We all love going to the city. We all have great family stories and memories. What is your favorite place in the city? I asked myself this question and had a hard time coming up with one answer.
Down at the bottom of the cave.
Eating breakfast before the day starts and those silver dollar pancakes.
Watching the candy making or the glass blowing.
Riding the flooded mine.
How about riding the train or FITH.
At the top of the American Plunge or getting soaked on the lost river.
Watching the woodcarvers or stomping your feet with the wild women.
Eating ice cream with my Grandfather or eating ice cream with my grandson in the square watching everyone go by.
I would have to say I have several.
-In the Cathedral Room of Marvel Cave
-Watching people go by while sitting in the square.
-Watching the Christmas Tree lighting
-Seeing Lookout Tower from the top of the hill when riding ThuNderaTion backwards ;D
That's like asking cookie monster which cookie he enjoys most...IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!
Not really ;) I enjoy quiet moments in the Wilderness Church, a cold Sioux City Sarsaparilla on the porch of the old Basketry shop (apparently the future home sometime of the craft college), above the ball pit in the rope maze at Tom Sawyer's landing, the swinging Bridge atop Huck Finn's Hideaway , behind the waterfall, being on stage in Echo Hollow, being in line at the kettle corn (because you know what's coming very soon!), walking through the Eva and Delilah's & the candy store (even if you don't buy anything) Since most of these are gone now, My favorite at this point would have to be eating lunch on the porch of the Culinary Schools back porch (preferably BBQ during the Festival in the Fall) and then rocking and relaxing.
Eating breakfast quietly on the second floor dining area of the Mill Restaurant. The shady pathways around the leather shop and gun shop. Lunch on the second floor dining area of the Lumbercamp overlooking the waterfall. The Cathederal Room in the cave. When I was an employee, I enjoyed a quiet walk from where the plunge is now along the old stagecoach trail around to where the Fire in the Hole exit area is. Nice, shady, quiet, peaceful.
I always enjoy going from Sullivan's Mill across the swinging bridge to the woodcarvers shop. The smells inside Sullivan's Mill, the candy shop. In the fall during the crafts festival, a chill in the air, and the smell of wood burning in fireplaces in some of the older buildings. Off season, it was always fun to walk the streets after a snow. A few minutes alone in the Wilderness Church. When I worked there in food service I enjoyed working at Funnel Cakes on a cool spring day. Now when I visit, the Christmas season is nice with all the lights and the shops decked out so nicely. Dining in the mine, walking through the post office and general store. Even the smell of the asphalt streets on a hot day...just because I was there.
I love the Swinging Bridge. I have to go on it everytime I am at the park.
My favorite place to just "get away" is at the Rib House. I get my food and go to the top deck on the Lost River side of the place. I go to the Northeast Corner where the lost river goes right by it and it is just a very relaxing area to eat and get away from people (yes even with the ride near by).
To this day when I smell asphalt, I am mentally taken to Silver Dollar City ! I am not the only weird one then that thinks that smell=SDC. Man this thread is something I could read every day just to think about those places until it opens again. Funny that all of us responded with where we eat!
Nope asphalt reminds me of Worlds of Fun. Big Skillet cooking smells remind me of SDC
My wife associates asphalt with Six Flags StL
Every time I step outside on an extremely hot day, when the blazing sun is baking the asphalt, that tangy scent of steaming blacktop ALWAYS zips my mind immediately to SDC. More often than not, if I am in company, I'll even go so far as to close my eyes and murmur, "Ah, Silver Dollar City. God, I wish I was there right now."
:D
I think my favorite place is to sit over at the picnic benches by Hatfield's Tater Patch, where one can smell the skillets and the blacktop while watching birds and squirrels flit about and listen to the screams of riders, buzz of the crowds, and music floating on the breeze.
And I'm gonna stop now, or I'll start crying. Geez, I've become such a sap. LOL
It is hard to pick just one place. I love the swinging bridge. When I was a boy my dad taught me how to walk, without jumping, on the bridge and make it bounce to your walk.
Being the last in line on the cave tour and being the last one in the Cath room. How about apple dumpings with cinn ice cream. Swinging in Grandfathers manson and watching everyone go by.
