Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[DoinItForTheFame]

Or, just a thought here, they could be a great student who can prepare for a day or two off in advance and not miss anything of major note?

 

That's true. I didn't think of it like that. I was a great student, but lord, if I ever took time off I'd be the end of the world. my mom would have killed me!!

[Jaykethekid]

Why is it such a sin to be excited for Time Traveler? It's right up my alley. I was just expressing my thoughts on the ride. I think it will be a good ride for the park.

Or, just a thought here, they could be a great student who can prepare for a day or two off in advance and not miss anything of major note?

 

That's true. I didn't think of it like that. I was a great student, but lord, if I ever took time off I'd be the end of the world. my mom would have killed me!!

Yes I plan ahead for these kind of things. I hope to have a future in the amusement industry, and taking part in things that relate to my interest does me more good than doing differential equations and staring at a history book for an hour.

 

On another, different note, I had a friend who went to the park recently and said that Flooded mine has appeared to have some decent work done to it lately. He said it was in the best condition he's seen it in a very long time. Has anyone noticed anything?

[Shavethewhales]

 

On another, different note, I had a friend who went to the park recently and said that Flooded mine has appeared to have some decent work done to it lately. He said it was in the best condition he's seen it in a very long time. Has anyone noticed anything?

 

There are a few very dedicated individuals that have been trying their hardest to keep the ride looking as nice as possible for it's 50th season. It's extremely hard to keep it going these days since what it really needs is an entirely new gun system, but the park doesn't seem to think the expense will pay off. Not sure what is going to happen in the next few years, but the ride does have a cult following.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Had a great day at SDC. Very minimal attendance today, everything's a walk-on except Powder Keg, which had a whopping wait of 3 cycles. Flooded Mine was looking and running great!

Something new in the old magic box location.

The top hat. Now that it's fall, you can see it a bit more clearly through the trees.

Some catwalk is up on the brake run, but there's still more to go.

[Nrthwnd]

Damn I love those new coaster station shots! With the actual endpoint of the track curling around,

back into the station. The views of those on it coming back, is going to be awesome, I bet!

 

Thanks for the new photos, Andrew!

[Nrthwnd]

...Sometimes, life is worth living in the moment, and only needs a moment of prep to be perfectly fine...

 

I'll give him that. I had skipped a few math classes of my own choosing, because I was excellent at math, and could easily skip a few classes,

then catch up in one hour. Or less. It's true! But I ONLY skipped a few times in the whole semester. Not that often, really.

 

That said, I wish I had a coaster opening to go to, instead of skipping a class (back then) to just enjoy the day, that day.

[sdcfan88]

Went to the park over the weekend, without being redundant since everyone has pretty much covered the station area and entrance work, I went ahead and got more photos of the layout as seen from the Culinary School. You can see the overbanked turns, inversions, and the launches thru the trees.

 

[DoinItForTheFame]

^ Great photos. Thanks for sharing!!

[Nrthwnd]

I'm sure there are a couple of families who would easily enjoy living in that station building, LOL! It's so BIG!

And, besides the coaster, I always enjoy fall colors on the landscape of these parks. And this area looks

like it'll be great, once the coaster opens, and some trees (and ground cover) grow back in, etc.

 

^^ Thanks for the recent photos!

[WestCoasterKing]

The station design doesn't really fit the theme. Maybe I missed something. Is it supposed to be like an old barn "back in the day" that the inventor works out of?

[Nrthwnd]

^ Well, since the coaster isn't actually completed and tested yet, that could still be in the plans, to "weather" the station all up?

 

Or not.

[Jaykethekid]

The station design doesn't really fit the theme. Maybe I missed something. Is it supposed to be like an old barn "back in the day" that the inventor works out of?

That’s kinda my thoughts as well. It just looks to be very plain and simple on the outside. It doesn’t really look like a typical SDC station with all the wood siding and paneling perfectly aligned and painted. Just compare it to thunderations station which has a smorgasbord of detail, while this is very plain and simple. Though that’s kinda the style that they’ve started go anyways, it’s evident in Fireman’s Landing, but that had some very good architectural details. Regardless of the outside appearance of the building, It seems like there will be some great theming inside the actual station and queue.

