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Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

p. 275: New resort announced as part of a $500 million development plan!

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Man... I'm not sure how we all ended up so involved in a tornado conversation in the thread where a Mack spinning launched inverted coaster just opened up. I could understand if this were the Worlds of Fun or Valleyfair thread...

 

Branson had a twister hit the the main drag just a couple of years ago. SDC was under a tornado warning last week. Branson is right on the outer edge of tornado alley and the area has had its share of history with them....despite any disputes about the hills protecting them.

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^It was a joke.

 

 

There's term in Northwest Arkansas that's often joked about called the Fayetteville effect. It doesn't spare Benton much as they have had a few tornados over the years. The old folk will claim it is because it sits on the Northeast corner of the Plateau. Folks point to this for why the Mena AR gets them too. Another undeniable hot spot it between Conway Arkansas and Little Rock. The poor town of Vilonia is cursed with them. I'd never, ever live there.

 

This tornado was just leaving the relatively flat river valley and entering the Boston Mnt. Section of The Ozarks.

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Man... I'm not sure how we all ended up so involved in a tornado conversation in the thread where a Mack spinning launched inverted coaster just opened up. I could understand if this were the Worlds of Fun or Valleyfair thread...

 

I visited SDC for the first time on Friday, and I can't understand why there isn't more hype for Time Traveler! Back row is an amazing ride, with one of the best first drops out there.

I agree! I think Time Traveler is going to be over-shadowed this year by all the crazy RMCs opening, but I really was blown away by the ride. RMCs are awesome, but you pretty much know what you're getting going into them. I love that Time Traveler gives a unique experience every ride. The experience pretty much had everything I loved about X2 when I first rode it, minus the soundtrack. I try not to mention it much because it's an unpopular opinion, but I really loved X2 for years because of the sideways + diagonal + backwards crazy inversion experience. I also loved the drop and the few pops of airtime that could be taken at just about any angle.

 

Very underrated ride, and I hope Time Traveler gets the credit it deserves as the season goes on.

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Man... I'm not sure how we all ended up so involved in a tornado conversation in the thread where a Mack spinning launched inverted coaster just opened up. I could understand if this were the Worlds of Fun or Valleyfair thread...

 

I visited SDC for the first time on Friday, and I can't understand why there isn't more hype for Time Traveler! Back row is an amazing ride, with one of the best first drops out there.

I agree! I think Time Traveler is going to be over-shadowed this year by all the crazy RMCs opening, but I really was blown away by the ride. RMCs are awesome, but you pretty much know what you're getting going into them. I love that Time Traveler gives a unique experience every ride. The experience pretty much had everything I loved about X2 when I first rode it, minus the soundtrack. I try not to mention it much because it's an unpopular opinion, but I really loved X2 for years because of the sideways + diagonal + backwards crazy inversion experience. I also loved the drop and the few pops of airtime that could be taken at just about any angle.

 

Very underrated ride, and I hope Time Traveler gets the credit it deserves as the season goes on.

 

Right now SDC is suffering from crappy weekend weather syndrome that's really keeping folks from going to the park. I would like to use this oportunity to say MORE INDOOR RIDES. I'll stop screaming now.

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I visited SDC for the first time on Friday, and I can't understand why there isn't more hype for Time Traveler! Back row is an amazing ride, with one of the best first drops out there.

 

Powder Keg was also a very pleasant surprise!

 

Glad you enjoyed the park! Powderkeg is a GREAT coaster. Very underrated in my opinion!! As much as you enjoyed Time Traveler, it's got me that much more excited to make a trip back out there!!

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I visited SDC for the first time on Friday, and I can't understand why there isn't more hype for Time Traveler! Back row is an amazing ride, with one of the best first drops out there.

 

Powder Keg was also a very pleasant surprise!

Glad you had a good time! You'll hear more buzz this summer. A lot of enthusiasts wait until daily operations for their trips, and that starts in just a couple of weeks now. About that time, too, area schools start to let out for summer and the Branson tourist season begins. Once more people have a chance to ride it, you'll start seeing trip reports. I know several members here are planning to come out this way this summer.

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The abrupt launch surprised me, as well as many others. Although, it allows the rider to catch their breathe, it doesn't look to deter from the ride in anyway. I've heard that the s-curve before the zero-g-roll is one of the most surprising elements on the coaster. The ride itself looks amazingly themed, and overall a great investment for SDC.