I also love the swinging bridge and Grandfather's Mansion. I have so many favorite places! ;D
I can't narrow it down to one either, but how about...
Front seat of PowderKeg
Last seat of Wildfire
Culinary School Porch
Upper deck of the Rib House (also my favorite place to eat--wonder if we've ever been there at the same time...)
Wilderness Church
Opera House for Dickens
On Wildfire at night. On the train for the Christmas story. In the middle of the opera house for the Christmas Carol. On the square for the national anthem.
I think my most precious memories were one that included my son. He loved the ball pit, the Fireman's Climb and Frog Jumpin Contest. I enjoyed watching him play in Tom Sawyer's Landing.
I am not sure but does anyone know if 1988 was the first Christmas season?
As fas as myself, I enjoyed listening to the River Rats at the gazebo and eating ice cream at Hannah's Ice Cream Parlor. I can just imagine Granny jumpin off the balcony in the Beverly Hillbillies.
I, like Rubedugans, associate the smell of asphalt with SDC - also the smell of smoke (from the barrel-maker during the Fall Festival), the smell of a bakery (mmm...Indian Bread) - I have to say my favorite place in SDC used to be the water-wheel/clock in the entry area, we used to take a picture there each time we were there when we (Rube and I) were young to serve as a date stamp on our photos. My favorite place now, though, is probably the area next to the American Plunge and the Apple shop - when the park isn't busy it's a lovely place to just be at peace.
Thanks for all the mental images people!
I would have to say my favorites are Huck Finn's Hideaway and Tom Sawyer's landing. Both of which I think are gone or at least inaccessible now. :-(
These were things I hoped to share with my own kids.
I, like so many, can't pin point 1 spot. One of the joys is randomly walking, and the sudden aroma of the food engulfing me. For the most part, I enjoy walking the "back ways", where traffic is limited, more serene. Probably my favorite "spot" is relaxing in a rocking chair, on the cabin porch, listening to the many conversations. There it feels most like "home"!
This is for you, twinsmom:
I watched that last night!!! I needed a fix of SDC. My wife said "It hasn't even been a month yet (since we have been there)" and I told her that firstly that didn't matter, and secondly that it is the idea that even if I wanted to go now, I couldn't! I would take anyplace there right now, including waiting in line to have my pass scanned at the front gate, or waiting for the tram to pick us up to take us to parking Lot C!
Tinmann, thanks for the picture. Of course, I had to save it to my pictures. My work computer has nothing but Silver Dollar City pictures so even if my computer is idle my screensaver is a slideshow of my pictures.
What is even greater is the anticipation of the Birthday Bash!! I can't wait.... I am even taking my girls out of school for two days so I can be there that Friday.
Also, this year my son has carried on the tradition of Silver Dollar City by taking his family to the park. I knew I raised him right! haha
Ah...the smells....the smells....THE SMELLS!!! Gotta love that smell. The hot asphalt mixed in with all the smoke. Wood smoke, coal smoke...gotta love it!
I can't narrow it down where my favorite place is. I love the water wheel clock at the entrance, the water wheel at the mill, waiting in line at the Flooded Mine singing the song, the swinging bridge, the train, Fire in the Hole, sitting at the Firemans cemetary listening to the FITH dialog, the woodcarvers, the glass blowing, the candy making, sitting on the porch at the homestead, looking out the back of the wilderness church, the smell of the leather shop, but probably my favorite would be watching Ray Johnson hammer his trade and tell his stories. All I can say is WOW! Can't wait for this season!!!!!!!!!
"and you might get out if the mine don't flood"
Having been born and raised in Missouri, I can attest that the smell of tar almost immediately makes me think of SDC, but I agree that it is also a Six Flags STL memory trigger as well.
My favorite place has to be anywhere there is a George Keiffer painting or mural. The dark, dank and cozy little corners of SDC like Big Jack's, the Candy Factory (naturally ;-)
Working there has certainly given me a new perspective on some of my favorite places. The Candy platform will always be one of my favorite places
Speaking of smells, has anyone ever noticed that Fire-in-the-Hole has a distinctive smell of its own? And am I weird that I love that smell as much as the blacktop of the City?
