Search

I would *happily* go to SDC year round for craftspeople, food, shopping, and the culinary classes.  Open it, and stand back, because I would be there!  Add shows and you would see a Prarie Wind shaped hole in my front door every weekend from New Years to Spring Break that the roads were clear!


The rides are great, but I go to SDC for more than just the rides.  Unlike a lot of Parks, I think that SDC has all kinds of rich experiences that don't require a ride.  If they build a few more show buildings for dark rides, it could actually go close to 365.  Just institute a policy that any time the temp outside Hospitality House dips to 37 degrees, the Park closes.  That should (on average) give the Citizens time to close the Park before roads freeze up and become hazardous.


The thought of opening the Park without rides (especially the coasters) probably leaves most folks cold (winter pun, get it? LOL) but I would gladly purchase a year-round annual pass in a heartbeat.

Hoping to hear that all who were injured will make a complete recovery. 


The train can be - and no doubt will be - repaired, and back to operations, hopefully soon for all of us who love SDC so.

I absolutely could see Dollywood going to year-round operations sooner rather than later, but I don't get the impression that it's coming for SDC.

In order for that to be feasible, there would need to be year-round interest in Branson as a destination. I'm certainly not local, so I can't pretend to be an expert, but I don't get the sense that there's a ton of interest in coming to Branson during January/February. If Branson itself won't draw people then, I don't picture SDC being any different.

Our family actually goes up to Branson every year (on purpose, no less!) during January and/or February.  It's kind of nice actually... you have the whole place to yourself, and aside from SDC being closed, most of our favorite shops, stores and eateries are open.  We have also found that despite the weather usually being cold, we actually have a great time, and those are some of our most favorite trips.  We go out around town during the day, eat a nice supper at one of our favorite places (where the service is always excellent, and we often have the place to ourselves) and then we go back to the hotel and play cards, or watch a movie, or sit by the fireplace in the lobby. 


Going when the Park is closed sounds crazy on paper, but actually makes for a relaxing, enjoyable winter break!

Well, the food alone is worth it...


But probably what I love best is just talking to the "Citizens" of the City - the performers, craftspeople and vendors and folks who make it all work.  They are all - every one of them - friendly, wonderful people, and we always leave feeling like we have visited with old friends, and made new ones!


If you like the theming and Imagineering at WDW, then SDC will leave you stunned, because so much of it feels so authentic.  I have been visiting since the early 1970s, and it never fails to delight; I have so many treasured memories from SDC that have nothing to do with rides, but are centered around the people (and yes, the food!) and experience of just visiting the City.  While the pandemic has certainly affected operations - as it has at theme parks all over the world - just walking around and enjoying the scenery alone is a treat.


I hope you will come back and tell us what you thought of it! Have fun!

Hey - I've been lurking around here for *years* and finally got around to making an account.

And the thing I can't help but notice here is that no one pointed out that a *lot* of the folks who work at SDC are older, and therefore *possibly* more at risk from COVID-19.

Although not quite a walking antique myself (yet) I do worry about a lot of good people who work there every year.  Many of them have existing health issues, but get up every morning, help open up the Park and welcome us in.  They smile and chitchat with us, and make us feel welcome and valued.

They are - for our family - as much an "attraction" as any building or ride or show.  It's the *people* who work there that make SDC a great place to go, year after year. 

So I will feel good about going back to SDC when I know that the folks who work there are safe and as protected as they can be. 

I'll be fine - my family will be fine - if we have to wait a while longer to visit.  But it's not worth the cost of any of those folks to me. 

And, for the record?  We glove & mask up before we go anywhere - because we try to protect *everyone* that we interact with.  I don't care who you are, or where you work, or what your politics or religion are - I'm not going to be the person who infects you if I can help it.  We *do* know someone who died from COVID-19; a family friend who worked side-by-side with my husband for years and was hospitalized, on a vent for 12 days before he died alone in ICU.  His family never saw him, never touched him again after he entered the hospital, and they had to be quarantined at home for 2 weeks (as did our entire family, and all of his co-workers and *their* families).  There was no funeral, just a burial.  Hopefully at some point in the future, we can all get together at a memorial for him.

I think that in the end, what will matter most to SDC (and really anyplace where employees have to deal with the public in general) is how we look out for each other. 

I'm going to go back into "lurk" mode now.  Y'all stay safe and healthy (and @chittlins, for crying out loud stay off that ding-dang hill)