SuperSteve's SDC/CC Photo TR.

[Shavethewhales]

Silver Dollar City continues to truly be one of the best, if not the best, theme parks in the country. The park was extremely clean; all the rides ran on prime operations, even if there weren't hardly any people in line; the staff were insanely friendly; and the atmosphere still, after all these years and massive growth, holds that special, magical feeling that makes you really feel at home. I suggest this park to anyone who's looking for a great vacation, you can't go wrong with it. Anyone in the family, from infants to grandparents, can have the time of their lives here.

 

I won't bore you with all the details, but here's a few things of note: The Deer Run Hotel remains the best choice by far for SDC patrons; I was able to walk from the hotel to the park gates (a mere two miles without taking the tram) every morning during my trip, and was there hours before the big crowds showed up. After the gates were opened, I was first in front of the opening crowds, so I got down to Powderkeg for a few walk-on rides before too many people got there. Powderkeg is still hauling some serious ass by the way, and a new set of lights were added to tell riders when exactly they would be blasted off. The only negative aspect of the ride are the few idiotic ride-ops who like to absolutely crush riders with the restraints, causing not only a painful ride, but destroying all the bountiful air-time the ride has to offer. Still, it's become the most popular ride in the park by far.

 

After Powderkeg, I headed down to what I was really excited for: SDC's new S&S Screamin Swing, aptly named 'The Giant Swing'. TGS was fun, but not as extreme as I was hoping. It's a good ride, no doubt, but it didn't feel as crazy as I thought it would. The new area looks incredible though. I thought they outdid themselves with The Grand Expo, but this was really nicely done; the whole place looked like it had always been a part of SDC.

One of the things to note is that TGS is already seeing quite a bit of vandalism in its queue line area. There was a family in front of me in line with a teenage boy that decided he needed to write his name all over the wall. The ride op. saw him and promptly told him that he and his family must leave the ride immediately and be escorted out by security. The older members of the group (the father and mother, I assume) immediately started arguing and causing a rucuss with the ride op. saying that they couldn't be told to leave 'because there wasn't a sign telling them that graffiti was not allowed'. It took all of ten minutes for that to be sorted out, and the family remained rooted in their position that signs dictate what's right and wrong all the while.

 

The only other things to note are the extreme friendliness and professionalism of the SDC workers and the closed Huck Finn area. As I said before, it seems Huck Finn's tree house has been closed for good, being too dilapidated to safely open. Attempts at fixing the favorited attraction have seemingly failed, and for some reason the adjacent Huck Finn's River Fort has been closed as well. It seems this area is over-due for a massive re-make.

About the employees though, when it rides were closed, several employees were stationed at the entrances to tell guests everything they knew about when the ride would open again. I had several good talks with a couple of them, which really made my day, even if the rides were closed for part of the time. Also, when the bag I was carrying a shirt I had bought got wet and started coming apart, a shop keeper called me over and gave me a new one, along with her poncho bag to keep my camera safe from getting wet. You don't get that kind of friendliness anywhere else.

 

Later on I hit up CC, which is still trying to find it's identity, yet still very worthwhile. Everything was going great there, with the only thing of note being the new Stinger ride. I'm no fan of Wisdom Tornadoes, and this one was no different. It seemed to be a big hit with everyone else, but it just made me dizzy. The ride experience is hard to explain: there are no real forces, just sickening two-dimensional turning. Oh well, I'm putting my bets on the park finally getting something worthwhile next year.

 

Here's some of my photos, I have more posted here -> http://www.superstevessupersite.com/park_galleries/SDC/sdcgal.html

 

and here -> http://www.superstevessupersite.com/park_galleries/Celebration_City/celebrationcitygal.html

The revamped Waterboggin had me soaked from head to toe.

Anyone ever figure this out?

When a ride closes down, SDC doesn't just put up a sign, they station at least one attendant to tell guests everything they know about when the ride will re-open again.

Future expansion?

New effects which spray guests with water have been added to The American Plunge.

I kept finding ways to hit the guys across the building. It's best if you get the balls all wet.

I hope that's water...

Just like everyone says, looking down at the river is really sweet.

Giant Swing: through the trees! (Aren't I original?)

Here's what everyone wants to see however. This new area fits in so well, you really have to see it to believe it.

Gotta love this place, I could spend hours here spraying strangers in the face with water cannons.

Overused shot, but still...

Some new lights have been added to Powderkeg's launch to warn riders of when they'll be launched.

I want one.

Most people will never see this, but I think it's cool. This is part of the replica Ozarkan village just off Main Square. This cabin is a fine remake of what the pioneersmen used to live in.

This is what Powderkeg's lines look like 5 minutes after the gates open. It's great getting those first morning rides in with only a handful of people.

This is what you see when you get in the park 30 minutes before opening. It's well worth it.

Just in case you forgot where this TR takes place at.

[Shavethewhales]

Here's some more pics:

Anyone know what this is? It looks like it used to be part of the American Plunge.

I'll miss you, tree house.