FITH smells graphite and axle grease ;D
As a guest the front seat of the train to look in the cab of the engine...as an employee...standing in the cab of engine 13!
Well just like you guys I can't narrow it down to only one place. I love so many areas of the park for so many different reasons. But if I were kidnapped and forced to name 1 spot... I would say it would be eating spaghetti in a bread bowl at the SpringHouse, sitting out in the open area against the wall facing the candle shop. From there you can see the candle shop, smell the bread from the bakery, see all the kids going into Grandfather's mansion, and hear the hammer of the Blacksmith Shop. It's just incredible food at an incredible location.
Quote from: SteamFreak on February 22, 2010, 09:23:42 AM
As a guest the front seat of the train to look in the cab of the engine...as an employee...standing in the cab of engine 13!
Does that mean that, as a guest, I could get a front seat?
There is no better place than sitting down at the bottom of the hill across from the Salon. It's great for people watching. You see people heading toward Powderkeg....waiting for the salon show....having their tin types made. I can only imagine that it will be a much busier place since it is just a few feet from our much anticipated new ride.
Of course rocking the afternoon away in front of the sundry shop is really great too. I wish they would bring the large rocking "porch" that DW has to SDC.
I had forgotten about the Springhouse. We had a wonderfull afternoon there several years ago. A soft rain had set in and we spent a couple of hours there watching people go buy, smelling the bread and listening to the sound of the city.
On other point of sitting in front of the saloon. Eating Cinn Ice Cream and Apple Dumplings!!!!!!
Quote from: History Buff on February 22, 2010, 07:13:24 PM
Quote from: SteamFreak on February 22, 2010, 09:23:42 AM
As a guest the front seat of the train to look in the cab of the engine...as an employee...standing in the cab of engine 13!
Does that mean that, as a guest, I could get a front seat?
Lol, I meant, the front seat of car 1
Quote from: SteamFreak on February 24, 2010, 09:56:42 AM
Quote from: History Buff on February 22, 2010, 07:13:24 PM
Quote from: SteamFreak on February 22, 2010, 09:23:42 AM
As a guest the front seat of the train to look in the cab of the engine...as an employee...standing in the cab of engine 13!
Does that mean that, as a guest, I could get a front seat?
Lol, I meant, the front seat of car 1
No, no, no. I want to drive!!! I want to pull the whistle. Maybe this orange cable will have the same effect...
Just trust me...it doesn't
I can't pick a favorite spot. Just being there does it for me. The smells, train whistle in the back ground, the roar of Wildfire, music coming from everywhere...its tough to choose. I think though my absolute favorite spot of SDC is during Christmas. First listening to Grandpa quote Luke 2 from the train then standing in the square watching the tree light up for the first time of the evening. I get chills every time.
I also like sitting on the boat in the lake in the cove that you can see from the top of Wildfire. Its a neat perspective of the City.
We have never gone into that cove but I am sure we will now. That sounds like a really neat idea.
I am seriously missing SDC right now!
One of my favorite things as a kid was as you were waiting in line at FITH and feeling how smooth the wooden railings are and smelling the asphault.
We always cross the the swinging bridge from the wood carvers going towards the mill. And there is a little platform to take pictures. We probably have 20 family pics in that same spot.
The casket.
When they used to have muscians on the little house stage before you walk through the hospitality house I always wanted to stop and watch and my sister would get so mad!
Seeing the big logo as you pulled up on the green tram :(
Tom Sawyers landing. It was so much fun. And it always smelled like wood chips.
So many places. And they all have a special place in my heart.
Quote from: saloongal on February 26, 2010, 12:34:19 PM
One of my favorite things as a kid was as you were waiting in line at FITH and feeling how smooth the wooden railings are and smelling the asphault.
Actually, I still do that and I'm in my twenties! Every time I go on FiTH I run my hands along the railings; I love it when there isn't a line. It's so smooth! :)
Quote from: saloongal on February 26, 2010, 12:34:19 PM
When they used to have muscians on the little house stage before you walk through the hospitality house I always wanted to stop and watch and my sister would get so mad!
Same for me growing up! I
always stopped, and my twin sister got so mad!
Quote from: saloongal on February 26, 2010, 12:34:19 PM
Tom Sawyers landing. It was so much fun. And it always smelled like wood chips.
