robbalvey Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) The Tallest Raft Ride Drop in the Western Hemisphere! 4.5 Stories to The Wettest Splashdown in the Park’s 60-Year History! Mystic River Falls will be the highlight of a new themed area of the park, Rivertown, where 1880s townfolk are caught up in a high-spirited celebration, representing Silver Dollar City’s Diamond Jubilee. The all-new Rivertown Smokehouse, the largest dining investment in the corporation’s history, will serve the park’s famous BBQ plus new favorites, providing 450 viewing seats along the banks of the Mystic River. (Investment $4 million) And to think, it all started with a hole in the ground. Marvel Cave in Branson was among the most popular “show caves” in the 1950s and 60s. In fact, the Herschends started Silver Dollar City so tourists to Marvel Cave had something to do while waiting for their tours. The family quickly learned they had entered into the theme park business! Mystic River Falls calls upon that rich history for theming and backstory, intermingling fact and fiction, legend and lore, to arrive at an attraction that celebrates the spirit of adventure that’s part of Ozark culture. An underground body of water that seems to come from and go nowhere, Mystic River truly appears on the park’s historical maps as discovered and documented by botanist S. Fred Prince in the late 1800s, and to this day, flows in Marvel Cave. For the new ride, guests will be transported back to the 1880s in a storyline that revolves around a historically-based fictional character named Pearl Brazen, an intrepid explorer who’s eager to take them on a bold quest to find the headwaters of the Mystic River. Silver Dollar City’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee will begin in March, 2020 along with park opening; an Anniversary Celebration will launch the weekend of May 1, 2020, followed by Mystic River Falls opening during the summer season. As is tradition, cave tours are offered daily, so in 2020 park guests can step into the past by exploring the cave, and then look toward the future by experiencing a record-breaking, game-changing water ride that reminds us all that The Greatest Adventures Lie Ahead! Mystic River Falls, itself a $23 million investment, will be a River Adventure that is themed to the history and legend of the great Marvel Cave, which was the catalyst for Silver Dollar City six decades ago. Riders will splash through nearly a half-mile (2100’) scenic journey, navigating hairpin turns, high tides and a hidden mine shaft on more than a 5-minute trek. Plus, Adventurers will discover industry-leading special features: - 82’ Tall Lift Tower River Adventurers will ascend a more than 8-story lift tower, exposed to the open air as their rafts rotate during the climb! The rotation elevator lift of 4 platforms is unique to this ride and will be the only one like it in the world to go up so high. - More than 6-Story Elevated River Channel, 180’ Long The rafts will connect to an elevated river channel suspended in the air 66’ high and travel within the channel for 180 linear feet. - A Grand Finale Waterfall of 4.5 Stories of Thrilling Adventure! Racing down and through the ride’s queue building, River Adventurers will brave the Mystic River Falls finale… [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] Edited August 13, 2019 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendLover Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 This looks incredible! And a thirty million investment right after another nearly thirty million dollar investment. Reading the Facebook comments is mind numbing though: "Lost River was a classic blah blah blah there's not enough for old people blah blah blah that drop looks too big for my kids blah blah blah no more thrill rides! Heights heights HEIGHTS!" Lord I'm so excited to experience something like Infinity Falls in what is basically my backyard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Do we know if this is Intamin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 I was at the announcement. It is not an Intamin; it’s being manufactured by a company called RES out of Switzerland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedlr Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) So what's the tallest in the world? I'm having trouble figuring that one out. BTW that announcement video is fantastic! Edited August 13, 2019 by thedlr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adervus Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Do we know if this is Intamin? No it's from RES (Ride Engineers Switzerland). According to this article the founder worked for 15 years for Intamin though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Looks awesome to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Looks amazing!!! Can’t wait to give it a go next season!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 So what's the tallest in the world? I'm having trouble figuring that one out. Yes, this is what has me perplexed as well! I know when it was announced, Infinity Falls claimed to be the tallest in the world, and this is taller than that. Has a new one opened since then, or is opening next year? Inquiring minds want to know! Love this addition though! I still haven't been able to make it out to SDC, but I'm glad this will be there whenever I do! I'm not usually a fan of Rapids Rides, but I liked the one at Animal Kingdom because of the drop, so I'm excited about Infinity Falls and this as well. Such a beautiful looking park! Can't wait to get out there someday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 I was told today that nobody is really sure, since Intamin wouldn’t release details of what they’re doing in China, but supposedly there is a rapids ride being built there as well that may very well be taller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 That would make sense, especially if it will open before Mystic River Falls does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 ^^When I saw the press release I immediately assumed it must be some weird Chinese project that will take the title this or next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 ^That was my thought as well, especially after not being able to turn up any info on anything right off the bat. Thanks, RollerManic for the response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Wow...super excited for this! I LOVE rapids rides, so this is very exciting news. Can't wait to check it out in 2020! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdcfan88 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 (edited) I was at the announcement ceremony and did the tour of the construction site. Very impressive for a river rapids ride. I do like the landscaping/theming/scenery/etc quite a lot from whats been done so far. This will indeed be a huge hit with the park like Outlaw Run and Time Traveler were. I expect the lines will be pretty crazy and long for this thing like how Lost River was. lol The ride basically combines elements from the American Plunge, Waterboggan, and Lost River. FULL ALBUM HERE Videos: You might notice lots of rock work and several decently sized trees have been planted and even some waterfall elements have already been made operational for part of the ambience that this area will create. Huge kudos to the park management and construction crew on what I have seen so far. Further up towards The Barn Swing I checked out the canals and the pits that were already constructed but was told to overall stay outside the structures. Got lots of photos and video. Also chatted with some of the construction crew while out there, I asked about Lake Silver and was told by one of the foreman that the new lake size will be reduced by almost 75 percent from before but it will be about 25-30 feet deep when they get done with it and its refilled. I suggested they should put some Koi or some kind of fish back in it to entertain the kids while they wait in line as the queue line will be right next to the "new" lake as the load station will be in the center of where the old lake once was. lol Also note the huge pits dug out for the canals, reservoir, and the drop tower structure which will be over 80 feet high and the pumps on this thing are insane, 200,000 gallons per hour per pump is what I was told. That's a crazy amount of water if you think about it, but I guess that's needed for what all this ride experience will entail. Standing down there in the bottom really gives you a sense of scale of this water ride. The ride's capacity will be upgraded from 6 to 8 persons along with a faster load/unload system and will last 5 and a half minutes over a half mile ride course equaling a much higher PPH than the old Lost River ever did. Only negative/critique I could come up with is to the theme/backstory being tied to the cave as I guess I was a bit let down as I had originally envisioned with the cave teasers that this was gonna be a mountain type structure with the slide element dropping into the mouth of a fabricated cave (see the entrance to the real Marvel Cave to understand my thoughts here) for an extensive indoor segment similar to how the last 25% of Lost River's course was. But I guess with the areas combined investment being more than Time Traveler, that kind of design would probably be too cost prohibitive. One can dream, right? lol Don't take this the wrong way or that I am implying that this seems underwhelming, I still think this will be incredibly beautiful to see in person and a very fun and thrilling ride once it is all said and done next year. Edited August 14, 2019 by sdcfan88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 I'm loving it so far! It looks fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Only negative/critique I could come up with is to the theme/backstory being tied to the cave as I guess I was a bit let down as I had originally envisioned with the cave teasers that this was gonna be a mountain type structure with the slide element dropping into the mouth of a fabricated cave (see the entrance to the real Marvel Cave to understand my thoughts here) for an extensive indoor segment similar to how the last 25% of Lost River's course was. But I guess with the areas combined investment being more than Time Traveler, that kind of design would probably be too cost prohibitive. One can dream, right? lol Don't take this the wrong way or that I am implying that this seems underwhelming, I still think this will be incredibly beautiful to see in person and a very fun and thrilling ride once it is all said and done next. I’m glad I didn’t have to be the first to say this. These were my EXACT thoughts today. I envisioned more of a “cave exploration/adventure theme like the original vs. a cave mining company. There is only one enclosed section and it’s very small. I am incredibly excited for the ride, do not get me wrong! I just find the thematic choice odd. Also, while the lake is smaller, this time you’ll be right in the middle of it and so it’ll feel more immersive - at least that’s how I felt after standing where the station will be today. You’re going to really feel surrounded by water this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Good to see they're going to have a 40" minimum. Lost River was 36", and I was concerned this new one would be higher, like along the lines of Fury of the Nile's 46". While SDC does have a significant number of families with kids in the 36-39" range, I feel like this minimum height shows the park made a great effort to make the ride as accessible as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 I can't imagine the lines this thing is going to pull in. Lost River always had insanely long lines, I can only assume this will be just as bad... if not worse! - Should make the season Trail Blazer pass even that much more worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Keep in mind that there are 2 more seats on each boat. With the increased capacity I really doubt the line will be any different than it was for Lost River, about 60-75 minutes on busy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdcfan88 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Call me weird but even as a coaster enthusiast I'm actually more excited to see this finished than I was for Time Traveler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Call me weird but even as a coaster enthusiast I'm actually more excited to see this finished than I was for Time Traveler. Same. This seems to be more “complete” than Time Traveler. To me it seems like they did Time Traveler a massive disservice by just plopping it down on a barren hillside with the only theming being the station. (Don’t get me wrong. I love the ride.) But of all the attractions at SDC it’s the one that just doesn’t seem to “fit” as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdcfan88 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Call me weird but even as a coaster enthusiast I'm actually more excited to see this finished than I was for Time Traveler. Same. This seems to be more “complete” than Time Traveler. To me it seems like they did Time Traveler a massive disservice by just plopping it down on a barren hillside with the only theming being the station. (Don’t get me wrong. I love the ride.) But of all the attractions at SDC it’s the one that just doesn’t seem to “fit” as well. Agreed on that, love the ride as it is right up there with Powderkeg as my favorite coaster and had also de-throned Wildfire for me as a favorite. I kept hoping there would be more landscaping or theming done through the ride course but I was hearing statements from employees that they "ran out of money" allotted for the project so the extras were evidently scrapped. Hopefully that doesn't happen here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 As excited as I am for this ride (rapids rides are a favourite for me), that new BBQ restaurant with enough capacity that it won't have a mile long line is maybe even more excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilnky Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 So excited that I am getting back to SDC next month! I haven't been for years and need to ride Outlaw Run and Time Traveler. I had a quick question if I could for the locals. I picked the White Wing Lodge in my package as it was the closest to the park. I read it is within walking distance to the park and I thought that was appealing to not have to mess with driving. Does that sound like an ok plan to you guys? Just curious if you thought it would be ok to walk or go ahead and drive. I wasn't sure and was hoping someone might have done it and knows for sure. I wasn't sure of the layout of everything. Thanks so much if you can help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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