I've yet to see a coaster make better use of the terrain than this one.

ThuNderaTion continues to haul ass around its circuit.

No SDC photo TR is complete without some of this.

The conductor said that this train was made in germany and used in WWII.

Weeee.

The mist effects are still working.

Doesn't look like this'll be open for awhile.

It's not like a park can't have 2 giant play forts...

Closed. sigh....

You've gotta walk across this at least once during every SDC trip - it's the law.

Who's ready for some good ole' schoolin'?

This ride always gets quite popular in the rain.

Mmmm, free peanut brittle.

The petting zoo is back! Ok, it was back before, but it's taken it awhile to come back after the foot and mouth disease epidemic.

If the Giant Swing is closed, you can always get the ice cream guy to play checkers with you.

[socalMAN123]

Great Photo TR! I loved your pictures, and SDC really does sound like a great park. Powder Keg looks like loads of fun, just like the Giant Swing does to. Thanks!

---Brent

[Swoosh]

Last photo was from the float trip ride that used to be where American Plunge is now. They reversed the current added the drop and now you have a flume ride as opposed to a float trip.

 

Hucks Hideaway was deemed to structurally unstable and that was why the Runaway Ore Cart coaster had to leave. There is a brace there that was supposed to help the treehouse. That was only a bandaid and proved to not provide as much support as the treehouse needed. It is closed now (pretty much permanently) and has been for almost two seasons. The park is still trying to decide what to do with it.

 

Tom's Fort has been closed a majority of the season and popular rumour is that this is the last season for it and that Tom Sawyer Landing will look a lot different next season -- that however remains to be seen and thsoe who know aren't going to talk anytime soon.

 

BTW did you wish FITH Happy Birthday? It is celebrating 35 seasons this year and it is STILL a crowd favorite even though there are "bigger boys" now in the park.

[Shavethewhales]

Here's some from Celebration City:

I'll leave you with this. CC is a great park, I just think it's still in the very early developement stages and hasn't yet found it's own taste. I'm sure we'll see great things from it soon.

Tiny cars + huge drops + shaky erector set supports = genius ride.

What's odd is that the Hershends bought this thing new when the park opened. You would have thought they would have sprang for something... different.

Once again, I don't care what anyone says - I love this ride to death.

Never got the chance to go up in this thing, it goes very slow.

Here's what's replaced Chaos - Tent: The Ride, far superior to Bench: The Ride.

Gotta love the flyers; for a family ride they scare the crap out of me.

Cheap, but fun. I wonder when CC will get a real water ride.

Somewhere in there are two of the most insane air-inducing bunny hops. Why don't more rides have these?

Signature shot, just a hair too early.

Ohhhh yeah... As nice as this park is, it'd be lost without this thing.

The sea lion show was pretty good, and it drew a huge crowd. I wonder if they'll book it again for next year.

I don't care what anyone says about this being a carnival coaster, it still kicks ass. That dive you see the train going down is absolutely insane.

Still, you've gotta give some credit to the Hershends. This ride arrived rusted top-to-bottom, and now it looks better than new.

Meh.

Nice signage, mediocre ride.

Still a very classy park, albeit needing some more growth till it can 'find itself'.

[Neogreeneyez]

Great PTR! I love your pics of Silver Dollar city. The log flume at Celebration... It has two sides? How do you determine which side you go down??

[Shavethewhales]

^It's the same flume, this photo should give you a better idea of how it's laid out:

[ECZenith]

I love that photo of Ozark Wildcat! Can't over how cool the trains are, more coasters should have evil eyes on the front of the train. hehe...

[Shavethewhales]

Oh yeah, here's another little point I forgot to mention. During my first few rides on Wildfire, one of the large condominium structures down near the lake burst into a towering inferno in minutes. The whole place burned to the ground in less than an hour. What do they make those things out of?

 

Scores of firetrucks and emergency personnel were on site, so nothing else was badly hurt, although a few other buildings apparently caught on fire as well.

[Mertens S. Elias]

I thought Stinger was fun when it opened. To my seven year old eyes it looked so cool on the news when they did a story on it. Believe it or not for a couple of weeks after it opened, it was the talk of the town, I yelled and cried until my parents took me. You should've gotten on the Ferris Wheel, I used to love that ride to death, and I still do as for three years I've been trying to find the where-abouts of it. All the time when my Nana would take me to Branson to go shopping (or if I was a good boy she would take me to Celebration City for an hour or two) I would always be in the backseat and watch Celebration City as we drove by on 76 and when we passed I'd always twist my neck so I could watch it. Then at lunch time I'd always want to go to Steak And Shake to watch the Ferris Wheel, and sometimes if I felt like it I'd watch the Wildcat or Thunderbolt, or sometimes even Orbiter. But there was just something about that Ferris Wheel. I've always loved Ferris Wheels, I'd always tell my parents I needed to go to Celebration City because I wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel and the next closest one was at Six Flags. And back during the last year of Branson USA in 2001, I was only a couple months old at the time, but I remember a few, er, screenshots lets say, of memories of being on that Ferris Wheel, my parents used to carry me around in a backpack to amusement parks, they would leave my upper body out so I could see and breath. But I remember walking past the Firestorm/Thunder Bolt roller coaster and crying because the chain lift was loud. Oh the memories.