I really miss the smell of the plastic in the ball pit. :'(
SDC Rules-Are we related?
I am 27. We seem to have had the same experiences of SDC in the mid-late 80s.
Just remembered the greatest thing when I was a kid...The little door in the toy store (now the christmas shop)!
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/ballpit-2.jpg)
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/FITHqueue.jpg)
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/ballpit-1.jpg)
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/toystore.jpg)
Ahh the smell of the ball pit , plastic and who knows what else! (and now thanks to Junior-I will never enter another ball pit again!) I had a few of these early 80's slides posted elsewhere but felt they went well here!
Being of again the same age range as many of these recent postings, I love the same places and have the same memories.
The land of Forgotten Crafts was another favorite of mine....But it is mostly forgotten now. You would walk behind the waterfall, and make your way around, and walk up where Powderkeg is now. Log splitting, jump rope making, coin minting. What remains is the water wheel on the small building and the mint/press outside the Operahouse.
Rube-You brought a tear to my eye.
And I loved walking behind the waterfall on a hot day!
I would still jump in the ball pit-gross stories and all!
Saloongal--I'm pretty sure we're not related, though I notice we live pretty close to one another (I'm in the Columbia area). I did not have another sister other than my twin sister (unless there's some deep, dark family secret I don't know about! ;)).
Rube-Thanks for the pics!
I too loved walking behind the waterfall and through the Land of Forgotten Crafts. As a kid I used to imagine that I was passing through some kind of magic waterfall and into a whole different world or something. (Matter of fact, I always used to pretend I was traveling back in time when I went through the turnstiles into the City).
The smell of asphalt...OMG...totally. The sound of the train rattling through the hills. But my favorite place, my absolute favorite place, early morning or late afternoon...is and always will be...the homestead. Whether Judy is storytellin' or the pickers are pickin'...or even if its between shows and just quiet there...that's where I feel most at home. ;D
Ah, more memories flooding back. When I close my eyes I can almost smell the plastic ball pit and how cold the plastic balls felt on my skin.
What upsets me though is that my daughter won't get to experience most of these due the "progress" of the city. The 2 changes that upset me the most about the park have to be the inaccessibility of Huck Finn's hideaway and the obliteration of Tom's Sawyer's landing. Did we really need to remove what I feel was the best playground area I have ever seen/experienced - something with physical activity for our kids and replace it with another freaking ride? I love rides too, but come on. Why don't we just rent the motorized karts at the front gate so that our kids never have to walk.
Sorry, I am getting down off the soapbox now.
Good post...couldn't agree more.
I LOVED the ball pit as a kid!! I don't have much of a use for it now but I did when they took it out and I was mad.
Hello Coaster, is there a way to get some of this feedback to SDC - and would it even be worth our time? I mean, do they even listen anymore?
Thanks,
Matt McLaughlin
My experience is they do listen. They are very receptive to anything you've got, so long as you present it to them in a serious manner. If you come off as a nut, they may pay attention for a minute or two, then toss your letter in file 13.
Include your phone number, sometimes they call and follow up. What you see on park nowadays is the result of heavy surveys they do both on park as people are leaving for the day and stuff they send off in the mail to folks like season pass holders. If 99 percent of the people they polled said they wanted a "space age moon base" on the town square, in the interest of business, they just may do it. I know that's to the extreme, but business has to do what it's gotta do to make money, otherwise...you end up like Dogpatch, Jesse James Territory, Dinosaur World...and so on. Big, empty, abandoned pieces of property.
^^MCLFLN,
I second Junior. They always listen. Every time I've contacted them about a concern or question by email or phone, I've always received a call from someone from the appropriate area (whether it's retail, food service, or rides/attractions, etc). The park's number 1 concern is making the visitors to the park happy. That's the only reason they exist, because if the visitors aren't happy then they won't come and SDC will end up like Dogpatch, Dinosaur World, etc.
Changes like the one to Tom Sawyer's Landing don't just happen on a whim. This is the result of years of marketing and surveys. I personally hope that this is just the first step of a larger effort to revitalize that area of the park.
