Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[The Great Zo]

"Qualified" and "contender" are not synonyms. When Terry Malloy said he could have been a contender, he isn't pining to meet the basic qualifications of a boxer. He means he had a good shot at winning, but Friendly's rigging the fight for financial gain ruined that chance. It's not a statement of regret, it's an accusation.

 

That's both one of the best analogies I've ever seen and kind of an indictment on the legitimacy of the GTAs.

[bluestreak]

Sorry to break into any discussion of next year's addition but I am visiting the park for the first time the second week of August, probably Thursday and Friday, and both days the park is only open until 7. What should I expect crowd wise and operations wise?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Welcome to the Ozarks! You're coming down the last week of summer, as most area schools go back the next week (hence why SDC ceases daily operations at that time). The week is likely to be quite busy, but SDC has a kind of strange clientele. They're not all there for the rides. A lot of people just come for shows, food, and ambience, and never ride anything. So even if the pathways are crowded, the lines could still be short.

 

Operations at SDC are among the best I've ever seen at any theme park. A lot of their employees are older and full-time and have been there for years. They depend a lot less on seasonal labour than a lot of parks do (though there still are a fair number of seasonal employees), so operations are more consistent.

 

Ride Powder Keg first. Its low capacity and low height requirement means the line is always the longest of any coaster. Go to the water rides next if you want to ride them; both Lost River and American Plunge get lines over an hour in the summer, easily longer than the coaster lines. Beyond that, you can really do what you want. Even Outlaw Run's line doesn't go over a half hour usually on summer weekdays. With two days, you'll have plenty of time to do everything.

 

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

[Nrthwnd]

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

 

Words worth repeating.

[bluestreak]

Welcome to the Ozarks! You're coming down the last week of summer, as most area schools go back the next week (hence why SDC ceases daily operations at that time). The week is likely to be quite busy, but SDC has a kind of strange clientele. They're not all there for the rides. A lot of people just come for shows, food, and ambience, and never ride anything. So even if the pathways are crowded, the lines could still be short.

 

Operations at SDC are among the best I've ever seen at any theme park. A lot of their employees are older and full-time and have been there for years. They depend a lot less on seasonal labour than a lot of parks do (though there still are a fair number of seasonal employees), so operations are more consistent.

 

Ride Powder Keg first. Its low capacity and low height requirement means the line is always the longest of any coaster. Go to the water rides next if you want to ride them; both Lost River and American Plunge get lines over an hour in the summer, easily longer than the coaster lines. Beyond that, you can really do what you want. Even Outlaw Run's line doesn't go over a half hour usually on summer weekdays. With two days, you'll have plenty of time to do everything.

 

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

 

Great thanks! Sounds a lot like Dollywood in terms of how the crowd spreads out.

[Chiselphane]

We've had some of our best visits on crowded days actually, it can't be stressed enough how many people just go for the shows so if you show up to a sea of people, don't automatically despair.

[Thunderhead01]

The station so far looks like Lightning Rods did at first. But with that much space it's very doubtful but I'm going to say a B&M Hyper or Wing coaster

[ytterbiumanalyst]

It's not a wing coaster. If you're looking from the front row of Thunderation, the top floor on the left side is the station platform, and there's a cutout for the track. Wing coaster track is bolted to the floor at the same level as the platform, not below the platform. This will be a ride above the track coaster.

[Thunderhead01]

It's not a wing coaster. If you're looking from the front row of Thunderation, the top floor on the left side is the station platform, and there's a cutout for the track. Wing coaster track is bolted to the floor at the same level as the platform, not below the platform. This will be a ride above the track coaster.

 

Didn't notice that so it could still be a hyper

[ytterbiumanalyst]

At this point, any design that has the riders above the track is a possibility. We simply don't know.

[Thunderhead01]

At this point, any design that has the riders above the track is a possibility. We simply don't know.

 

Good point by the way I'm going to SDC soon what's the have to do things at the park

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Top of this page.

 

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

 

Words worth repeating.

[Thunderhead01]

Top of this page.

 

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

 

Words worth repeating.

 

What about rides what are the have to do

[ytterbiumanalyst]

There's a ride at the end of the cave tour.