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You have misquoted me. I didn't say that.

 

Ugh. How'd that get I there?

 

Most forums I'm on don't do multilevel quotes automatically, so I expected where you were quoted to be stripped when I quoted the post.

 

Corrected.

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I'm very certain I will be going to Silver Dollar City this year! However I've read reports online saying that traffic in Branson was really bad though. Is this true and how can I combat it?

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I'm very certain I will be going to Silver Dollar City this year! However I've read reports online saying that traffic in Branson was really bad though. Is this true and how can I combat it?

 

Learn the back roads inside and out on Google earth, get to SDC very early on busy days (Sat and Sun), possibly come in fom the west if not. The lights on 76 cause the back ups, why MDOT hadn't addressed these issues is mind boggling.

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I'm very certain I will be going to Silver Dollar City this year! However I've read reports online saying that traffic in Branson was really bad though. Is this true and how can I combat it?

 

Learn the back roads inside and out on Google earth, get to SDC very early on busy days (Sat and Sun), possibly come in fom the west if not. The lights on 76 cause the back ups, why MDOT hadn't addressed these issues is mind boggling.

 

 

This is great advice and depending on traffic, it can even be worth your while if you are coming from the east to drive past the left turn lanes to SDC then pull a u-turn further down the road and approach it from the west.

 

There are some great hotel/motels in Indian Point, which is the peninsula directly south of the park. That's my personal ideal place to stay, you avoid downtown Branson completely but it's still close enough if you want to head over for an evening. There's a wide price variety too; while you would likely find a better overall deal downtown, some of the mom n pop places are comparative in value, at least depending on season (we avoid going in the midst of summer so YMMV)

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I'm very certain I will be going to Silver Dollar City this year! However I've read reports online saying that traffic in Branson was really bad though. Is this true and how can I combat it?

Awesome! Those reports are absolutely true. When the Chinese government was looking for ideas for creating their week-long traffic jams, they went to Branson for inspiration.

 

AVOID 76. Do not stay on 76. There are plenty of properties on Shepherd of the Hills Blvd., Green Mountain Dr. that are just as cheap, but you can make a left turn from them. For nicer properties, the Table Rock Dam area has the Welk and Wyndham resorts, and you can use 265 & 165 to get there from SDC. They're nowhere near 76, and that's a selling point.

 

Eventually you'll probably want to see something on 76, but use Gretna, Roark Valley, or Fall Creek in addition to the aforementioned Shepherd of the Hills and Green Mountain to get as close as possible before getting onto 76. That way you'll only spend about 10 minutes going the last couple of blocks.

 

If you want to go from SDC to Branson Landing or other sites downtown, take the Ozark Mountain Highroad (bypass/freeway) and then go south on 65. Yes, it's like 10 miles longer. Yes, it's faster.

 

Branson has the worst traffic on Earth. That's what happens when you get so excited to have 2 million visitors a year that you completely fail to plan your town in any way at all.

Edited by ytterbiumanalyst
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Thanks. This is all great info that I'm also going to need. We've decided to visit during Moonlight Madness, which might also be madness in general, but I'm super excited. Worst case, I always use Waze to varying degrees of success.

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^ Oh great! That's a fantastic way to maximise your time at SDC. It is the peak of tourist season; budget for Trailblazer Pass (skip the line system). Fortunately, the extra hours means you can use the Trailblazer Pass longer. I'd say get it one day and ride everything lots, then use the second day for shows and cave tour. Cinnamon bread of course should be enjoyed both days.

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There are also some pretty nice places to stay on Indian Point Road past SDC (I personally love Still Waters Resort), so if you stay at one of those, you can avoid traffic on the day(s) you go to the park because you'll be coming up Indian Point Road instead of down it like everyone else.

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SDC- this Friday at 3pm plus Saturday or the following Tuesday????

We will be in Branson next Friday through the following Wednesday. We could either go to the park after 3pm Friday then Saturday or we could wait to the next Tuesday. Which do you think would give us the best bang for the buck as far as rides ??

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Mercy Day and Bluegrass & BBQ

 

Yesterday we went to SDC for Mercy Health System's company picnic. My wife works for them, and it's a day that we look forward to. Always very busy, but it does give us the chance for night rides in the spring, so it's fun.

 

We decided to camp at SDC's Wilderness, the first time we had ever done so. It was a pleasant experience, and we enjoyed the 5 minute drive to the park. Certainly not a must for us, as it's only about 45 minutes from our house, but camping is fun.