So certainly contact them and let them know how you feel. They realize that changes will upset some, but certainly hope that the majority of visitors like the changes that are being made. When you contact them be respectful. You can voice your concerns, but be civil about it. They'll be more likely to listen and respond if you voice your concerns respectfully.
Yeah, every time I've filled out the feedback form on their website, I've always gotten a personally written reply rather than a form letter.
There are several things that they've incorporated over the past couple years that I recall us having talked extensively about here on the forums. They really do pay attention.
True, they do read the forums, but have a blind eye, when it comes to the landmark tree house! I'd rather see them dismantle & REBUILD it, than move ANY of the rides from CC over... Just my opinion. anyone up for a "save the tree" campaign? It was my favorite place, as a kid.
I'd love to see the tree top house saved. I wish it could be reinforced, or completely rebuilt. However, there is the issue of handicapped accessibility. Unless they put in an elevator (And I don't see that coming in the heart of an 1880's theme park,) I don't know what they could do. I believe that Jack and Pete are sentimental for this structure, as it's been sitting there closed for several seasons, and has not been torn down. Maybe they are still trying to come up with a way to keep it. I hope so, anyway.
I dunno. Depending on where they rebuild it and how the new design worked, they could pretty easily fit an elevator in; I mean, they've got 'em on several of the newer rides now (like at the swing in GE). I could see maybe having the two-tree concept still there, and the small tree still for people to climb up, then maybe hide an elevator in the "trunk" of the larger tree, which would go straight up to the cool rooms.
Joy
Kinda ruins the whole effect of a treehouse. The Swiss Family Tree House at Disney isn't exactly wheelchair accessible. Does everything by law have to be accessible or just necessities? I'm not sure how far-reaching ADA is. Anyway, removing the treehouse without replacing it will really change the ambiance of the area. The concern may be that a view may no longer be blocked that needs to be blocked.
I enjoy just looking at the tree house, I don't absolutely need to go in it. I wish they didn't have to tear it down. It's nice to have another tom and huck theme within the park. I have confidence that SDC could add theme to an elevator - the handicapped people could be pulled up hilo silo style.
One place I forgot to mention is the old cemetery by FITH. Remember back when you could still walk thru it?
You can still walk through it; it's only during the Christmas season that they block it off.
The tree house is still there, and from what I gather, will remain for use as an observation deck for RB ride ops.
Why does RB need so many observers? It's such a small area, and aren't the riders kept in by a lap bar?
Hmmm... From the pics of Dollywood's ride, it doesn't look like there's a lap bar. There are little kids standing up to shoot their water cannons.
I can't remember if they have them or not, I've seen them several times, just can't recall...I'll have to look tomorrow.
Not to sound rude but Silver Dollar City and the Tree House are part of a team. I think they should rebuild it and forget some of the rules. It was built for kids. I doubt that I could fit now at 6' 4" 285. My kids could and so could their friends. They could have the same fun and memories that I have. Is the swinging bridge really handicaped ass? The cave? So why not the tree house?????? I tell you what gets on my nerves. The rascles riding on their rascles on a crowded day. They will flat run over you and not bat and eye.
QuoteI tell you what gets on my nerves. The rascles riding on their rascles on a crowded day. They will flat run over you and not bat and eye.
:D
One of my favorite places...(and I'm curious to see if anybody else does this) is the white tower you can see from the top of the first hill on Wildfire. My kids and I discovered that if you keep your eyes on the tower while you go down that first hill it really enhances the feeling of weightlessness on the ride down. Anybody else do this? Oh, and unlike my kids, I like riding in the FRONT, feeling the wind in my hair and pretending I'm flying like Superman. Guess that's one of the things I love about SDC...I can be a kid again!
The tree is still up because it is such an icon and that is how everyone on park feels. To open it back up would mean tearing it down and rebuilding it and yes if they do that it should be accessible to disabled children.
This is a very primitive design, but a ramp on both sides of the entrance would work. The interior could be filled with lots of crazy gadgets. My favorite things in the tree house were these cans that would tell you strange things, such as putting a rock under your pillow will keep the Boogie Man away.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4436833299_70a092ff86_o.jpg)
If they were to do this I bet tons of people would still complain, its hard to make everyone happy.
I don't believe amusement park rides are required to be ADA accessible. Some rides, by their very nature, can't be.
