Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[neilnky]

Hmmm thanks so much! If there are no sidewalks I think I'll drive lol. I don't like to take any chances! It will be a quick drive at any rate. I appreciate your help!

[Shavethewhales]

You can definitely walk to the park from White Wing, it's just a really long walk. You just need to walk north along the tram road past Stop 7 and near to Stop 5 where there is a walkway to the entrance. It's got to be a mile to the park though, and parking/tram is free anyway...

 

Let us know how White Wing is. Used to stay there all the time when it was Deer Run. It was dated back then, and I hear the new owners may be hit and miss...

[neilnky]

Will do! I wanted the closest place and it seemed to have great reviews and I liked the pictures. Hopefully all will go well!

[neilnky]

I was just curious if you can buy photos of your ride on the coaster in a format where you can put them on facebook? I think I'll need to document this trip!!!!!

[tinaalsgirl]

Well, I know back in 2013, they had a deal where you could buy a USB drive that would have your photos uploaded onto it. I got the special Outlaw Run "gold bar" USB.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You can buy individual photos at the gift shop when exiting the ride, or you can buy a photopass at Guest Relations at the front of the park, just before you get to the security checkpoint.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Bigfoot on the Strip has lost their lawsuit.

 

https://www.therolladailynews.com/news/20190904/judge-review-of-branson-attraction-was-not-defamatory

 

federal judge has ruled that a Kansas cattle farmer did not defame a Branson attraction by leaving a three-star TripAdvisor review.

 

Owners of Bigfoot on the Strip sued Randy Winchester and his daughter in June 2018, claiming the review was libelous and defamatory.

 

Winchester had written that he was disappointed by a tour of Bigfoot Farms and its cattle. Owners of the attraction contended some of the details in Winchester’s review were inaccurate.

 

Winchester said after tour owner’s contacted him to complain, he changed it to a one-star review.

 

The Springfield News-Leader reports U.S. District Court Chief Judge Beth Phillips ruled late last month that Winchester’s statements were factually correct and/or didn’t diminish the company’s reputation in the community.

 

An attorney representing Bigfoot’s owners did not return a call seeking comment.

[sdcfan88]

I thought I would mention that SDC's Reuben's Swashbuckling Adventure Won at the Golden Ticket Awards for Best New Show.

 

Its probably not going anywhere anytime soon if you missed it.

 

 

Also on SDC's FB page:

[ytterbiumanalyst]

The Golden Tickets are what they are, but hardly anyone knows that. SDC got a lot of traction out of Outlaw Run winning a Golden Ticket. They'll advertise this similarly. Should be good for them.

 

Golden Tickets aside, that show is great. Highly recommend anyone coming next summer to take time for it.

[neilnky]

I had a great Saturday 09-14-2019 at SDC!!!! Man the coasters were intense! I got the one day photo pass and had my picture made and downloaded them the next day after I got home. It worked great except that Wildfire's picture area wasn't working. I was so rattled after riding the five coasters ( I haven't ridden coasters in several years and am in my fifties lol) that I just didn't think I wanted to ride again later so soon to try for a picture. I chilled out walking around with a friend and riding Flooded Mine. It was great looking at the shops, the 1800's Wilderness Church, and snacking on cinnamon and apple cinnamon bread

White Wing Lodge is making improvements and was great. The new owners were very nice and the breakfast was great. I had never seen an automatic pancake making machine before lol. I wanted the closest place as driving in the mountains stresses me out. I couldn't believe when I exited SDC that the exit was right at White Wing. They are smart giving discounts to SDC passholders. I would definitely get a pass if I lived closer!

 

At any rate I just loved loved loved SDC. The stores, rides, and restrooms are all great. I always just feel a little cramped as the paths are all narrow but I think that is part of the charm. I couldn't believe that on a Saturday my ride wait time for all the coasters and Flooded Mine weren't bad at all! Loved it and so glad they are there!!!!! SDC and Dollywood are hard to beat if you ask me!!!! Love the Herschend's style!!!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Glad you had a good time! It really is a special place.

[anonymouscactus]

Excited for my first ever trip on Sunday! I plan to hit everything I can, but what about food... any recommendations that isn't your typical tenders, fries, etc.?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

EVERYTHING isn't your typical tenders and fries. This is SDC you're talking about!

 

There are four different skillets scattered around the park. The BBQ place is great but it's being rebuilt right now, so it's temporarily in the Carousel Barn next to Tom and Huck's River Blast. The burrito place in Midtown is awesome, and the gumbo near Time Traveler is delicious too. Plus there are kebobs at the Wagon Wheel and gourmet grilled cheese near Time Traveler.

 

Don't forget Cinnamon bread in Sullivan's Mill next to the swinging bridge.

 

Bon appetit!

[Nrthwnd]

^ Damn, I wish they had at least one skillet place on the west coast, like in Knott's Berry Farm.

They're too good to keep over in (just) your part of the parks world, lol. Actually, I am

surprised that they don't have at least one, by now, in one of theme parks, over thisaways.

 

Or IS there one over here, in California? Thought I'd check.

[anonymouscactus]

Thanks! I also didn't realize you could actually click on each place in the website I thought it was just the brief description of each, but they actually state full menus if you click through. Woops.

 

So many choices!!

[Bamwa]

White Wing Lodge is making improvements and was great. The new owners were very nice and the breakfast was great. I had never seen an automatic pancake making machine before lol. I wanted the closest place as driving in the mountains stresses me out. I couldn't believe when I exited SDC that the exit was right at White Wing.

