Guest Blog: Silver Dollar City Trip Report

Our main trip of the summer featured one of the best amusement parks in the United States: Silver Dollar City.

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Lex and I visited the Branson area for the first time last summer. We absolutely loved the “small-town” feel that Branson exuded, even though it is a major tourist stop. It offered a really nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of New York City, yet there was still enough to do to keep anyone entertained. To make a long story short, we fell in love with Branson, and we made that decision before our first visit to “the City”. Can you imagine how ecstatic we were once we realized that Silver Dollar City became one of our favorite non-Disney parks in America? (Lexie’s editing remark: It is our favorite non-Disney park in America!)

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As soon as you enter the park, you enter another world. Silver Dollar City not only has an unmatched setting in the picturesque Ozark Mountains, but it also has one of my favorite “themes” of any theme park that I have visited.

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Silver Dollar City is themed to a 1880s mining town with an acute focus on American craftsmanship. Throughout the day, the park offers live demonstrations of glass blowing, knife making, wood working, and much more! It really offers a unique experience that you can’t find at any other theme park in the world.

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Here is a glass blower doing his thing. The process of making a glass-blown creation is long and tedious, but the finished product is simply beautiful.

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This is the blacksmith who unfortunately had just finished up his demo. Are there any Silver Dollar City fans out there that know what he was making?

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This guy was making wooden planks the old-fashioned way. Personally, this was my favorite demonstration because it is something so simple that we just take for granted today. I was also extremely impressed that this man’s back could handle all that hacking (mine definitely couldn’t). I also will probably never be able to grow such an impressive beard.

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I would never have even thought that anything but a machine/saw would be able to create such a smooth plank.

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We didn’t get to stop and watch, but these guys are woodworkers that make bats, kitchen rollers, furniture, and much, much more!

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Up to this point, I haven’t posted a single picture that has contained a ride. I think that is a true testament to just how different of a theme park Silver Dollar City really is. But no matter how you cut it, Lex and I love rides, so why not start off with a a classic fun house?

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Grandfather’s Mansion is an absolute trip. I apologize for the blur, but this old-school fun house sure does a fantastic job of skewing your perception and balance. My dad (green shirt) kept laughing about the attraction all day. The Mansion is a great way to break up a day of thrill rides because there is rarely a line.

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Here is our lone picture of my personal favorite Arrow Mine Train. Thunderation is an absolute blast. It was built in 1993 and still runs as smooth as ever. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to ride this when it had two cars facing backwards, but that was changed in 2010. This ride is a true terrain coaster and it utilizes the Ozark hillside wonderfully. Make sure you take it in while you can because Thunderation hits a max speed of 48mph, which is much faster than your typical mine train!

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Speaking of trains, we heard the whistle of the Frisco Silver Dollar Steam Line nearby, so we headed over to the station. I remember that during the Outlaw Run construction, the train offered some of the best views of the crazy 153-degree overbank, so I was excited to get a picture or two.

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The train makes it’s way through a majority of the park, so it is a really nice way to beat the heat and get a preview of what the crowds look like in different sections of the park.

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Here is our first view of the “Wilson Farms” section of the park, home of the Giant Swing… Oh, and a decent roller coaster called Outlaw Run.

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There’s the money shot. What a funky looking element.

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I had my fingers crossed that I could get a train going through, but the timing just did not work out. Still a nice shot of an absolutely insane element.

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The train is also currently offering exceptional views of the new construction taking place at Silver Dollar City.

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If you haven’t check it out yet, do yourself a favor and look at what Silver Dollar City’s 2015 project looks like. Firemans Landing is making an already amazing family-park even more family-friendly. Don’t worry thrill seekers, they are still adding an 80-foot drop tower for us!

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Immediately after you exit the train, the entrance to Flooded Mine is to your left.

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Flooded Mine is a classic shooter ride. The story behind the ride is that the local prison mine was flooded and some of the prisoners are trying to escape. Your job as a rider is to shoot the prisoners and help out the warden.

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It is another great ride to beat the heat on and it caters to all ages. I wish I had gotten more pictures of the outside of the ride, but luckily ThemeParkReview has a nice gallery of the exterior.

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After Flooded Mine, we meandered our way to the opposite side of the park. What is incredible about Silver Dollar City is how you can have a full day of fun without going on a single ride. There are so many fun shops and things to see that you can entertain yourself easily for the entire day. I don’t think I can say that about any other non-Disney park in the country.

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Here is a shot of the Lost River of the Ozarks which runs right along Silver lake. Lex and I made sure to get on it this time since we missed it last year.

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Lost River of the Ozarks ended up being the longest wait of the day at nearly 45 minutes. It was a hot day, but I guess this is just a crowd favorite. Lex and I were generally underwhelmed due to the lack of waterfalls and opportunities to get wet.

