The New Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar City is now open! For generations, the classic Fire in the Hole indoor roller coaster has captured the hearts of many guests visiting Silver Dollar City.
The original Fire in the Hole, which operated from 1972-2023. Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City
For many, they grew up riding the classic attraction, making memories with family and friends. Silver Dollar City closed the original Fire in the Hole attraction on December 30, 2023.
However, the original attraction has been replaced with the largest indoor roller coaster in the Heartland, which also goes by the name Fire in the Hole, and follows a similar story and layout as its predecessor.
We were invited to attend a media preview of the all-new Fire in the Hole on March 27th before the coaster officially opened to the public on March 30th, and in true Silver Dollar City fashion, it was a grand ole time!
The new Fire in the Hole is a $30 million investment for the park, making it the park’s biggest investment in a single attraction to date.
New Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar City. Image courtesy of Silver Dollar City
The roller coaster was manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and features a powered incline and gravity descent, including three drops and a quicksplash-landing.
The ride also features on-board audio and is housed in a five-story, temperature-controlled building in the newly renamed “Fire District.”
The new area also consists of the Station No. 3 firehouse and a handful of family-friendly flat rides.
New Fire in the Hole Ride Experience
Riders began their experience by entering the Silver Dollar City pumper factory, where the town plans to unveil their new rescue wagons, built to transport firefighters to the scene of a fire.
In the queue, riders are also introduced to several wanted “Baldknobbers,” members of a gang known for causing trouble around town.
Upon reaching the station, riders board their “rescue wagon” trains in six rows of two. The RMC family trains are quite comfortable and are built to accommodate multiple generations of riders, with a height requirement of 36 inches.
Note: If you want the story elements of the ride to remain a surprise for your first ride, skip the next couple of paragraphs, as they contain spoilers.
Fire in the Hole concept art. Courtesy of Silver Dollar City
Fire in the Hole concept art. Courtesy of Silver Dollar City
Once the train departs the station, guests move through a series of scenes depicting the Baldknobbers’ wreaking havoc on the town while it’s on fire, including the classic “Red Flanders” scene and the burning bridge scene.
Fire in the Hole concept art. Courtesy of Silver Dollar City
Fire in the Hole concept art. Courtesy of Silver Dollar City
Then, riders experience the first of the roller coaster’s three drops, followed by a short scene revealing plans to blow up the town’s water tower to put out the fire. After turning the corner to face an oncoming train, the coaster’s trains plummet down the remaining two drops, ending with a splashdown and celebration from extinguishing the fire.
The new ride experience follows many of the same beats and layout as the original Fire in the Hole. However, the onboard audio adds a continuous on-ride soundtrack throughout the ride and additional dialogue and plot information that make the ride’s story flow from scene to scene. Updated practical sets and special effects also add to the enhanced storytelling, giving the new experience a much more modern feel as riders travel through the burning town. And to really make the experience feel shiny and new, the new RMC trains run smooth as butter through the entire layout.
Ultimately, we think the new Fire in the Hole is a fantastic addition to the park and a worthy replacement for such a beloved attraction. For those who experienced the original, the nostalgia remains, as much of the ride has the same feel as the older version. And for new riders, the updates add to the original experience and ensure that the story of a burning town banding together to catch some bald knobbers lives on at Silver Dollar City.
Other Media Day Fun
In addition to our preview of the new Fire in the Hole, we also were invited to try some of Silver Dollar City’s delicious food items, including the new Hiland Dairy Fire in the Hole s’more-flavored ice cream and pretzel dogs from the new-for-2024 dining location, Sadie’s Pretzel Cafe.
We also were able to check out the new Flanders Dry Goods store, where you can buy your very own pair of Red Flanders pants, stolen by those dang Baldknobbers!
We had a great time checking out the new Fire in the Hole attraction and the new Fire District area of Silver Dollar City. Thank you to the park for inviting us to attend!
The all-new Fire in the Hole and the Fire District area is now open to the public.
Watch an on-ride POV of the new Fire in the Hole below:
For more Fire in the Hole, see photos from our construction tour of the new coaster here.
Have you ridden the new Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar City? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
My granddaughter and I were not impressed by the new Fire in the Hole ride. We both agreed that we looked the old ride better.
The only real improvement is it is a smoother ride.
I don’t understand. It’s the same layout but smoother, how is that not better???
My daughter, grandchildren and I love the new coaster. We love silver dollar city. I glad they carried some of the old over to the new.