Silver Dollar City Trip Report July 2013

Last Saturday, I visited Silver Dollar City after attending the Outlaw Run “Drop in the Dark” event the previous night. Interestingly enough, I was last at the park (during the day) exactly ten years earlier. I knew that the park had changed significantly in the last decade, so I wanted to see what was new. Being a Saturday in the mid-July, I knew that I would be up against heavy crowds. I was right.

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Luckily, the park’s quaint entrance area remained largely unchanged from when I last visited.

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First up was Wildfire. When I last visited the park as a timid 11-year old, I was not as daring of a coaster enthusiast. That all changed when I forced myself to ride Wildfire. It was my first “big kid” coaster, and it broke my fear of the “big” coasters.

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I was excited to ride the coaster and relive one of the biggest milestones in my coaster-riding career. It was just as exciting as I remembered. The layout is short, but the pacing is incredible.

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Wildfire isn’t the biggest or longest B&M coaster, but it is fun.

Wildfire is one of the smoothest B&M coasters that I’ve ever ridden.

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Powder Keg opened less than two years after I last visited the park. I rode Buzz Saw Falls in its last season of operation, so I was excited to ride the “new” coaster.

Not surprisingly, it was better than the original.

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While the coaster’s launch was impressive and forceful, what surprised me the most was the astounding view seen after cresting the first hill. I wasn’t expecting to be so high above “ground zero.”

Watch Powder Keg’s launch above.

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I was impressed with how seamlessly Tom and Huck’s RiverBlast fit into the Riverfront area. If I had never been to the park before, I would have guessed it had been there for many years.

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Next up was Thunderation. It’s a fun, classic Arrow mine train that uses the park’s hilly terrain. The coaster was a walk-on early in the day.

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I’m an avid dog lover, so I had to watch Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience show in the Grand Exposition area.  The dogs’ stunts were impressive, and all the performing dogs were rescued from shelters (two more thumbs up from me).

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The only coaster that I haven’t ridden at Silver Dollar City is tucked away in the Grand Exposition area. Perhaps I’ll ride it next time.

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The entire Grand Exposition area is very nice, but it lacks the rustic feel of the rest of the park. That’s understandable, though, as it’s a completely new area of the park.

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The lack of shade reminded me how hot it was. We didn’t hang around very long.

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Lost River of the Ozarks was the only major ride that we missed. The weather was scorching, so it kept a lengthy line all day.

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I posted my review of Outlaw Run in the dark earlier this week, but of course I had to re-ride the coaster in the daylight.

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The coaster is difficult to photograph, but it’s a small price to pay for such a great ride in the woods surrounding Silver Dollar City.

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Another new addition since my last visit was The Giant Barn Swing. I recommend riding it if you need to dry off after riding one of the park’s drenching water rides.

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The park’s train provides some great Outlaw Run photo opportunities. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch a train traversing the course when our train passed by.

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To our dismay, a midday thunderstorm shut down most of the rides.

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Luckily, the storm made for a great time to ride the interactive Flooded Mine ride, which remained open throughout the storm.

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The storm cleared, and the crowds returned.

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We rode Wildfire again before another storm popped up around 8pm, just as we were about to board Powder Keg.

Stick with me for this story.

Since the park was only open for two more hours, I was worried that I would not get another ride on Outlaw Run, which we saved for our last ride.

Despite the lightning flashing in the night sky, we decided to wait in the Outlaw Run queue. I was determined to stay in the queue until I rode Outlaw Run, or the park closed.

It didn’t look good. Lighting continued to flicker in the distance. An employee told us that his supervisors were not optimistic that the rides would reopen.

I was distraught. I wanted to have one last ride on my new favorite wooden coaster before we left.

There were various rules discussed about lightning distance and the rides’ operation status. It was after 9 p.m. I was losing hope. People left the queue in droves. So many left that we made it into the station. We were so close.

Then, the waiting crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. Around 9:30 p.m., with only 30 minutes to spare, a team member announced that Outlaw Run would be back in business shortly.

We rode Outlaw Run three more times, and let me tell you, they were some of the best rides that I’ve ever had on a roller coaster. I was so ecstatic just to be on the coaster after an hour of thinking that I wouldn’t ride.

It was a great way to end the day.

I’d like to thank all the Silver Dollar City staff for their excellent customer service and hospitality. Their dedication to and passion for the park shows.

See more pictures from my visit to the park on our Facebook page. Also, don’t miss our review of Outlaw Run in the dark.

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