[Mertens S. Elias]

Oh yeah, here's another little point I forgot to mention. During my first few rides on Wildfire, one of the large condominium structures down near the lake burst into a towering inferno in minutes. The whole place burned to the ground in less than an hour. What do they make those things out of?

 

Scores of firetrucks and emergency personnel were on site, so nothing else was badly hurt, although a few other buildings apparently caught on fire as well.

I heard about that, not long after that the whole project was abandoned because the investor ran out of money and also there was some runoff running into the lake.

[redfoot12]

Kind of funny how much OP liked Thunderbolt. Especially given the timeliness of me riding it a few days ago at its current location in Glenwood Caverns. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Kind of funny how much OP liked Thunderbolt. Especially given the timeliness of me riding it a few days ago at its current location in Glenwood Caverns. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

 

I remember the first time I rode it, I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would too!! The "come to Jesus" moment on the ride was by far the best part of the ride. (Circled in the photo below)

Such a great part of the ride.

[ALT2870]

Funny talking about Cliffhanger, just got off the shift running it. The phscyo dive is strong as ever. We don't run the second train as it is never busy enough. (Plus it is now used for parts.) Pushed through 1,600 today though. I'll post some photos here in a bit.

[Shavethewhales]

Wow. I've been on this board a long time. This PTR is from 8 years ago, back when I was still in high school. I'm an adult with a degree and a job now. I thought they archived these PTRs after a certain length of time.

[redfoot12]

Funny talking about Cliffhanger, just got off the shift running it. The phscyo dive is strong as ever. We don't run the second train as it is never busy enough. (Plus it is now used for parts.) Pushed through 1,600 today though. I'll post some photos here in a bit.

 

Not to derail an 8-year old thread but my friends and I really enjoyed our trip the other day. A little disappointed that Giant Canyon Swing was down.

[Mertens S. Elias]

Wow. I've been on this board a long time. This Photo TR is from 8 years ago, back when I was still in high school. I'm an adult with a degree and a job now. I thought they archived these PTRs after a certain length of time.

Eight years ago I was a six year old crying to my parents because I really wanted to go to C.C so they had to go through extensive planning to have somebody come feed the dogs since the park didn't open until an hour or so before the dogs dinner. But I JUST found this T.R just a couple days ago when I was going through another "I'm SUPER sad" phase were I go back to looking at pictures of this park and I get SUPER sad it closed. And I was also going through the frequent "I hate H.F.C and S.D.C SOOO much" but that phase is around just about all the time.

[Mertens S. Elias]

Kind of funny how much OP liked Thunderbolt. Especially given the timeliness of me riding it a few days ago at its current location in Glenwood Caverns. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

Glad to see my Thunderbolt is still hauling a**. And even after probably about twenty years because it was said before it was at Branson USA in 1999 that it was at another park.

[ElvisLuv]

Well, you got another water ride with better theming but it was short lived. Did you notice that the sea lion show was put on by a group foreign trainers. I believe the show was from Russia, definitely Eastern European. Who knew that oil was going to soar to 130 a barrel and the economic collapse it help ignite was about the rear it ugly head. The massive recession conspired with a poor operating model doomed CC and it was the easy choice to shutter especially with a new guy(Manby) at the top of HFE. I agree with you, their are some decent erector set coasters out there but I think you are nearing the end of them at most fixed site parks. You have seen such an expansion in small footprint permanent fixture coasters from Rewind Racers to the Gale Force coaster from the last week. Look at the woody GG is putting in at ZDT with an 8 person train.

[Mertens S. Elias]

Well, you got another water ride with better theming but it was short lived. Did you notice that the sea lion show was put on by a group foreign trainers. I believe the show was from Russia, definitely Eastern European. Who knew that oil was going to soar to 130 a barrel and the economic collapse it help ignite was about the rear it ugly head. The massive recession conspired with a poor operating model doomed CC and it was the easy choice to shutter especially with a new guy(Manby) at the top of HFE. I agree with you, their are some decent erector set coasters out there but I think you are nearing the end of them at most fixed site parks. You have seen such an expansion in small footprint permanent fixture coasters from Rewind Racers to the Gale Force coaster from the last week. Look at the woody GG is putting in at ZDT with an 8 person train.

Yeah, I'm sure it was an easy decision for Manby considering he probably never went to Celebration City. But I remember the Sea Lion show, I never really liked going to shows but the only shows that I've ever liked at any amusement parks have probably been Ignite the Night and the Sea Lion show because I thought those sea lions were so cute. And I also agree that Celebration City was modeled poorly between it's operating hours, and it didn't really have anything to bring in or wow guests from across the country, and also that I recall the price, like at every H.F.C establishment, being fairly expensive.