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I know I'm a little late, but school and speech have been keeping me busy.  I thought I would tell everyone about our experience for the 1st annual Dickens Day for area high school students.

I took a group of eight high school kids to Dickens Day on Thursday, November 12.  My husband and youngest daughter drove over also and met me there.  We had a special pre-park-opening performance of Dickens' Christmas Carol.  It was cool!  We had the best seats we've ever had for the performance.  After the performance, the cast remained onstage for a question and answer session.  The creator of the show spoke about how the show came about.  All too soon it was over.  The cast had to prepare for the next performance.  When we left the opera house, the park had opened and there was a line of people waiting to enter.

It wasn't very crowded during the early afternoon, and the weather was perfect.  I didn't expect a crowd on a Thursday in November.  The crowds picked up a little in the late afternoon, but nothing too crazy.  My kids said they walked onto rides all day.   I took my youngest to see Rudolf, and there was just one other family in the whole building.   

We watched the Frosty show, and then we saw the parade.  After the parade, I rounded up my students and we headed home.  If we didn't have school the next day, I would have stayed longer.  Usually we never leave after the parade due to crowds, but since it was Thursday, it was really manageable.  I hope to take a group next year to Dickens Day.

I've seen Victorian carolers at SDC.  I think it was 2007 or 2008.  There were four of them singing near the train overpass.

Ha, I love Dickens so much I've seen it twice in one day! 

When I was younger, you could sit three across when it was just a single bar restraint, in all but the very last seat, I believe.  When I was in middle school, I could sit with a middle school friend and my elementary aged sister.

I'd love to go to Europe someday! 

I thought this list looked fun.  I'll do mine.  We can include aquariums and zoos?  I usually forget to look at all of the forums, so I'm glad this thread was revived.

Bell's
Big Splash
Carousel Park
Celebration City
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo- Colorado Springs
Cypress Gardens
Deana Rose Farm
Dickerson Zoo- Springfield
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Epcot
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Magic Kingdom
Dogpatch USA
Dollywood
Downtown Aquarium-Denver
Georgia Aquarium
Holiday World (When it was called Santa Claus Land)
Kansas City Zoo
Kennedy Space Center
Nickelodeon Universe- Mall of America
North Pole-Santa's Workshop-Colorado Springs
Oceans of Fun
Oklahoma Aquarium
Oklahoma City Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Opryland
Ripley's Aquarium Gatlinburg
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park
Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City
Sea Life Aquarium Mall of America
Sea World San Antoniohe
Shedd's Aquarium Chicago
Silver Dollar City
Six Flags over Texas
Splash Country Pigeon Forge
Stone Mountain Park
Tulsa Zoo
White Water Branson
White Water Oklahoma City
Worlds of Fun

We're booked for this coming July.  We rented points for 3 nights at the Beach Club and 5 nights at Bay lake Tower.  We don't really leave Disney much while in Orlando.  We do the four major parks and sometimes some meals at other resorts.  We do afternoon breaks since it is so hot when we go, so we maximize our time in the parks in the morning and at night. 

On the way home, though, we've done two nights at St. Augustine at Vilano Beach for our last two trips.  We plan to do it this year, too.  We love it there.  We also plan to spend a couple of nights in Savannah, Georgia, on the way home.

We went to the City today (Sunday, Oct.4).  The crowds were light and the weather was perfect!  We arrived at the square at about 9:45 with a 10:00 opening.  After the flag-raising, we looked around the square a little before we took our 6-year-old to the Fireman's Landing.  I rode the shot ride for the first time since there was no wait.  Good times.  Our daughter rode the dogs and the wagon.  It was nice without any lines.  In fact, we were the only riders in the area except for the shot ride that I rode with two other people.

We walked around and took in the fall sights and crafts.  We did two turns on the carousel.  For some reason, our daughter did not want to ride the Flooded Mine, even though she rides it every trip.  Oh well.  We also skipped the train until Christmas.  We strolled through the Craft Barn and looked around where the Mustang show is, but we didn't watch the show.  We went to the Expo and rode the frogs and the flying bugs.  By then, it was time for the Wild West show.  It was pretty good.  I wish there had been more Native American dancing, but the show was the highlight of our day.

After the show, we strolled around some more.  We don't really ride a lot of the big rides when we have our youngest with us since we have to trade off.  We'll catch them next time we're alone or with grandparents.  We did stop by the school and farm animal area on our way out.  We left about 2:00.  We just had some snacks and frozen lemonade in the park this time. 