It's nice if they make an effort on some rides, but not every area of the park has to be accessible to every visitor.
However, I believe if at all possible each attraction should be accessible to everyone and SDC feels this way too.
Quote from: PastorDon on March 16, 2010, 12:14:57 AM
One of my favorite places...(and I'm curious to see if anybody else does this) is the white tower you can see from the top of the first hill on Wildfire. My kids and I discovered that if you keep your eyes on the tower while you go down that first hill it really enhances the feeling of weightlessness on the ride down. Anybody else do this? Oh, and unlike my kids, I like riding in the FRONT, feeling the wind in my hair and pretending I'm flying like Superman. Guess that's one of the things I love about SDC...I can be a kid again!
I sit in the back seat of Wildfire and raise my hands AND feet. That helps the weightlessness. Of course, I love PowderKeg in the front.
Quote from: Copper on March 16, 2010, 07:43:38 AM
However, I believe if at all possible each attraction should be accessible to everyone and SDC feels this way too.
I understand, but you can't plop a Rascal rider in Powder Keg, and you wouldn't want to flop a quadriplegic into the Lost Mine boats. There are no wheelchair ramps into or out of the cave. This thread of discussion came up because someone said handicapped accessibility was an issue for rebuilding the tree house. Clearly, not every feature has to be 100% accessible. You don't see any ramps or lifts on those ziplines going in all over Branson, right?
ADA is very misunderstood, and that's complicated by activists and lawyers who file on anything and everything. For the most part, the claims are specious, but it's cheaper to pay them off than fight them.
Although my favorite place was never the tree house (neither the real tree house nor Guyser Gulch which doesn't even resemble a tree house, but is still called one although I can't figure out why), I think the real issue here is safety and not accessibility. I'm pretty sure it can't even be shored up and would simply have to be replaced. There wouldn't be anything wrong with that either, but they would have to spend millions to do it right, and they wouldn't exactly have an attraction to advertise on the front of the brochure. Not that we wouldn't like it.
How about this? Use the Waterboggan tower but build and mold a shell around it to resemble a tree. Stick some fiber optic leaves on it and call it the Four Seasons Tree House. It would be used as a great look out tower for guests, but would also light up and change colors with the seasons - shades of green for spring; oranges, reds, and yellows in the fall; and pure white in the winter. They could even provide music for it and have a light show after dark each night - mellow music, not like the Christmas tree. Of course, I still also like my miner's tree house which is around here somewhere - Rube Dugan in the trees.
Anyway, the point is, we can pretty well write off the tree house as is. You're not going to legally get inside that structure again. Now if we could only burrow into it from the roots...
I forgot to mention that one of my favorite places in the whole park is Colonel Poppin's Kettle Corn by the entrance to Geyser Gulch! Yum!! ;D
This is a tough one. :) I would have to say any of the theatres......just love the music!, Wilderness Church....it's so beautiful and peaceful in there, the train ride during the Christmas season, the square looking at the big Christmas tree while drinking hot chocolate and all the neat shops.
The creek off to the left of the main square that runs down to Rays knife Shop. And where the skillets are cookin' up the yummy fixin's.
my favorite places???? I have a TON but here are a few:
- I really like the lantern tour.
- There is not one thriller ride that I don't like!
- eating root beer floats at Hannahs ice cream parlor.
- The best cinnimon bread on the planet at Sullivans mill.
- GAC nights at Echo Hollow.
;D
I enjoy sitting on the rock walls just before you enter the park watching all the people go by. You see all kinds. Those going in have a look of anticipation on their face, especially the kids. You hear them planing the day, where they will meet up, who has the kids....its great fun. Of course you see the ones leaving....they're not nearly as happy.
It's amazing to me how I have grown and the feelings change from a child to an adult in regards to SDC. I remember 1980 vividly when I was itching to ride things and get ice cream and had the "theme park" feeling. I can remember not giving two cents about whether the park was 1880s or not. I didnt pay attention to the "homey" feeling and was nothing but a kid running on theme park adrenaline.