 

But seriously, this recent post pretty much explains it.

Welcome to the Ozarks! You're coming down the last week of summer, as most area schools go back the next week (hence why SDC ceases daily operations at that time). The week is likely to be quite busy, but SDC has a kind of strange clientele. They're not all there for the rides. A lot of people just come for shows, food, and ambience, and never ride anything. So even if the pathways are crowded, the lines could still be short.

 

Operations at SDC are among the best I've ever seen at any theme park. A lot of their employees are older and full-time and have been there for years. They depend a lot less on seasonal labour than a lot of parks do (though there still are a fair number of seasonal employees), so operations are more consistent.

 

Ride Powder Keg first. Its low capacity and low height requirement means the line is always the longest of any coaster. Go to the water rides next if you want to ride them; both Lost River and American Plunge get lines over an hour in the summer, easily longer than the coaster lines. Beyond that, you can really do what you want. Even Outlaw Run's line doesn't go over a half hour usually on summer weekdays. With two days, you'll have plenty of time to do everything.

 

And most importantly....

 

Take the cave tour.

 

Eat cinnamon bread.

[DoinItForTheFame]

What about rides what are the have to do

 

All of them.

[Chiselphane]

You can definitely ride everything in one day even if it's a bit busy so don't sweat the 'must do' too much. The advice already given is very sound, Powder Keg first and don't skip the cave. My recommendation would be to do the cave early before you're tired out from walking all day, but on the other hand the handheld lantern tour that is the last cave tour of the day is definitely worth it.

 

I would add that while probably not a 'must', Grandfather's Mansion is easily missed by new visitors. And try to take the time to notice the little things rather than rush from big ride to big ride, this park is packed with tons of details that are fun to discover. Figuring out how to set the ghost trap off, looking into peepholes, a talking bucket, etc

[prozach626]

How would crowds be around Saturday, May 6? We're still trying to figure out which park to visit within 5 hours of us.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Attendance will likely be high that day, as it's opening weekend of Bluegrass & BBQ. However, ride queues should be relatively short as most people will be there for food and shows. The buffets will have longer lines than the coasters.

 

If you do come to Branson that weekend, check out Copper Run Distillery. It opened in 2015, so it may be new to you. They have a tasting room. http://www.copperrundistillery.com

[Shavethewhales]

Bluegrass & BBQ is my second favorite time of the year. A lot of people like myself are there for the bluegrass. It's actually one of the best bluegrass festivals anywhere, though it's very spread out for better or worse. They bring in groups from all over, but Missouri has some of the best in the world. Not that much BBQ to be found though, but there are usually some great rib specials where you can get a huge plate of ribs in Red Gold Hall.

 

Graduations that weekend and the next will also help ease the ride-focused crowds.

[blakelemay23]

I'll be at the park tomorrow, first visit and 3rd RMC!

 

I hope they stayed with Mack and just changed the product to something like Helix or Blue Fire.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I'll be at the park tomorrow, first visit and 3rd RMC!

 

I hope they stayed with Mack and just changed the product to something like Helix or Blue Fire.

There haven't been any changes. They're building the same thing they started building last year. People keep guessing different things, but that's because none of us know anything about what it's going to be.

[blakelemay23]

Lol sorry, haven't been paying much attention to this project. Could of sworn it was supposed to be a Mack Extreme Spinner, but I guess it was just speculation.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Have, not of.

 

And yes, the prevailing speculation is a Mack Extreme Spinner. I haven't seen anything yet that contradicts that speculation, so it's still valid at this point. I'm expecting to be guessing on this all the way until August, when the park will reveal their plans. Here's what we actually know right now:

 

1. Roller coaster (per Silver Dollar City PR and observation of the construction area)

2. Largest expansion in park history (per Silver Dollar City PR)

3. World's first (per Silver Dollar City PR)

4. An above the track design (per observation of the station)

 

Everything else at this point is speculation.

[Stephen G]

pfft, the cinnamon bread is a ride, golden ticket award 2017 for best coaster is Cinnamon bread.

[DoinItForTheFame]

pfft, the cinnamon bread is a ride, golden ticket award 2017 for best coaster is Cinnamon bread.

 

Ha. . . Ha. . . Ha.