It was a nice relaxing day.  We just came to Branson on Sat. afternoon for a quick trip.  Last night we walked the Landing and had a swim at the hotel.  We're ready for a Christmas visit now!

We went to Branson for two nights, just my husband and me.  We stayed at Classic Motor Inn for the first time, and we will certainly add it to the rotation for us.  Our room had laminate flooring.  I don't know if they all do, but that was kind of nice!

Anyway, we went to the City on Thursday, March 19.  We went in at about 1:00 after a lunch at Chili's.  We decided to to preferred parking, even though it didn't look too busy.  We just didn't feel like parking in any of the lots across the road, and that's where they were parking.

Strangely, we didn't ride any rides for spring rides days.  My husband and I were just happy to walk around and explore this whole trip and take things at a pace that one usually can't with a preschooler.  At Guest Relations, we bought last year's season pass ornament.  We seldom get all the credits anymore, so we just purchase one the following spring.

We strolled along and checked out the the new Fireman Landing area.  We bought our youngest a Lucky tee shirt in the new toy store.  She loves it!  We were able to visit the candy shop and the Christmas shop.  We took our time looking around and made some purchases.  We also got a loaf of cinnamon bread in the mill.  Yum!  Besides the hospitality house and the marketplace, those were the only shops we went in.  I didn't notice what other places were open, but most are closed until sometime in April.

We probably left around 3:00 and then headed to Branson Landing and Tanger for the Disney Store. It was nice to just get a fix of SDC.  Next time, we'll ride more and see some shows.  I'm looking forward to Worldfest for the first time in a few years.  It was a nice peaceful time; just what this teacher needed!

We're going to give this place a try next week.  It sounds like a great place!

The last time we went for spring break it snowed!  We had some neat pictures and the park to ourselves to walk around, but we only stayed for about an hour.

One year it was sleeting on our way to the park, but it warmed up a little after that.  That was the year we were desperate to find gloves in Branson in March.

We've had some good visits for spring break, too, though.  Those are just two memorable trips.

Hi,

Since your party has a 2-year-old, I thought I would throw out some things.

In the summer, sometimes it is challenging to keep young kids cool who are too short for the water rides.  They often have little water sprinklers set up around the park.  (The new kids' area is supposed to have the water jets in the ground, right?) I would consider bringing some water shoes as well as sneakers for a day at SDC.  Also, bring a change of clothes.  If he does play in the water to cool off, you will want some dry clothes.  Also, consider eating in a cool, air-conditioned place.  The building known as the carousel barn used to house children's activities in air conditioning, but I don't know if that is in the plans this summer.  They used to even have rocking chairs in there.  Also, we would often come at rope drop and leave for the afternoon when it got really hot.  Sometimes, we would get a cup of ice water (free) and fill up my daughter's sippy cup.  Then I would use the rest off the water to wipe down her face and arms, etc.

You can bring in toddler-friendly snacks and drinks in your bag.

You may want to consider a place to stay with an indoor pool if you have a little one.  If it should rain, you will have a place for your child to burn some energy.  Southern Oaks can give you a room with indoor corridors to the pool.  It's not a fancy place, but with young kids, it's something to consider.  The Best Western that Swoosh suggested also has an indoor pool, but I have never stayed there since it seems it is usually a little more than Southern Oaks.  I've also stayed at Angel Inn, and it has an indoor pool.  If you are not worried about an indoor pool, many places have outdoor pools.

If you are going to explore Branson, the fish hatchery is a hit with toddlers.  You can feed the fish, so bring a cup and some quarters.  We like to eat at the Branson Landing in the evening and walk the Landing after dinner.  Even if you don't go in the stores, it's a nice place to push the stroller along and see the water fountain show.  The Bass Pro has a large fish aquarium.  There is a play area near Joe's Crab Shack.

If you are considering a show, the Dixie Stampede is good with toddlers, although it is a little pricey.  My five-year-old has been twice, and she was completely mesmerized both times.  You probably would want to buy your grandson a seat, though, rather than trying to balance him on your lap while eating.  If you don't want to see the show, you can still visit the horses in their stalls before and between shows.

Over the fourth, at some point in the weekend, there will probably be fireworks at the Landing. Our favorite display, though, is the one over the lake near Chateau on the Lake.  You can usually stake out a decent place to watch.