Now......whole different ballgame! I mean, I know you are reading this and thinking "Well, that's just about everyone. You dont pay attention to things as much when you are a kid and dont appreciate it as much!" But, this feeling is...well.....let me put it this way....I can go to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City and feel the same way as an adult as I did as a kid. Rides! Eat! Get wet! But the view is completely different with SDC. Now, I feel Relax! Breathe! Calm! I am chomping the bit to get back there and I am looking so forward to checking out all of the relaxing places to sit and eat and rock on the porch! I didnt get to go into the Wilderness Church in 08', but I am just imagining that the calm inside of a CHURCH inside of SDC has to be double the spiritual calm!
I want to thank all of you for posting these forums of memories and stories. They are bringing me calm and a smile in a difficult situation and I get on here with great anticipation of the new trip reports so I can keep going back again and again through those that are visiting (I'm looking at you right now, PastorDon!).
On the square at Christmastime, watching all the lights and the giant tree and just feeling the spirit that is SDC.
Watching the veteran's parade and flag raising at the park opening and the homestead area. I love going and walking behind the cabins and seeing and petting the animals. I also love sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair on a nice cool day. Then in the winter the best place is inside the cabin warmed by the fireplace listening to the homestead pickers sing Christmas Carols drinking hot apple cider or hot chocolate!
Best place is sitting on the front porch of the cabin listening to THE PICKERS, AUNT JUDY and JACK and JOHN....then the back porch talking to any of them. We always bring Wisconsin Cheese to the Homestead when we get down there 2 or 3 times a year. Always like the Steam Train, Apple Turnovers (nice that they are so close to the cabin), Cedric and the Cajuns.
Has anyone got a picture(s) of the waterfall at Grandfather's Mansion?? I COMPLETELY forgot about that. I have no recollection whatsoever of that! Anyone have views walking underneath it??
Throw me a bone here, LOL!
Junior has one on his Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan/4312256463/
That waterfall was just perfect for that location, too. That picture you see on Flickr is from around 1978 or 1979.
I LOVED Thunderation, but I was too chicken to go on anything bigger than that. Loved The Swinging Bridge, and Fire-in-the-Hole.
When I was a kid, the trainand the mine ride were the first thing we hit. Now I ususally go into the church (I usually go on Sunday) or check out whoever is playing on the gazebo
Holy old thread Batman! Okay, so my favorite place would probably be the train station. It makes for some great picture opportunities! On second thought, I also like the observation deck at Wildfire. Although, the town square is also a classic. Hm, I think my favorite is the area between Highway 76, and Indian Point. ;D
Hands down, my favorite place is the Pickin Shed listening to the Homestead Pickers.
I have to take you with me in the time machine that is my memory. We are going back to late summer, 1979. We are at the Vineyard Restaurant (Wagonworks) and it is prior to rope drop, a cool morning. I'm cleaning the dining area, wiping down tables and emptying trash cans. Drifting out of the kitchen is the music playing on the FM Radio, Springfield station "Rock 99" is playing top 40 rock and roll. Every hour or so Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street plays, with that memorable sax solo, and Frankie Valle is up next singing the theme to "Grease." Out on the street, a fire made with hickory or oak wood is burning at a demonstration location, the smell of the smoke drifts through the dining area. I hear my coworkers all chattering about what they did last night after work, and about school coming up in a few weeks and how we are all going to be juniors and seniors. The last delivery carts are whisking away down the streets, and guests are gathering on Main Street so they can run down the hill to ride the float trip, FITH, the train, Flooded Mine, and diving bell. A charcoal fire is being stoked up on Main Street in front of the Vineyard at the Sorghum Shack, where chicken quarters and polish sausage are about to be thrown on the grill. Across Main Street near the Hospitality House exit, the girl at the sipper cart is packing the brightly colored plastic containers into ice, and already, kids are lining up to get some fruit juice. The Swing and Turn Jubilee (band) is playing traditional music in the gazebo. I'm 17 years old again. The world is all new, everything is in front of me. Gosh, in just a year I'll be going to college!
ZIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP! Back in 2013 again! Thanks for making the trip with me! :) We'll have to take another trip back in time some other day.
LOL....that's some good stuff Junior.
Junior, I was there, but it was in the Fall. The hubs and I just graduated from college and were on our honeymoon! I'd been coming to Branson for most of my life, but it was his first trip there. The smells hit you as soon as you walked through the gate - wood fires, roasting meat, funnel cakes, the smell of boiling sorghum...
