Search

[History Buff]

Cold on the last day of winter before the first day of spring. 

- Grabbed some plastic passes in lieu of the digital passes. They just seem easier to fiddle with.
- Not many guests, so parking was very easy, but the new lot arrangements, exit lanes, and name/number/color designations and clear signage are very nice.
- Most people seemed to have stayed away with 29-45° temps.  Crowds were minimal in the Monday of many Spring Breaks in the area.
- The windows at the demonstration area for Heartland Furnishings seem like they will be a constant source of glare and reflection. It may be hard to watch the demo without putting hands around your face and getting against the glass.
- Play some music in the furniture showroom for crying out loud. The place is like s very uncomfortable museum. Very awkward to shop in there while some family sits in the couches (to stay warm) and stares at you.  I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
- It was nice to see candy and taffy demonstrations in process for a change.
- I really would prefer if the seasonal acts could take it upon themselves to dress more in theme and use music that also gets closer to the theme.
- Kettle Corn bucket refills increased price from $2 to $3.  The $10 bags the sell appear to be significantly smaller as well.
- Wanted to get a cave tour with Cave Guide Cory, but I guess I'll have to do that later in the season.
- Even though temperatures reached 44-45°, the only coaster in operation was Outlaw Run.  We were quite disappointed that the park never opened the others even when temps reached the levels they list.  Not fun when the 13-year-old has his heart set on taking his girlfriend in her first ride on Powder Keg (not that it wouldn't be experiencing other shutdowns).  We left the park around 3:30 or 4:00.
- Upgrading our season pass mug to unlimited refills for $10.80 seemed to be a no brainer.

[SingleRider]

I went in and talked to the craftsmen about those Heartland Furnishings windows, and they're supposed to be removed when demonstrations begin. They're still fitting some of the line shaft equipment, most notably the upper portions of the scroll saw, and putting safety guards on the tools. Very much looking forward to seeing the new shop in action.

[ttroyer210]

I went last weekend and guys Flooded Mine looks and sounds better than it has in years. Also noticed some new lighting effects that were very well done. I heard audio in show scenes that I haven't heard in 15 years. Wildfire's queue also looks really fresh. American Plunge is still American Plunge and PowderKeg is looking horrible but other than that off-season maintenance was very well done this year.

[Swoosh]

Here is our trip report from STREET FEST
https://www.midwestinfoguide.com/2024/04/silver-dollar-city-street-fest.html

Here are photos from the new Saloon Show
https://www.midwestinfoguide.com/2024/04/silver-dollar-city-silver-dollar-saloon.html

[DianaGail]

A quick fall update:

They really need to replace some of the carved, fake  pumpkins. Pieces are falling off and it's hard to tell what the original design was.

With the weather so dry, it doesn't seem that the real pumpkins are rotting as fast as in previous years. By this time last year, the smell of rotting pumpkins was strong sometimes.

Foggy Hollo...I want to like it.  But it's so crowded that it's unpleasant to walk through. The park wasn't even crowded on Sunday evening. At some point, they will probably need to do something about the crowd in Grand Expo and Pumpkin Plaza. With everyone down there, it's a bottle neck and an emergency could turn in to a disaster really quick. 

[biscuitcreek]

On Thursday 12/5 my husband and I made our first visit since December 2022. It was sunny but brutally cold with the wind. I think the high was 28. We didn't plan on riding anything which was good since most rides were shut down due to the low temperature. Saw Dickens, Coming Home for Christmas (last year for this show), and the saloon show. Really enjoyed the saloon show this time.

Bought the 2022 Christmas ornament (Santa in Jail) and wanted to buy the 2023 one but it was sold out. What was the 2023 ornament?

I was surprised how many people were there on Thursday considering the cold and the wind chill. And was really surprised at the number of people who were coming in at 7:30 with the park closing at 9.

[mbrownx4]

So, this is my first post in years, but I wonder if anyone else has seen Tom Johnson as a caroler on park this year.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him.

[mg]

What was the 2023 ornament?

It was the classic Fire in the Hole logo on Red Flanders pants.



That photo along with a full thread of the ornaments is on Midwest Info Guide: https://www.midwestinfoguide.com/2017/12/season-pass-ornaments-sdc.html

[biscuitcreek]

What was the 2023 ornament?

It was the classic Fire in the Hole logo on Red Flanders pants.



That photo along with a full thread of the ornaments is on Midwest Info Guide: https://www.midwestinfoguide.com/2017/12/season-pass-ornaments-sdc.html

Thank you, mg, and I appreciate you including the picture of the ornament. And to mbrownx4 I did see and hear Tom Johnson caroling as we waited in line at the Opera House.

[Duelist]

We visited the City on Wednesday December 18th. Our schedules left us with a Wednesday being the best day to visit.  We had planned the trip a week before and were happy to see that day added to the schedule.  Also a pleasant surprise was that Rhonda Vincent had a Christmas Bluegrass show scheduled for that day only in Red Gold Heritage Hall (she eventually added another couple of shows for that Wednesday).  The weather was cool enough that we could wear our winter coats all day but not freezing cold once the sun went down.  We went to the 2pm Rhonda Vincent show and though the City was far from crowded that day I think the majority of them were at the show LOL.  We got there 20 minutes before the show started and there was already a huge crowd.  The show was very good, all Christmas songs except for one bluegrass version of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5".  Rhonda's mom came up on stage and sang Buck Owens "Santa Looks A Lot Like Daddy".  She did a very good job.

Since the crowds were light we ended up riding Fire in the Hole 5 times.  While my wife and daughter were shopping I even rode it once by myself and I was the only one on that particular train!  Really amazing considering we rode it in May, July, and October and spent around an hour in line each time.  Outlaw Run was also a walk on.  I was talking to one of the ride workers at Fire in the Hole later about hoping they would start work soon on smoothing out Thunderation.  He said he heard they would probably replace it with a Mystery Mine type ride but from others on this site (including Swoosh) it sounds more like they will just work on making Thunderation smoother and not replacing it.  In my version of a perfect world, if they were to replace it, I would love to see it turned into a version of Disney's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (hey I can dream  ).  We also got in rides on the Flooded Mine, Sing Along Steam Train and Firefall.

The Frontier Fa-La-La Follies at the Saloon were great as always.  We also saw The Living Nativity which is always very good though the angel Gabriel was a voice over only and not a live person.  The Rhonda Vincent show, the Saloon, and the Nativity were the only shows we went to.  Our daughter got dinner to go at the Riverside Smokehouse and we took it up the hill to the Wagon Works Grill where my wife got the seasonal Ozarks Chili and I got the All American Special.  The tree show on Main Street was great as usual.  We were at the City the whole time from 1pm to 9pm.

The next day we went to Buccee's outside of Springfield then toured the Wilson Creek Civil War Battlefield in Springfield.  I highly recommend it if you've never been.  Very well maintained and free admission.  Happy New Year to everyone and looking forward to the (sadly) truncated but still appealing Bluegrass and BBQ festival in May.