open, although there weren't many takers.

We're making a left at the crossroads.

Lost River isn't testing; it's actually open.

The world's greatest flat ride.

Yes, Evan is literally skipping to Outlaw Run.

That's what I like to see!

Hey, some brave souls!

Very light crowds this morning.

Stop! Puddle time!

On to land some firemen. Wait, I think that came out wrong.

No fires falling today.

Where are we running to now?

The ball mess!

And now back to the front of the park.

Lots to see!

This is the new Percy's Southwest Grille, which has replaced Mary's Springhouse.

But we're in the mood for something else.

Come to me, my precious.

First cinnamon bread of the season!

And now for a perennial favourite classic attraction.

Wait! Who moved the entrance?

Aw, man, we can't look over the fence....

We did. Oops.

The switchbacks have been blocked off, replaced with a straight path with stairs.

And behind drop #1 is this lovely steel structure.

The steel frame appears to be complete, and they're adding wood frame now.

I totally believe this is the biggest addition ever. That area is HUGE.

More can be seen from the Echo Hollow Entrance.

And you can see a lot from the porch at the Culinary & Craft School building.

Construction photos obtained. Time for more rides!

Crowds had picked up a bit in the afternoon, but not by much.

Back in the square.

And we closed out our day with one of our favourites.

[cparkes92 0]

Wild Mountain will be a bigger project than Outlaw Run?

[prozach626 194]

Nice pictures. Thanks for the construction update. That station is gigantic.

[Jaykethekid 18]

Wild Mountain will be a bigger project than Outlaw Run?

From what the area looks like and the rumored cost, it will be much bigger. The park has said its gonna be their biggest investment ever, so its likely to be quite the project!

[DoinItForTheFame 25]

Thanks for the update!! Glad you guys had a good time at the park, and glad your son likes Outlaw Run!!

 

I cant get over how massive this project is, and that station is HUGE!!! I'm really looking forward to watching this develop over this season, and the next off season.

 

...The switchbacks have been blocked off, replaced with a straight path with stairs...

 

Part of me really hopes they leave it like this. One of the slightly annoying things about Thunderation is the long walk through all of the unnecessary switchbacks.

[Of Monsters And Men 0]

That wasnt annoying! If they want you to go the long way, then you have to go the long way. Some people really need the exercise anyway. When there are alot of people there, you would be glad they even had those to not let the line go past the sign.

 

Sent from my SM-S902L using Tapatalk

[ytterbiumanalyst 31]

Part of me really hopes they leave it like this. One of the slightly annoying things about Thunderation is the long walk through all of the unnecessary switchbacks.

Thanks, and I'm with you here. I don't think they've used those switchbacks in 15 years, or the one inside the station building om the lower level. Once they got Wildfire, the line just hasn't built up that far.

 

I hope the pictures get a sense of scale on this thing, but I really feel like you have to be there in person to appreciate it. Once you see how far back from the path this is, and then how much farther back it goes, you know this is something special.

[MidwestThemeParks 0]

...The switchbacks have been blocked off, replaced with a straight path with stairs...

 

Part of me really hopes they leave it like this. One of the slightly annoying things about Thunderation is the long walk through all of the unnecessary switchbacks.

 

I agree the switchbacks are unnecessary, but I feel like walking through the switchbacks is part of the tradition of riding TNT and I am actually sad that they aren't using them.

[Jaykethekid 18]

...The switchbacks have been blocked off, replaced with a straight path with stairs...

 

Part of me really hopes they leave it like this. One of the slightly annoying things about Thunderation is the long walk through all of the unnecessary switchbacks.

 

I agree the switchbacks are unnecessary, but I feel like walking through the switchbacks is part of the tradition of riding TNT and I am actually sad that they aren't using them.

I mean, the walk down those switchbacks was peaceful, and kinda made it feel that TNT was even more "out in the woods" than it is, but they're not needed now. Besides, it was more so a large ramp for high speed little kids to cut you in line than just switchbacks. But who knows, they could come back once the 2018 project is finished.

[Shavethewhales 0]

Excellent photos ytterbiumanalyst

 

Looks like they are focusing on the station since the park has opened. Some of that framing on the walls is new since opening day. I wonder if they'll wait until August to bring track to the site...

[Vonni 2]

The switchbacks may become part of the queue for the new coaster

[sdcfan88 14]

The switchbacks may become part of the queue for the new coaster

 

I had this thought as soon as I saw those pics. I too am betting it will either be the queue line or the exit for it.

[Voyager6442 0]

I'm thinking about going to the park on Friday, March 31, or Saturday, April 1, and I noticed that it is Young Christians' Weekend. Would anyone have an idea of how crowded the park will be? Thanks.

[coasterbill 650]

I noticed that it is Young Christians' Weekend

 

Isn't that every weekend at SDC?