Photo TR- Silver Dollar City and Celebration City

[natatomic]

Their food may be amazing, but it was damn expensive too.

 

Well, you can have expensive, mediocre food at just about every other amusement park in the country if you prefer.

[Shavethewhales]

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Hearing this viewpoint has got me thinking though, about how much we take for granted when parks like SDC abandon their time-honored traditions and suddenly dive into standardizing everything and adding these huge rides. I, like so many others, have lamented that this new direction of the park has taken away so much of what made the park great in the first place, but it's TR's like this that remind me of the stresses the park is under to perform to so many different expectations now that it pulls in over 2 million a year.

 

Like I said before, the park is definitely in an awkward transition phase, and it's really interesting to watch how they're pulling it off. They're definitely almost completely focused on adding thrill rides, but they're doing it with a finesse that you just don't see anywhere else. Just look at any of their attractions and you'll see a painstaking attention to detail, a deep back story, and an obvious effort put in to make it part of the overall experience rather than just another ride.

 

Just some stuff to think about, thanks for being honest with your opinions CP_RULES

[kraken613]

Their food may be amazing, but it was damn expensive too.

 

Well, you can have expensive, mediocre food at just about every other amusement park in the country if you prefer.

If the food is anything like Dollywood its actually very reasonable for the amount you get!

[Jew]

A giant group of people who aren't willing to accept others opinions.

 

Maybe I am missing something here, but where in this thread did anyone not accept your opinion? Everyone in the thread was polite and respectful of your opinion.

 

Besides, you said yourself in your original post that "The rides were top notch, the atmosphere was cool, and the smells were agonizingly amazing." Then in your response, you said "I was simply AMAZED at how nice the staff was, the ride ops seemed as if they were having a blast and they truly wanted to be there. The theming and smells were great, and most of the rides were really fun."

 

So technically, many of the posts in here AGREED with your point of view.

[TC Ridesalot]

O.K. We attend SDC every year and I think I understand what he is saying. I have a 16 year old son who feels the same way about the park. If you ask him if he likes the park he say's no it's for old people. But, if you ask him specifics about the rides you get glowing reviews. The age bracket between 15 and 18 see's the park's atmosphere as a "little house on the prairie tv show episode". They are use to hoping from one ride to the next and being surrounded by kids and noise and constant trills. This park has a feel of olden days and the wild west, you could say Americana. They stationed three of the 5 coasters within 20 feet of each other so the trills are not scattered throughout the park. The mine coaster Thunderation is back where it's not noticed within the walkways of the park. Most of the flats and the kiddie coaster are situated in a single section also away from the main walkways. So, in a 15/16 year olds mind it doesn't seem like a trill park because there aren't continuous trills. There are no coasters going over the walkways so, the screams and thunder of the rides don't add that extra thing that typical parks offer.

If you think about it, when you were 15/16 did you want to hang out around a group of people playing folk music. So, I can see how his statements seemed to contradict themselves. They don't it's just a mindset that most kids his age have of the parks.

 

On a side note, I had to walk uphill to and from school everyday in 2 foot of snow in my day!

 

I went to SDC when I was 10 in 1979 and the only coaster they had was Fire In The Hole and I STILL loved it!

 

I guess its the XBox generation and their need for loud noises and bright objects...[/quote

 

You hit it right on the head! Different time, different era. Today's environment offers way more around every corner. To ask a normal hormonal crazied 16 year old to enjoy a suddle walk through SDC is questionable at best.

[Guest]

I enjoyed SDC for what it was. It was much bigger than I thought it would be and the Christmas lights were very cool. I will agree $50 is very steep but at least they dont charge for parking. To me I cant really justify making the 9+ hour trek from Chicago to go back there though, they had some good rides but not that good .

[kraken613]

 

I went to SDC when I was 10 in 1979 and the only coaster they had was Fire In The Hole and I STILL loved it!

 

I guess its the XBox generation and their need for loud noises and bright objects...[/quote

 

You hit it right on the head! Different time, different era. Today's environment offers way more around every corner. To ask a normal hormonal crazied 16 year old to enjoy a suddle walk through SDC is questionable at best.

 

But im a teen and Dollywood is my favorite park!

[tntornadox]

^ You and me both, buddy.

 

Dollywood has always been my homepark, the park grew up with me, really. I remember back when it was nothing but a bunch of crafts with a decent mine train coaster and a few 'home-made' attractions such as Blazing Fury and Flooded Mine. They didn't have huge roller coasters then, but it was still a GREAT park that I ALWAYS looked forward to visiting, it was my Disneyland.

 

Then, as I grew up some, Dollywood and HFEC really did too. Dollywood added Daredevil Falls in 1998, and its been all downhill from there, as far as great thrill rides go. Am I glad that's the way they are headed? As a coaster enthusiast, yes; as a genuine lover of the parks, not really. As long as HFEC keeps their roots in mind, and don't stray too far from them, I have no problems calling them one of the best chains in America. In the end, I would still have that opinion, even as a teenager and coaster enthusiast, if they didn't have some of the major rides they do now- HFEC parks are great PARKS, and anyone who appreciates the whole experience will love them for what they are- extremely well-rounded family theme parks.

 

This is one proud member of Generation Me who is a proud supporter of Herschend Family Entertainment!

[TC Ridesalot]

 

I went to SDC when I was 10 in 1979 and the only coaster they had was Fire In The Hole and I STILL loved it!

 

I guess its the XBox generation and their need for loud noises and bright objects...[/quote

 

You hit it right on the head! Different time, different era. Today's environment offers way more around every corner. To ask a normal hormonal crazied 16 year old to enjoy a suddle walk through SDC is questionable at best.

 

But im a teen and Dollywood is my favorite park!

 

 

You may be an exception to the rule. Good enough answer?