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[shavethewhales]

SDC Ranks #6 In Top 10 National Attractions
   Branson Ranks #3 In Top Destination Cities
   According to <a href="http://www.bransontourismcenter.com/branson/news/branson-and-silver-dollar-city-ranked-in-national-top-ten-for-tour-and-travel.htm">This Industry Survey</a>, Silver Dollar City is the nation's 6th most popular destination, just after Graceland and the Statue of Liberty. Dollywood placed just below at #7. Branson itself was ranked as the #3 best destination city, just after Washington D.C. and Pigeon Forge.<br /><br />
   This shows absolutely tremendous things about the Herschends. After all, how many theme parks even ranked on this list? Walt Disney World and Universal Studios were the only other parks mentioned, and Universal came 3 places under Dollywood. This says not only that SDC and DW rank up there with the nation's mega-attractions, but also that both parks are so much more than just typical theme parks. How many Cedar Fair, Six Flags, PARC, or Busch theme parks made it to the list? None, and plenty of those parks are far
   larger and have much more expensive attractions than SDC or DW.
   <br />Indeed, the years upon years of unheard of personal attention to guests, detail, and the overall park experience are paying off in bigger ways than ever before, and the Herschends plan to keep running ahead. We can only imagine what they plan to do next to further their fame.

Yup, SDC is looking better all the time, the wave of rapid attendance increases and expansion isn't over yet.

[Coaster]

Wow! This actually surprises me. I can't believe SDC is a top 10 destination in AMERICA! It surprises me that Dollywood is ranked below it also. It seems like Dollywood has a little bit more popularity to it for some reason. This is awesome. And with the new coaster in '09 it should get even better.

[shavethewhales]

^Yeah, DW actually gets way more in attendance and has more and larger rides, but most people agree that SDC has a better overall experience, and that's what counts.

When the next coaster arrives, I expect yet another boom in attendance, like what happened when Wildfire was built; not just because a new coaster always brings such, but because the park is teetering on drawing from some really big areas. There's this sweet spot where a park stops becoming a regional attraction and starts pulling visitors from all over, and SDC has toed into doing that, but it's getting to the point where the dam is about to break.