Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[The Yeti]

^ The original Jim Owens' Float Trip was designed and built in house, but Arrow was contracted to build the American Plunge sections in 1982. Finally, another contractor, and I'm not sure who, was brought in to build the tunnel in the 2001 renovation accompanying Wildfire. So what we have now is a beautiful hybrid.

 

I haven't heard about a 2001 tunnel renovation. I thought it had a re-purposed Jim Owens tunnel until 2005-ish when they replaced it with the current boring empty concrete tunnel due to structural issues. It's a shame they didn't use more of the old Jim Owen's flume. I think it's kind of funny how much of it is still just out there in the woods with in-tact theming and all. Without the old tunnel, it's a much more "blah" ride than any ride at SDC should be.

I may be misremembering then. I thought the new blah tunnel was built at the same time as Wildfire. The old Jim Owens tunnel was awesome. That ride was so much better before Wildfire.

 

I remember the old theming, too, and definitely wish SDC would add something to the tunnel. That part of the ride used to have some excitement to it and now it seems awkwardly silent with an annoying fake out water effect at the end (I think that was added at some point, too). As a kid, I remember being caught off guard and a little creeped out by the one or two "scenes." If I remember correctly, it wasn't too far off from what SDC has on The Flooded Mine, but on a smaller scale - but then again I could be confusing the two rides.

 

I haven't actually ridden American Plunge in a while, mainly because by the time I've wanted to ride it, the line is long and Wildfire's line is empty.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

The fake out water effect was always there. You just used to approach it from a different angle. That section from the fake out to the beginning of the lift is the only part of the original ride still left, although there used to be a drowning man animatronic in the middle of the whirlpool. They also still use the original Jim Owens station as an overflow queue.

[thrillrider]

Did there used to be a water ride where powder keg now sits? I thought I saw what looked like an old waterway next to the turn into powderkegs station.

[Norwegian coasterfan]

Did there used to be a water ride where powder keg now sits? I thought I saw what looked like an old waterway next to the turn into powderkegs station.

Yup, Powder Keg used to be a watercoaster

https://rcdb.com/1903.htm

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

Did there used to be a water ride where powder keg now sits? I thought I saw what looked like an old waterway next to the turn into powderkegs station.

 

EDIT: ^ ya beat me to it. Here's the info anyway for those who doesn't want to click the link.

 

Indeed there was. There used to be a premier water coaster called Buzzsaw Falls in the spot where powder keg is today. It only lasted from 1999 to 2003 and I believe it closed due to maintenance issues. A lot of Buzzsaw Falls was reused for Powder Keg from the crashed car on the roof all the way down to the lift hill on Powder Keg (and the big curve before that)

 

Here's a model:

[EliHorton]

OMG! I totally wish I could have ridden Buzzsaw Falls! Unfortunately I was only two when the Buzzsaw Falls closed in 2003 . I have a super old souvenir cup from SDC and on one side there is Buzzsaw Falls, the other side is Geyser Gulch, and on the other side is Thunderation. My mother said that Buzzsaw Falls was a blast when it was still open. Powder Keg is fun and all, but I really wish I could have experienced it. And I wish Premier built more of those water coasters.

[prozach626]

Very interesting to know about powder keg. I always thought the lift was weird compared to the launched area.

[jrd64fan]

Note: This was written on my phone.

For the past two days, I was at the park for the first time. It was a very nice park overall. I didn't dislike any major coaster or flat/water ride. I rode all the coasters, the American Plunge, the lost river, the flooded mine, and the barn swing.

Quick ride reviews:

Flat/water rides:

Lost River: Decent rapids ride, didn't get very wet

Flooded Mine: Nice shooting dark ride in boats (somebody call Cedar Point)

Barn Swing: S&S Screaming Swing with a short ride cycle. Fun, but short.

American Plunge: Just some theming and a really dark tunnel, I don't see...(drop happens)...well this is a really good...(KERSKLOOSH)...HOLY CRAP WHY AM I SOAKED I THOUGHT THAT WAS A LOG FLUME

Roller Coasters:

Kiddie Coaster: Remember when I said I didn't dislike any MAJOR coaster? Actually, it was just eh.

Thunderation: Good, fun, mine train. Great for views of Project 2018. One of my favorite mine trains.

Fire in the hole: Good "coaster"/darkride I sat in the front and wait why is the seat...