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Right next to Lost River of the Ozarks is Riverside Ribhouse, which is where we ate last year and it was absolutely awesome. I love the location and the food was very high-quality for a theme park. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop here this time because we wanted to explore more of what the park has to offer.

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We eventually stumbled upon one of my favorite rides in the park: Tom and Huck’s River Blast. Call me crazy, but I absolutely love these Splash Battle attractions. When this one opened in 2010, it was advertised as “America’s Largest Splash Battle” with a $7 million price tag.

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The theme of this ride reflects the mischievous adventures of Tom and Huck down the Mississippi River. The ride is extremely interactive, with dozens of blaster stations where you can engage in a water battle with the passengers of an incoming boat, as well as with innocent passersby.

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Or you can be a weirdo like me and shoot the targets to see what happens. For the record, I was a huge fan of the steamboat in front since that makes a pretty loud noise, and I also enjoyed the last fan target because it surprisingly shoots out water. How old am I again? It is also worth noting that there is a 100% chance that you walk off this ride soaking wet.

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After blasting as many targets as possible on a ride geared towards the younger crowd, my workout for the day was complete. I decided to reward myself with the awesomeness that is Lumbercamp Falls Skillet.

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I went with the Skillet Sausage Medley for a seemingly steep $9.29. It ended up being a hearty portion that could easily feed two kids. Also, it was really tasty so I highly recommend stopping by on your visit.

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We then made our way over the Wilson Farms section of the park.

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Pro tip: There is also a ride back here called Outlaw Run, and it is pretty good.

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There he is in all of his glory, Outlaw Run stands at a height of 107 feet. Don’t be fooled though, Outlaw Run utilizes the Ozark hillside just as well as Thunderation and drops you 162 feet at 81 degrees!

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The only true tragedy of Outlaw Run from a blogging standpoint is that most of its layout is hidden from view so please forgive me for not getting that many pictures. From a coaster enthusiast standpoint, one of the best things about Outlaw Run is that its layout is hidden from view, so the bad definitely comes with the good! When Lex and I visited last year, I really liked Outlaw Run, but it did not blow me away. We chose to sit in the back row since I felt that it would shine there, but I got off feeling a bit underwhelmed, especially after the hype of rave reviews.

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This year, we opted to sit in the front, and the ride was nothing less than pure insanity. The first drop is incredibly steep and offers a great amount of ejector airtime. The element that follows is the 153-degree overbank, which is one of the most unique roller coaster elements I have ever experienced. The transition into the turn immediately following the overbank offers some serious lateral G’s, but nothing prepares you for more ejector airtime that follows on the next two air hills. The hills provide strong pops of airtime, regardless of where you sit. At this point, you are parallel to the lift hill that started this ridiculous trek.

Without warning, Outlaw Run twists you up towards the lift hill infrastructure, shoots you through it, and brings you to the next element (my personal favorite): the wave turn. The wave turn is an extreme element that features a 90-degree bank with very little lateral movement. You are literally perpendicular to the ground for a solid second before you untwist into some more terrain hugging madness. Outlaw Run gives you yet another strong pop of air and then pulls you through another world-first for a wooden coaster: a double barrel roll.

It is really hard to believe that all of what I just wrote happens in a mere 40 seconds (from the first drop to the final brakes), but it does. Outlaw Run is thatinsane. Riding the front row this summer confirmed that Outlaw Run deserves every bit of the praise that it gets among the enthusiast community.

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Outside of Outlaw Run, the Wilson Farms section of the park features a S&S Giant Swing and a few interactive sets to keep everyone happy. You can even milk a cow (don’t worry, not a real one)!

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We then worked our way over to a classic 1972 dark ride (which also counts as a coaster): Fire in the Hole.

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The backstory of Fire in the Hole explains some historical aspects of the park. As we learned later on, a Canadian bought land surrounding Marvel Cave, which is the property of Silver Dollar City today. A group of locals called the Baldknobbers strongly disliked a foreigner turning their land into a tourist site, so they set flames to the town. Throughout the course of the ride, the Baldknobbers have set the local town ablaze and the fire department depends on you for help.

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Here’s where you go if you are unsuccessful at saving Marmaros (the name of the original town).

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This is your 1972 high-tech fire truck to help you quell the flames. All kidding aside, this is a great ride. I am a huge fan of dark rides, and Fire in the Hole is a classic through and through. It is a great ride for the whole family and is yet another attraction you shouldn’t miss at the City.

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Since we were about the midpoint of the day, we decided to make our way back to the front of the park, to the attraction that started it all.

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Marvel Cave is an hour-long walking tour of one of the most beautiful caves you can find in “The Cave State.” During the cave tour, the guide tells you all about how the park started and its surrounding history. All I am going to say is that if I only had two hours at Silver Dollar City, I would give a full hour plus change to this attraction. Marvel Cave is that incredible.