I hope you have a great trip to Silver Dollar City!

Runner, you are right about arrival time and parking. I asked my husband about timing, and he says we arrived at 1:30.  I was thinking earlier because when we ate, they still had breakfast items. I forgot we went back to our room for a moment.  When we got to SDC, the right lane was for parking and it was bumper to bumper going past the SDC turn-off.  I'd never seen a SDC flagger guy diverting traffic like that before.  There was no more parking at stop 3 by the time we got to the turn-off for preferred.  Stop 5's lot was empty at this time. 

I also know what you mean about the square, so that is why we avoid the tree-lighting.  One year, we did arrive on a Friday night and happened to get to town right before the tree-lighting.  We somehow squeezed through the crowd, but it was standing room only and no one was moving.  When we did get through, we went straight to the Riverside Rib House and had dinner.  After dinner, we walked around and caught the late parade.

We were there Sat., Dec. 13, and I agree it was crowded!  We ate brunch at Golden Corral and then got to the park by 12:30, I believe.  We decided parking in preferred would be the way to go to exit later, so we did that.  Traffic was already being routed to Notch when we arrived.  We saw Rudolf and looked in shops when we first got there.  We waited too long to get in line for the 2:45 Dickens, and we couldn't get in.  We decided to take our  five-year old to the Frosty show instead. As soon as that was over, we headed over to Dickens and arrived an hour before the 4:45 showing and were among the first seated.

After Dickens, it was dark and very busy.  My five-year-old suddenly wanted nothing to do with the train even though she has ridden it almost every visit, including Christmastime visits.  So, we skipped the train this year.  We decided to head to the Expo area to find a spot for the parade.  It was pretty crazy getting to the Expo, especially because people arriving were entering at Brown's Candy and merging with us.  Oh well, just keep swimming, right?

We did find some rocky ledge to sit on just at the entrance of the Expo where it curves towards the flying swings.  It was a perfect time for snacks.  We got our kettle corn and Goldfish out.  We probably waited 45 minutes on the ledge, but it flew by with snacks and people watching.

The parade was cute.  I didn't like it more or less than the old one, I guess.  My girl liked the Rudolf characters.  We also saw a high school band before the parade, so that was a fun touch. 

After the parade, we sat on the rocky ledge for awhile, letting the crowds go by.  When it had thinned out, we headed out of the area.  We did take a turn at the barn to avoid the masses heading straight out of the park.  We strolled looking at lights through the uncrowded riverfront area.  We finally decided to venture up to the square.  We did go up hill street, but it wasn't crowded. There were people on the square, but it was manageable. We even found a place to sit to watch the tree awhile.  After bathroom breaks behind the taffy place, we decided it may be okay to try to exit the park.

Traffic through the hospitality house was moving, so that was a good sign.  We also stopped for cinnamon rolls at the bakery with short lines there.  The marketplace building was packed, even with routing stops 1-4 through the turnstiles.  We finally made it to the walkway, but it was pretty crowded.  We were certainly glad our car was a short walk away!

It was pretty warm yesterday, but it was manageable.  We had young kids with us, including my own 4-year-old, so we didn't ride any big rides.  I did ride Thunderation, and it only had one train, so the wait was probably about 20 minutes.  We rode the train and saw them working in the Geyser Gulch area.  The fence is up now, of course, to close off the area.

We got in a ride on FITH and FM. We did the petting zoo and the schoolhouse.  We visited half dollar hollow.  We had plenty of fun.  At around 2:30, we ate at the Wagon Works, and now I remember why I never eat there.  I should've had BBQ by the river.  It was slow, the fries were not fresh, and the lady working the register was a little snarky.  Still, I will chalk it up to the heat and just not go there again.  The lady working the stand there that sells the hotdogs was really nice when I got my mug refilled. 

After lunch, we took in a saloon show.  It was wonderfully cool, and it was a fun show.  The kids were entertained.  After the show, we went to the Expo to ride the elephants and the frogs.  Lines were surprisingly short.   Soon, it was 5:45 and time to head out since closing was at 6:00.  We considered staying for the evening show, but in the end we decided to leave and cool off. 

I plan to go back in September for an "adult" trip with my husband.  We'll hopefully get some coaster rides in then.  Overall, it was a fun day.

I'm heading in tomorrow with another mom for a girls' day.  I hope it won't be too hot.  I'm looking forward to it since it will only be my second visit of the season.