Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ Yeah, that is good. Went a couple of months ago, very impressive. The best tank has sardines, which swim in a funnel shape, as well as some small sharks, in the same tank. I call it the Sharknado.

[DILinator]

I'm also going to be making my first trip to Branson, and SDC this year, but I am making it a family trip, and taking three of my kids. Thanks for the info above, as I will take that under advisement! However, I also was wondering what the BEST time to visit SDC is, as far as low crowds is concerned? My trip out there is flexible time-wise, so if there's a particular time that's better to go than others, I'd like to shoot for that. Also, are the nearby Alpine Coasters restricted regarding children, concerning age and height? I went to Pigeon Forge last year, and attempted to go on one, and none of my kids could ride alone, making it cost prohibitive. Thanks!

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

SDC has free parking,

This is the best news ever!!

 

Thanks for the advice, guys! Sounds like I should allocate more than one day at SDC. It looks like they offer some deal that if you arrive after 3pm, the next day is free. So I could get a few hours in one evening, and still have the next day. I'll have to decide if that might be a better option for me cost-wise than purchasing the pass.

 

As far as passes go, if I do decide to purchase one, does holding a SDC pass get me cheaper Dollywood tickets? I know it was half off SDC tickets with a Dollywood pass, but not sure if the reverse is true.

 

Some of the attractions you mentioned remind me of things I've seen in Gatlinburg. I'm getting the impression that Branson is like a mini Gatlinburg?

 

Thank you for all the advice! I might be making this venture alone, so if anyone knows they will be going that week, get a hold of me and we can ride Time Traveler!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^^ Best time of year for crowds is the Crafts Festival in Sept/Oct. It's a great time of year to visit, too, since there are lots more craftspeople than usual in the park. Watch the calendar, though, as they're only open 4-5 days a week then.

 

The Branson alpine coasters are the same as the Pigeon Forge ones in policies. If you're not tall enough to ride, must ride with an adult. I believe 54" for solo, iirc. I know my son, who is 51.5", had to ride with me.

 

^ Yes, SDC passholders get half off Dollywood tickets. And you've got it backwards: Gatlinburg is a bigger Branson. Branson started first, and when Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge started focusing on tourism, they looked to Branson as a model.

Edited February 6, 2018 by ytterbiumanalyst

[Canobie Coaster]

For the cave tour, do you reserve a time or do queue? I'll have 1.5 days there around Memorial Day and want to make sure I get that in.

 

I tried searching and couldn't seem to find mentions of it.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Lantern tour requires reservations and is an upcharge. All other tours are free and there's a queue. A sign in front of the hospitality house will tell you when the lantern tour is, as well as how often the regular tours go. On a busy day I would suggest queuing as soon as the previous tour leaves. For example, if they're every 20 minutes and the next one's at 11:40, get there at 11:21. If it's not busy, tours rarely hit capacity, so just pop in whenever.

[Canobie Coaster]

Awesome, thank you!

 

I'll definitely do the main tour during the day. Since I don't know when my next visit would be and their coasters look like they'll give amazing night rides, I think I'll prioritize coaster riding, especially since it's open until 10 the days I'm there.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Oh nice, night rides are awesome and rare at SDC. Fair warning, Moonlight Madness is probably the busiest time of the year other than Christmas. Usually your preview day will start at 5 rather than 3, since the park is open later. Play it by ear, but on your full day be prepared to get a Trailbazer pass if necessary. Unlike other times when families will start leaving late afternoon, it stays busy after dark since night rides are so rare and the park advertises the late hours as an attraction.

[Canobie Coaster]

Unless the forecast is a washout, I have every intention to buy a Trailblazer Unlimited.

 

I knew Memorial Day weekend would be busy, but I'll pay the "upcharge" of a Trailblazer to try some of those coasters at night.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Ooh, just realized you'll be there during Bluegrass & BBQ. Make sure you hit that up in Red Gold Heritage Hall. Check out my trip report from last year:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1792111#p1792111

[ElvisLuv]

For you western peeps and international folks using using LCCs to Denver.

 

Frontier Air is adding service from Denver back to Branson. That's BKG not the Springfield/Branson airport up the road. It's a beautiful little airport on top of a mountain. Hopedully they add they old Southwest routes as well.

[boyerracing69]

This beauty got used as money last night at my job and I came across it this morning and had to take pictures of it. They might be more common then I realize but, I personally have never seen one before. That, and I have not been to SDC since I was really little. Anyways, I thought it was pretty neat, and wanted to share it with all of you!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Oh, very cool. Great find!

[legoerosion]

We got an official construction update from SDC themselves!

 

https://blog.silverdollarcity.com/article/changes-are-coming-to-silver-dollar-city-this-spring

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Cool! Looking good without all the construction walls. The video was just a teaser for now, but I'm interested to know about the new food options in that area. They're really revamping the whole area, which really needed to be done.

[EliHorton]

Wowwie! That whole area is going to be unrecognizable when the park opens for the season! I was scared that it would feel cramped, but they've really opened it up!

[sdcfan88]

Theming elements are finally starting to show up inside the Time Traveler station! Looking to be very much like Wildfire's building! https://blog.silverdollarcity.com/article/time-traveler-tuesday-update?cid=smc_000553

 

[legoerosion]

I'm in love.

[Nrthwnd]

Forget the coaster. It's all about the FOOD coming!

[Jaykethekid]

I’m really interested to see how the theming turns out in the whole queue. From what we’ve seen, it looks quite nice! I love all the little details!

[Shavethewhales]

I love the blog lately. Both SDC and DW have finally figured out how to make their blogs relevant again.

 

Themeing looks nice so far. Looking forward to the "clock shop" downstairs. I hope some stuff makes it to the outside of the building as well. Been looking a little sterile out there now compared to the "old" SDC areas where stuff was strewn about whimsically. I'm sure its a work in progress at this point though.

 

How many of us are set to be there opening weekend/day? I'm planning on being there for the weekend. They are still not specifically saying that Time Traveler will be open for spring break, but I've also not seen any indication that it won't be.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

We'll be there opening week on Friday. I work 4x10 with Fridays off and my wife is taking the week off work since the kids are out of school. Looking forward to it. If TT isn't open, whatever, I can go ride Outlaw Run. I like that they're being cautious about promising opening day, but they've also been working really hard to get it ready by then.

[Philrad71]

Looking forward to hearing how Time Traveler is once it opens.

 

We are now seriously thinking about planning a trip to Branson in the mid to late April time-frame, so sure hope that it might be open by then.

 

I'll be looking to Andrew and some of the other locals to tell us the must do's in the surrounding area. We are also going to Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Ill and cutting down into MO.

 

Doubt we would do SFGaM, but I have thought about a potential stop at SFSL as we have never been. It really depends on how Michael is feeling whether we entertain hitting up more parks other than SDC, which is a must.

[aLFREd_25]

How many of us are set to be there opening weekend/day?

Our passes just came in the mail, so we're going to be there opening weekend!

[ElvisLuv]

So the new eatery will be a Chick Fil A ripoff BUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTT with higher end grilled cheese sandwiches.