[Shavethewhales]

The station is supposed to be a clock factory that was inherited by a guy with bigger ambitions. Together with his daughter he turns it into a huge workshop for creating a time machine. Supposedly the ground floor will be full of clocks, and as you ascend you go through the workshop with a big time machine or something hanging in the big gap they made in the center of the queue area.

 

I think it will look amazing on the inside. I too am kind of wary of how it looks on the outside so far, but a few thematic details could really liven it up and as far as I can tell the theming crew hasn't made it to the park yet.

[WestCoasterKing]

The station is supposed to be a clock factory that was inherited by a guy with bigger ambitions. Together with his daughter he turns it into a huge workshop for creating a time machine. Supposedly the ground floor will be full of clocks, and as you ascend you go through the workshop with a big time machine or something hanging in the big gap they made in the center of the queue area.

 

I think it will look amazing on the inside. I too am kind of wary of how it looks on the outside so far, but a few thematic details could really liven it up and as far as I can tell the theming crew hasn't made it to the park yet.

That's kind of what I was thinking.

[EliHorton]

I went to SDC tonight to check out both Time Traveler and the all new Christmas in Midtown. Christmas in Midtown is GORGEOUS. I spent at least an hour in Midtown alone while I was looking at all the lights! I love all the different light tunnels in there! And I loved all the giant trees! Time Traveler also looks super impressive! Even though it sits on a big piece of land, it still seems like they shoehorned it in there. Like, I'm almost positive I could have touched the brake run from the queue line of Thunderation. I'm super hyped to ride it!

[legoerosion]

They really upped their game for Christmas this year. With Six Flag STL's recent light display, it's becoming a tough competition. However, it seems like SDC has gone above and beyond when it comes to lights. They're like the Clark Grizwold of theme parks!

[fredoflasvegas]

I went to SDC tonight to check out both Time Traveler and the all new Christmas in Midtown. Christmas in Midtown is GORGEOUS. I spent at least an hour in Midtown alone while I was looking at all the lights! I love all the different light tunnels in there! And I loved all the giant trees! Time Traveler also looks super impressive! Even though it sits on a big piece of land, it still seems like they shoehorned it in there. Like, I'm almost positive I could have touched the brake run from the queue line of Thunderation. I'm super hyped to ride it!

 

Were there any coaster closures this past weekend? I'm about to send a friend there for the first time and I would like to know if the trip will be worth it. I know he'll be wanting to ride Outlaw Run. Thanks

[DoinItForTheFame]

Were there any coaster closures this past weekend? I'm about to send a friend there for the first time and I would like to know if the trip will be worth it. I know he'll be wanting to ride Outlaw Run. Thanks

 

The park does everything they can to keep all their rides open for their guest to enjoy. Unless it's raining, or ungodly cold the rides shouild be open.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You're in luck, because Outlaw Run is typically one of the last to close for weather. Powder Keg doesn't run in the rain. Everything else is temperature dependent. SDC publishes this handy temperature guide:

 

https://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/Attractions/Rides/Ride-Temperature-Guidelines

[EliHorton]

I went to SDC tonight to check out both Time Traveler and the all new Christmas in Midtown. Christmas in Midtown is GORGEOUS. I spent at least an hour in Midtown alone while I was looking at all the lights! I love all the different light tunnels in there! And I loved all the giant trees! Time Traveler also looks super impressive! Even though it sits on a big piece of land, it still seems like they shoehorned it in there. Like, I'm almost positive I could have touched the brake run from the queue line of Thunderation. I'm super hyped to ride it!

 

Were there any coaster closures this past weekend? I'm about to send a friend there for the first time and I would like to know if the trip will be worth it. I know he'll be wanting to ride Outlaw Run. Thanks

I'm so sorry! I did not see this until now. But there were no ride closures. SDC is usually pretty good about keeping rides open for an Olde Time Christmas. They usually don't shut down the rides until it gets to 37 degrees. Although they will shut them down at 40 degrees if it is windy. I've gone to an Olde Time Christmas every year since I was born and there was only one time that I went and they had the rides closed.

[Kevin Long]

Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -

 

I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.

most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.

 

any info would be much appreciated.

 

many thanks

 

Kevin

[Kevin Long]

 

On another, different note, I had a friend who went to the park recently and said that Flooded mine has appeared to have some decent work done to it lately. He said it was in the best condition he's seen it in a very long time. Has anyone noticed anything?