 

We noticed as we set up the tent that the rides were running until about 10PM, unusual at a park that usually closes about 6 or 7. We would learn later that ACE had an event on Friday night, one day before ours, just so they could be the first to ride Time Traveler in the dark. They had T-shirts that proclaimed that fact too. Have I mentioned how much I love TPR? I'm a nerd, no doubt about that, but even that's embarrassing. Get your sh*t together, ACE. Or don't. We'll have fun either way.

 

On Saturday, we started out the day with 1 hour ERT, which gave us 1 ride on Time Traveler.... Yeah, it's ERT with about 6000 employees and their families, so not exactly unlimited rides. Still, it was really great getting to ride this again. The last couple of times it's been down for weather, as Ozarks springs can be unpredictable, and we just go when we have the time to go, even if it's less than ideal.

 

This was also the first weekend for Bluegrass & BBQ, so we made sure to hit up Red Gold Heritage Hall for some BBQ goodness.... Well. I did. Everyone else was all "I don't like BBQ. I want grilled cheese." So Julie took the kids to get grilled cheese, and I had BBQ. The dry rub was fantastic, as it should be when you do BBQ correctly, but the root beer glaze was pretty good too.

 

Most of our day was spent at the three children's areas. Mercy was giving out ice cream to employees in the pavilion area of the Grand Expo in the afternoon, so we took a break for that. Everyone enjoyed it. We also got good discounts on food and drinks, including a refill mug for $7.99 and cinnamon bread for $4.99. Thanks to everyone at Mercy and HFE who worked out those deals.

 

After closing, the riff raff left and it was just us Mercy folks. The lines for Time Traveler went to about an hour, and the lines for everything else were 15 minutes or less. It was a great time, and we ended our day on Time Traveler, row 7, in the dark. This was my first time in the back car, and oh it is so intense going over that first drop. You're not even out of the station yet before it rips you forward. Row 7 is the place to ride, for real.

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Legend has it the Holy Grail is inside.

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So many choices...

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The Mason jar entrees did not return this year, but the desserts are still here!

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Rib platter. Very good deal for $16.49. They do give 10% off for season passholders, too.

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Mmm...strawberry cheesecake with graham cracker crust...in a Mason jar.

Edited by ytterbiumanalyst
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omg Andrew, i think i gained ten pounds just reading through all... of that.... BBQ MENU!

 

That said......

 

I think I'd faint, if I hadn't seen all the choices ahead of time....like now.... so thank you!

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^ & ^^ Yeah, it occurred to me later that the only photos I took all day were in the House of Barbecue. Because priorities.

 

Really, unless you hate barbecue, this festival is fantastic. SDC has long had their own brand of barbecue sauce, and there are 2 permanent restaurants that serve barbecue: the Mine Restaurant on the square has barbecue chicken, and Riverside Rib House near the Lost River has...well, ribs.

 

During the festival, they take it up a notch and have special sauces, interesting combinations, and a lot more variety. They also have a buffet if you just want to sample everything, but that starts next weekend (ISWYDT, SDC--the weekend after ACE. Smart). It's in Reunion Hall on the square, and has most of the stuff the House of Barbecue does.

 

Oh, and roller coasters too. They do also have some of those.

 

SDC- this Friday at 3pm plus Saturday or the following Tuesday????

After 3 is great, but Saturdays have been extremely busy so far this year. If you get a Trailblazer Pass, you're good. Since you're here for a while though, I'd recommend after 3pm on Sunday then all day Tuesday. SDC is closed Monday the 14th, so they count it as 2 consecutive days for purposes of the after 3 promotion.

 

Get cinnamon bread. Do the cave tour. Have fun!

Edited by ytterbiumanalyst
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The ACE spring conference was amazing. Each day featured an awesome food spread from the park, plus plenty of ERT.

 

Yes, the park went out of their way to give us some of the first night rides on Time Traveler, and they printed shirts stating such that they gave us that night. Another nice touch on their part. They did so much for us, and they did it on probably the craziest weekend of the year for them with their biggest corporate client also coming in. A crazy, amazing weekend had by all.

 

Everyone seems to agree: Time Traveler is more fun each time you ride it. Once you get over your initial reaction, you start to really appreciate it for what it is. It is a huge hit with everyone, especially the GP.

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