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Tours depart from the Hospitality House once every half hour. It is usually pretty crowded, and they only take 60 people per tour, so be sure to get there at least ten minutes in advance to secure your spot.

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Once we came back to ground level, we immediately set out for Wildfire.

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Looks like we are headed in the right direction.

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We have found the infamous laboratory of Dr. Horatio Harris.

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Yeah, this is definitely the right place. I’ve been looking for a follicle replacementologist! I guess it is my lucky day! I really wish I understood the theme of this ride more. Supposedly, Dr. Horatio Harris was obsessed with inventing something that could fly over the trees of the Ozark Mountain. Seems to me like a little bit of a stretch.

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Luckily for Wildfire, it is an extremely awesome ride. This is my second favorite coaster in the park behind Outlaw Run. Into the light they go!

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Wildfire stands at 120 feet tall, but it is the proud holder of “Best Lift Hill View in America”. That’s not an official award yet, but it should be. You can see miles of the beautiful Ozark scenery, and you almost forget you are on a roller coaster. But before you can remember where you are, Wildfire drops you 155 feet and launches you into the first inversion, an immelmann.

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Unlike Outlaw Run, Wildfire flaunts it’s layout to the viewers on the observation deck. After Wildfire throws you through a vertical loop, it hugs the terrain for a moment and then sends you spiraling through a cobra roll.

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Fun fact: Wildfire does not feature the typical B&M roar because it is filled with sand.

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After some 90-degree fun, Wildfire inverts you with a corkscrew and then sends you through a helix into the final brakes.

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Wildfire is a ride that I think deserves more love than it gets. I think it has great intensity, yet is as smooth as butter. I think the general consensus is that it is just a tad short in length, but I think that just increases its re-rideability. Like most loopers, I would suggest riding Wildfire in the front, but the second or third row would suffice.

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The walk to and from Wildfire allows for some nice views of American Plunge. Lex and I went on this last year so we decided to skip it this year. This ride is sure to make a splash (cue crash symbol).

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Much more impressive splash then some of the flume rides I have been on!

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The flume is another example of the City’s beautiful theming. Do you agree with the general idea that Silver Dollar City is a gorgeous park?

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A short walk from Wildfire yielded a sign for the park’s last major coaster: Powder Keg.

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We always love some good American pride.

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Is there anything better than seeing a relatively empty queue?

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Lexie’s ready to go!

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Powder Keg features a compressed air launch that shoots riders from 0-53mph in 2.8 seconds.

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This is where you are launched off if you say that Silver Dollar City is not one of the best theme parks in America.

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In case you didn’t see Powder Keg’s slogan, it is “A Blast into the Wilderness,” and they aren’t just saying that. The only parts of Powder Keg that can be seen are its first hill, lift hill, and bits of the helix. The ride itself is solid, but I think I would have to put it under the “overrated” category. The highlight of the ride is the launch and the first hill, which offers quite a bit of airtime in the front row. After that, the layout just doesn’t quite flow. I understand that Powder Keg has undergone quite a few mechanical modifications, but to me a lot of it just seems unnatural.

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Due to a copious amount of sunlight producing a terrible glare, this is the only shot of track that we got that is worth posting.

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Powder Keg has it’s own warehouse for the gun powder it uses on the launch. Stand near the warehouse just before the coaster is launched. You’ll be in for a nice surprise.

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If you want to bring some explosive goods home with you, be sure to visit the Black Powder Supply store.

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Walking along Hill Street means you will see a ton of aesthetically pleasing specialty shops!

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Be sure to check out Honey Heaven!

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Grab some Silver Dollar City bling if you are so inclined.

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Finally, we commemorated our awesome day at the park by heading to the Echo Hollow Amphitheater to see the Great American Country Nights show.

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The theater is huge and nestled amongst Ozark Mountain foliage.

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The performance was top notch, just like the rest of the park. This show lasts 90 minutes, which is basically a full concert. We opted to leave after only a half hour because we wanted to get ready for dinner.

When our day at Silver Dollar City had finally come to an end, we all were pooped. Leaving the park, Lex and I couldn’t stop talking about how much we love “The City” and the Branson area in general. Everything is so picturesque and everyone is genuinely kind.

Silver Dollar City easily is one of the best theme parks we have ever been to, and I actually prefer it to the likes of Knoebels, Holiday World, and both Busch Gardens’. It has an undeniable charm that is seeded in its American theme. No where else in the world can you see a live glass-blowing demonstration and follow it up with a ride on one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. It is always awesome to visit a park that offers more than just rides, and no other non-Disney park exhibits that vibe moreso than Branson’s Silver Dollar City. I am already looking forward to our next visit!

For more information on Silver Dollar City, check out their website at SilverDollarCity.com.

Visit Life is a Roller Coaster to read Kevin and Lexie’s adventures across North America visiting theme parks, riding roller coasters, eating great food and more.

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