 

There are a few very dedicated individuals that have been trying their hardest to keep the ride looking as nice as possible for it's 50th season. It's extremely hard to keep it going these days since what it really needs is an entirely new gun system, but the park doesn't seem to think the expense will pay off. Not sure what is going to happen in the next few years, but the ride does have a cult following.

 

As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.

 

Kevin

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum - I tried a search and could not find any answer -

 

I am buying a season pass for the park next year and am curious about what format it takes - I really hope it is not in the form of a sheet of paper like the daily tickets.

most anything else is much more durable and I don't' look forward to having to either reprint my tickets each time ( no biggie really, just a small hassle) or trying to keep them clean and usable for an entire season.

 

any info would be much appreciated.

 

many thanks

 

Kevin

No, that's a good question. Season tickets are identical to daily tickets, just that slightly glossy paper. I keep mine in my wallet all year, and though they do show some wear by the end of the season, they've never become unusable.

[Shavethewhales]

As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.

 

Kevin

 

Here's the thing about Flooded Mine's "glory days" - when you look back at the old pictures and post cards it actually looks a lot simpler than it does today. No one remembers how goofy the old mannequins were, and they added a lot of details throughout the years. There are still some employees there that put a lot of care and work into making it look as sharp as it can.

 

The switch-over to the shoot-out format added a lot of quirks and gags that people love, even if they don't enjoy the shooting. The real problem with it now is that they won't spend the relatively small amounts of money on small upgrades like replacing the gun system or things like sound effects that break. I worry that they are letting it slip more each year until it is "justified" to take it out.

 

The more I look back over old SDC history, the more I realize how much truly changes from year to year. It's not so much the change that is hard to deal with as the way things change. I know we're all worried that if they completely re-did the flooded mine it wouldn't have the hand-made details or the funny non-PC story lines. It would probably be some kind of generic mystery mine with projection screens and all that. Who knows though.

 

A renovation in the way of knotts would be well received by the park fans, but I'm not sure they think they would get the ROI without doing something big and gimmicky. They are smarter than we give them credit for most of the time though, so we'll just have to wait and see. Won't be long until SOMETHING is done though.

[Kevin Long]

As an old timer - 52years - I remember the heyday of the flooded mine - it is one of my faves and due to my failing health one of the few things I can still ride. I am always saddened by the "shoot out" aspect of it. hell I Remember back to when it used to have the cave in section at the end with the falling rocks... I would be ecstatic to see it fully restored to its older glory. Or upgraded like the mine train ride at Knotts.. that would be amazing. its got a good story and theme-ing and really fits the park, just showing its age like the rest of us - I would HATE to see it leave.

 

Kevin

 

Here's the thing about Flooded Mine's "glory days" - when you look back at the old pictures and post cards it actually looks a lot simpler than it does today. No one remembers how goofy the old mannequins were, and they added a lot of details throughout the years. There are still some employees there that put a lot of care and work into making it look as sharp as it can.

 

The switch-over to the shoot-out format added a lot of quirks and gags that people love, even if they don't enjoy the shooting. The real problem with it now is that they won't spend the relatively small amounts of money on small upgrades like replacing the gun system or things like sound effects that break. I worry that they are letting it slip more each year until it is "justified" to take it out.

 

The more I look back over old SDC history, the more I realize how much truly changes from year to year. It's not so much the change that is hard to deal with as the way things change. I know we're all worried that if they completely re-did the flooded mine it wouldn't have the hand-made details or the funny non-PC story lines. It would probably be some kind of generic mystery mine with projection screens and all that. Who knows though.

 

A renovation in the way of knotts would be well received by the park fans, but I'm not sure they think they would get the ROI without doing something big and gimmicky. They are smarter than we give them credit for most of the time though, so we'll just have to wait and see. Won't be long until SOMETHING is done though.

 

well - if done correctly and with SDC's usual level of care for the overall scheme, i would not mind a reboot. I just hate to see it slowly decay - if done in house and not as a bought upgrade from a production house or vendor, I am sure they would do something great. I am NOT a big fan of the projection screen dark rides.

 

Side note - for me the "pew-pew" sound during the entire ride really ruins the experience for me. maybe vibrating gun handles would be more pleasing to the ear.

I skip the gunplay on my rides -

 

Kevin