My favorite time at the City will always be Fall. I'm always disappointed when I arrive in the Fall because it's not the way I remember (and want it to be). Remember when the sorghum maker was in the middle of Main Street, and you would see it as soon as you entered? Every rail fence was wrapped in fake leaf garlands. Crafters were lined up everywhere. It was an absolute Fall wonderland! It's still beautiful, but nothing compared to the way it was in 1979.
Love Branson in the fall. The music festival :'( that is no more, but at least we still have the craft festival
We love the fall festival, too, but the cowboy stuff is getting to be a little much. Since when did our little Ozark city become a dude ranch?
Quote from: Pudgy Jones on September 06, 2013, 08:57:27 AM
We love the fall festival, too, but the cowboy stuff is getting to be a little much. Since when did our little Ozark city become a dude ranch?
Yeah, I agree with you. I don't get the cowboy connection either, but it seems quite a few others like it. I wish they would bring back the fall music festival.
I wish they would bring back the fall Music Festival too! It seemed there were more crafters also.
Knowing the history of the area (SW MO, SE KS, NW AR, NE OK) they had there share of outlaws in the area. Many of the folks that moved into indian territory (OK) after the land run were from Missouri, but that does seem a little off. If Frontier CIty in Oklahoma City wanted to be more theme than amusement park, it should concentrate more on the Cowboy, but not SDC. SDC should be more about Hillbillies than Cowboys.
I am almost betting they paid for some kind of study that ultimately showed people wanted more of the old west style. I am thinking this probably happened sometime after the Victorian transformation they did that didn't go over too well. Remember, for a long time it was "100" years in the past...so 1989 was 1889, etc....
Oh I know that. In a way the hillbillies became the cowboys of 20 to 30 years later. I just find the decade of the 1880's to be fascinating. So much happened in that stretch of 10 years.
My guess is they wanted to take the easy/cheap way out. Cowboys are more widely recognized in history than hillbillies, and for some reason hillbillies have become politically incorrect. For the record, the humor of the stereotype does more to make the hillbilly endearing than it does to tear him down.
It doesn't take much research to understand that hillbillies were some of the hardest working people around. Try clearing a spot of the Ozarks of timber and rock to make a garden spot or pasture area for livestock!
I love the smell of Cosmacoat in the morning. I knew spring was finally here wnen that new layer went down at Silver Dollar City. but back to the subject of this thread, my favorite hidey hole in days of yore was the roof of the glass blowers shop. Back in the 70's when I was playing on the old Valley theater stage which is now the magic shop in front of Thunderation, there was a back stairway between the glass shop and the restrooms next door. I would head up the stairs and sit on the rooftop with a large mug of soda and a good book so between shows I could read and watch all the people walk up and down the street below. My favorite publicly accessible spot was the old rest area across from the depot which was removed when half dollar holler was installed. It was a lovely place to just sit and listen to the birds.
Quote from: cheesehead57 on September 06, 2013, 02:22:18 PM
I wish they would bring back the fall Music Festival too! It seemed there were more crafters also.
Yeah I noticed that it is now more about Harvest (crafts and such) but then they added festivals basically centered around music to off set that -- Bluegrass & BBQ, Gospel Picnic, Country Music Weekend. I imagine it is easier to differentiate the music styles and book larger acts that way.
the original Mountain folks music festival was started in the mid 70's and took place in June in order to attract more people earlier in the season. It consisted of about 200 amateur and semi professional musicians in 20 or so locations around the park like the chair porch in Midtown, the seating area behind Jack and Mary's on Hill Street, the spring tree by the old float trip, and other locations such as these. I was privileged to have this as my first Silver Dollar City job in the 1978 festival. My location was across from the jail in Shad's Old Forge.additionally there were many wondering musicians such as Dave Hunt with his harmonica, ray rickets with his musical song, and washtub Jerry with his washtub bass. At the end of the day all 200 musicians would come up to Main Street for a giant jam session followed by a square dance on the, well, Square. It was an incredible way to end the day. That a festival was discontinued because it brought little revenue for the city.this would definitely be my favorite place in time.