(KERSKLOOSH)...HOLY CRAP WHY AM I WET I JUST GOT DRIED OFF FROM THE LOG FLUME I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS A WATER RIDE

Powder Keg: Fun launched coaster with good airtime that is relatively smooth.

Wildfire: Fun B&M sitdown coaster that is very smooth if you sit in the middle of the train.

Outlaw Run: Great RMC. Fun. Fun. Fun. Front is smoother but back gets great airtime. Rerideable. Did I mention it was GREAT.

[Nrthwnd]

The model looks like a cake.

 

 

(then)

[robbalvey]

Outlaw Run must've had its seat belts drastically shortened. For me, the seat belts were a good 5" too short to latch. I'd understand not fitting if I gained weight, but I haven't. I still easily got a green light on the lap bar and I fit in all the other rides the same I have been for years. Saw many people get denied from riding. Talked to one person on the train who may have been 5'8", 185 lbs who said he couldn't fit because of the seat belts, so it's not just me experiencing it.

I have no idea what you are talking about. We just rode tonight and even our bigger riders had no problem fitting into the ride. I'd say our bigger riders are between 260 - 310lbs and yes the belts were tight, but you could easily get them latched if you're not an idiot and know how to put on a seat belt.

 

There is *NO WAY IN HELL* someone weighing 185lbs didn't make it on the ride. I'm sorry, I don't believe that for a hot second.

 

I didn't find the restraints or belts any more/less restrictive than opening day.

 

On the plus side, the ride ops were more than happy to push on the restraint if needed which is already leaps and bounds a better guest experience than what we witnessed on Lightning Rod.

[thrillrider]

Did there used to be a water ride where powder keg now sits? I thought I saw what looked like an old waterway next to the turn into powderkegs station.

 

EDIT: ^ ya beat me to it. Here's the info anyway for those who doesn't want to click the link.

 

Indeed there was. There used to be a premier water coaster called Buzzsaw Falls in the spot where powder keg is today. It only lasted from 1999 to 2003 and I believe it closed due to maintenance issues. A lot of Buzzsaw Falls was reused for Powder Keg from the crashed car on the roof all the way down to the lift hill on Powder Keg (and the big curve before that)

 

Here's a model:

 

Interesting...thank you.

 

By the way, I have my photo trip report of silver dollar city up now. Check it out here...

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=75041&start=80

[EliHorton]

Nice overall trip report! What is your next park?

[WOFanatic]

Outlaw Run must've had its seat belts drastically shortened. For me, the seat belts were a good 5" too short to latch. I'd understand not fitting if I gained weight, but I haven't. I still easily got a green light on the lap bar and I fit in all the other rides the same I have been for years. Saw many people get denied from riding. Talked to one person on the train who may have been 5'8", 185 lbs who said he couldn't fit because of the seat belts, so it's not just me experiencing it.

I have no idea what you are talking about. We just rode tonight and even our bigger riders had no problem fitting into the ride. I'd say our bigger riders are between 260 - 310lbs and yes the belts were tight, but you could easily get them latched if you're not an idiot and know how to put on a seat belt.

 

There is *NO WAY IN HELL* someone weighing 185lbs didn't make it on the ride. I'm sorry, I don't believe that for a hot second.

 

I didn't find the restraints or belts any more/less restrictive than opening day.

 

On the plus side, the ride ops were more than happy to push on the restraint if needed which is already leaps and bounds a better guest experience than what we witnessed on Lightning Rod.

I was pretty baffled myself. I went for Moonlight Madness this past weekend, and had no problem fitting into the seats. I’m not a huge guy, but for some reason I was born with absolute thunder thighs, so I’ve always had trouble with RMC lab bars comfort wise. When I first saw his post, I feared I might not fit. But I was perfectly fine with a good 3-4 inches to spare. Rode about 15 times over the weekend (so I saw probably 45-60 dispatches) and only saw 2 people get turned away (BIG people too). So I’m guessing either they fixed the issue, or Jayke was being dishonest (though I don’t see any reason to do so.)

 

To be fair though, a friend of mine went down around the same time as Jayke and said he couldn’t fit anymore either, so it’s a possibility that they fixed their mistake quickly.

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

By the way, I found a video that talks about Buzzsaw Falls

 

[sdcfan88]

^I remember that promo, Haha! Wow look how young Brad Thomas looks in this part of the clip!