 

Ah the ol pancake conveyer belt. Best ride pre park.

[anonymouscactus]

Quick thoughts on my first ever visit:

- Marvel Cave was cool! (and a great workout)

- Potato & Sausage skillet meal was great

- Banana Split was great

- Cinnamon Bread was even better than I remember from Dollywood. Maybe because we got the Apple version? Omg so good.

- Outlaw Run is the roughest of all the RMC's I have been on. It really did feel like a wood coaster. Great ride, still, but really unexpected. Boo to the massively short seatbelts which prevented others in my party from riding

- I really enjoyed Powder Keg. I didn't know anything about it going in, but it was a ton of fun.

- all the theming, shops, food, everything about the park was fantastic

- loved the different pumpkins (we didn't make it for the night event unfortunately)

- time traveler was REALLY good and unique. Some of the forces and direction you take the elements really take you off guard and feel funky

- WildFire was decent, but nothing really new

- FIRE IN THE HOLE!!

- The water boat shootey thing (the name escapes me -- flooded mine?)... yeah, no. the shooting portion was not executed well.

- Grandfather's Mansion was kooky fun. I enjoyed it. Different from any other walkthrough attraction I've been in. Laying on the bed and trying to do a situp was a weird feeling.

- Thunderation -- it's an arrow. So yeah. (Not very good.)

 

Had a good time; would have liked to stay longer but we drove 7 hours that day in addition to the park.

 

Pumpkin blowing a pumpkin. Oh yeah.

 

 

[DoinItForTheFame]

- Outlaw Run is the roughest of all the RMC's I have been on. It really did feel like a wood coaster. Great ride, still, but really unexpected.

 

Did you end up riding above a wheel? (Even numbered rows.) If so that’s where your roughness came from. In non-wheel seats it’s a completely smooth ride!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Pumpkin Nights!!!

 

On Saturday evening we headed down to Branson to experience the new Pumpkin Nights. It's really great to have the park open later more of the year. Most of the time we wake up early on a weekend to get there for the 8:30 opening (yeah, SDC is an unusual park in a lot of ways), but when it's open until 9, we can easily go down about 4 or so and stay until close and have a good time.

 

There were a lot of people in the park, far more than I have seen on a fall Saturday typically. This time of year has up to now been very slow, even on a weekend. Not so with this event. There is really now no weekend that is slow any time of the year, and that's great for SDC.

 

Most of the fun took place in the Grand Expo, where they had a ton of foam pumpkin animals with LEDs and a typical Halloween soundtrack (Monster Mash, Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc.). The Pumpkin Nights stage area is in a part of the park that is typically backstage. They opened up the large gate next to the Elephant March, and had a big dance party with face painting and specialty food and drink, including cider and pumpkin-shaped pretzel.

 

The coolest part, though, was the pumpkin trail. They had real, hand-carved pumpkins on pedestals set up on display (a lot of the pumpkins in the park are foam and LEDs). The trail connects the Pumpkin Nights stage with the Boatworks Theater. So cool. Park staff also did a great job of keeping people to the right so that traffic could flow in both directions. Excellently done.

Le Tour de Citrouilles

Crafts by day!

They have a cider kiosk in the square, where the wassail kiosk is during the Christmas event. Yum.

We didn't end up getting the churros, but they looked great. We thought we might come back up here later that night, but after dinner and popcorn and ice cream, we just didn't have room.

Across from the glass blowing place

Near Time Traveler. I'll take this time to say all of the pumpkin carvings were themed to a nearby shop or ride, like pottery near the pottery shop, instruments near Echo Hollow, etc. It was impressive.

Where the fun will be later.

The Apple Fritter is back!

I didn't forget about you construction nerds.

And now, the main event!

This kiosk had the cashew chicken in a waffle cone from the Festival of Wonder! So good.

Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men!

[Canobie Coaster]

Whoa that pumpkin tree thing is really cool!

[DavidB]

Hey guys. I am seeking the opinion of some who are more local to SDC than I am. I want to visit before the end of the year...this is almost embarrassing to say since I'm 4 hours away, but I haven't been since I was very young. The primary focus would be the coasters, but I'm definitely not disinterested in the ancillary stuff, be it the Harvest Festival or Old Time Christmas.

 

I guess I'm asking which you regulars would recommend. Considering ride lines and availability, crowd sizes, and overall experience, which would be better for my first real visit? I would probably do a Saturday but could include a partial Friday or Sunday with it. Any opinion is much appreciated, especially if you've been to both events!

[DoinItForTheFame]

Old Time Christmas would be my pick of the two. It’s amazing.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You definitely want Old Time Christmas. The after-7 free is not running during Pumpkin Fest, but it will be again for Christmas. Just keep in mind that SDC is very strict on operating temperatures for the coasters, so you want to go while it stays above 45°F. They start closing rides at 42°, and that's as measured at the top of the lift, so as long as ground temp is 45° or more, you're all right.

 

Fri-Sat will give you the most time in the park on a one day ticket. For example, you could go on Fri Nov. 8 from 7 to 9 and on Sat Nov. 9 from 11 to 9:30. It'll be busy, but ride queues may not be too bad depending on weather. If the high is in the 50s, smooth sailing. If it's 70 or so, I'd recommend Trailblazer Pass.

[DavidB]

Awesome, that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for!

 

I was probably leaning towards Christmas anyway, but wanted to get first hand confirmation. Also was pretty sure all the rides were open, but not necessarily how long the lines would be. Thanks for the insight.

[coasterbill]

Here are the specific temperature guidelines if you care. The park is nice enough to post them.