While in Missouri for the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to head down to Silver Dollar City for the first time. Having been to its sister park, Dollywood, earlier this year, I thought I knew what to expect. Like Dollywood, SDC has a super-friendly staff and the same old time atmosphere. Unlike Dollywood that sits in a valley, SDC sits on top of the rolling Ozark hills. The park itself is very compact with small walkways lined with stores. It had the feel of a small hometown park that I love so much (it felt like a cross between Dollywood and Knoebels).
We arrived just as the park was opening for the day (12:00) and crowds were minimal. Our first stop was the park’s B&M coaster, Wildfire. Nestled on the side of a mountain, Wildfire is a sight to see from the ground and provides amazing views of the valley below. The ride was one of the smoothest B&M’s I have ridden. The layout of Wildfire includes huge inversion elements while also providing riders with terrain hugging curves.
Next, we tried to ride PowderKeg but it was closed. We were told that it would open later in the day, so we decided to head over to the ride I have been looking forward to most: Outlaw Run.
Outlaw Run was everything I have expected a RMC coaster to be and more. My first ride was a blur of twists at unbelievable speeds. Outlaw Run does not let up from the first drop to the break run and the double-barrel roll is something you just NEED to experience.
After a quick lunch of the park’s award-winning footlong pretzel dog (which was delicious, try it), we took a ride on the classic Fire In The Hole indoor coaster. Unlike its clone at Dollywood, Fire In The Hole still has the final drop splashdown in place which caught me by surprise. You just have to love these old dark rides.
As the park was in full Christmas swing, we took in a show of “It’s A Wonderful Life.” This hour-long production was excellent and is something that would not be found in other parks. By this time, crowds were starting to grow as dusk quickly approached and the Christmas lights in the park were starting to appear.
After the show, I made sure to get a ride in on the Flooded Mine, an old shooting dark ride. Riders sit in boats and freely float through the flooded tunnels of the mine while shooting at various targets.
On our way back to PowderKeg, we stopped at the park’s Arrow mine train coaster. Thunderation was the smoothest Arrow coaster I have ever been on and was very fun to ride. I wish I would have had time to ride it a couple more times. Thunderation’s layout is very unique. You start out at the top of a hill, so the first 3/4 of the ride is gravity powered without assistance from a lift. The course features a double helix and a long tunnel. You really can’t see much of Thunderation from the station, most of the ride sits below in the woods.
With my fingers crossed, I approached PowderKeg. To our luck, it was open! After a 30 minute wait, we boarded. When you leave PowderKeg’s station, you are moved forward and then sideways up an incline to the launch section (a truly unusual experience on a coaster). You are then launched at 53 mph into an 110 foot floater hill followed by twists and turns through the trees. One thing all of SDC’s coasters have in common is that they are all so incredibly smooth. SDC does a great job of maintaining their rides.
It was now completely dark outside so I headed back to Outlaw Run for a night ride. I was expecting a long line since night rides are somewhat rare on Outlaw Run, but what met me was a 10 minute wait. Needless to say I rode four straight times. Outlaw Run is a totally different ride at night; the only part with lights on is the lift hill and the rest is in complete darkness. From the top of the lift, you can’t see the bottom. If you thought this coaster was crazy during the day, it’s insane when the sun goes down. Outlaw Run easily made it into my top 10.
The crowds were busy now, but it seemed they were only there for the Christmas event (more on this to come). On my way out of the park, I grabbed another ride on PowderKeg and Wildfire. Silver Dollar City really impressed me and I hope to visit again one day when I can spend some more time in the park. The theming throughout the park was immaculate and the quality of the rides were second to none.
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