[Vonni]

I rode Buzzsaw Falls in my early enthusiast days. It really was a lot of fun! But, I have to say Powder Keg is a much better replacement.

[Jaykethekid]

Outlaw Run must've had its seat belts drastically shortened. For me, the seat belts were a good 5" too short to latch. I'd understand not fitting if I gained weight, but I haven't. I still easily got a green light on the lap bar and I fit in all the other rides the same I have been for years. Saw many people get denied from riding. Talked to one person on the train who may have been 5'8", 185 lbs who said he couldn't fit because of the seat belts, so it's not just me experiencing it.

I have no idea what you are talking about. We just rode tonight and even our bigger riders had no problem fitting into the ride. I'd say our bigger riders are between 260 - 310lbs and yes the belts were tight, but you could easily get them latched if you're not an idiot and know how to put on a seat belt.

 

There is *NO WAY IN HELL* someone weighing 185lbs didn't make it on the ride. I'm sorry, I don't believe that for a hot second.

 

I didn't find the restraints or belts any more/less restrictive than opening day.

 

On the plus side, the ride ops were more than happy to push on the restraint if needed which is already leaps and bounds a better guest experience than what we witnessed on Lightning Rod.

That's quite interesting. Maybe things have changed since my visit. Who knows. I just found it strange that I could go from easily riding, to not fitting at all in a very short time. The thing that made me think that the seat belts may have been changed was that I still easily get the green light on the lap bar. Also, I am not lying for the sake of creating a story or pointless discussion, I was just going off of what the guy told me on the train. Honestly. Either way, I can change my size to fit in the ride. I could *totally* afford to drop the pounds Hope you guys had a good time at SDC.

 

*edit* I finally got the photo you attached to your post to load. From the looks of it, the seatbelt that is mounted near the center of the two seats was much longer than what was mounted on the test seat when I visited. It could've possibly changed between my visit and yours.

[sdcfan88]

So a lot of work went into the pier and queue walkway over this past week for Project 2018.

 

See more here: http://www.midwestinfoguide.com/2017/07/time-traveler-construction-sdc_31.html

 

[PKI Jizzman]

Really stoked about this project. Whether it's diving, launching, spinning, it's going to be joining great company at SDC.

 

Can't wait for more details to come out.

[robbalvey]

"The seat belts are exactly the same length as the day the ride opened. The length of them has never been changed." Heard directly from the maintenance team on Outlaw Run.

[JT325]

Did anyone else get an email from the park hinting at their new attraction? I still haven't been to SDC, but I apparently signed up with their mailing list a while back. Looking forward to SDC! I've heard nothing but great reviews.

 

[KBrylczyk]

"The seat belts are exactly the same length as the day the ride opened. The length of them has never been changed." Heard directly from the maintenance team on Outlaw Run.

 

But I couldn't have possibly added three inches to my waistline!

[prozach626]

"The seat belts are exactly the same length as the day the ride opened. The length of them has never been changed." Heard directly from the maintenance team on Outlaw Run.

Thank you for this. I don't know how to say it without coming off as a dickhead, but if you are having problems fitting into roller coasters it's time to drop a few pounds instead of over analyzing and criticizing seatbelt and lap bar setups. Being overweight as a kid, I feel sorry for people who take the walk of shame, but the blame should never be placed on the restraint setup. I always hope people can use the situations for proper motivation.

[jynx242]

Did anyone else get an email from the park hinting at their new attraction? I still haven't been to SDC, but I apparently signed up with their mailing list a while back. Looking forward to SDC! I've heard nothing but great reviews.

 

 

Have you not been to SDC? For some reason, I thought you had been. Knowing that we have a lot of similar taste in parks - you will freaking love it!

 

I'm so intrigued by the new ride, as you just don't hear much about it, then get a new picture of it. Can't wait to see what it will turn out to be.

 

David

[JT325]

^I haven't been there David, no :/

 

Perhaps I was almost going with some friends a couple times, but never made it. Yes, we definitely have the same taste in parks and some ... coasters! Like Mind Bender. So nice to have friends all over the country, it would be nicer to be able to see them more!

 

So what is this new ride? A MACK from the looks of it. I hope hope hope it's a nice looooooong ride. The only minor squabble I've heard bout the coasters at SDC is that they are all on the short side.