One of our favorite parks in the country is Silver Dollar City. After a week delay, during which we went to Dollywood instead, we finally made it back out to the Ozarks for two days at the charming park.
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Silver Dollar City was open on a Tuesday for Pumpkins in the City/ Harvest Festival, and since it was a Tuesday, every ride was a walk on. For their fall event the park stayed open until 9pm nightly, meaning we could finally get some night rides in at what’s considered one of THE best parks after dark. We were not disappointed!
We’ll start with Outlaw Run, a coaster that (in my opinion) does not receive nearly enough recognition. The ride runs incredibly well and is still one of the most intense coasters out there. To top it all off, the use of terrain and its disappearance into the forest for the duration of the ride make it highly unique. If we’re going to talk spectacular night rides: Outlaw Run‘s pitch-black night rides are simply on another level.
Something cool that Silver Dollar City offers is the Marvel Cave Tour. The park sits on top of a giant cavernous system and the ‘Silver Dollar City’ town that the park is shaped after is a replica of a mining town once built for the purpose of clearing out the caves. The cave tour is included with park admission and lasts a little bit over an hour. You start at the Hospitality House at the park’s entrance and quickly make your way into the cave for a journey 400 feet underground. At the end of the tour you walk your way up nearing the surface and take the funicular up to the park. As any cave tour it’s a lot of climbing and navigating tight spaces but it’s well worth the time commitment. The fact that it is included with park admission is amazing.
Mystic River Falls is the park’s newest addition and is actually named after a part of the Marvel Caves called Mystic River: an underground river that goes on for further than humans have been able to track it. It’s unknown length and destination make it quite mystical. Luckily we do know how long Mystic River Falls is, it’s 2100 feet long. What I didn’t know is how incredibly wet you get. The ride’s integration within the park is beautiful and if you do not mind getting drenched, don’t miss it.
Of course we also spent time riding classics such as Thunderation and Fire in the Hole. Thunderation does a great job highlighting what makes Silver Dollar City so unique, by leaving the station and making its way all the way down to the bottom of the valley before climbing back up.
Another real night time power ride is Powder Keg. The launch never impressed me much but I am an absolute fan of the way the old Buzzsaw Falls track unites with the Powder Keg track for one of the quirkiest, yet thrilling, coasters out there.
This was our first time back on Time Traveler since our trip to Europe to ride Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland. The verdict from our Coaster Kings Radio episode and our Plopsaland De Panne article stands: Ride to Happiness is a vast upgrade from the original at Silver Dollar City. Having said that, the terrain, the infrastructure surrounding Time Traveler, and the landscape still make for an absolutely phenomenal ride. You can’t go wrong with MACK Rides Xtreme Spinners.
Wildfire was sorely missed on our visit last year due to an unexpected motor failure on the ride. As one of our favorite coasters at the park we were excited to be reunited and rode Wildfire countless times. It’s hands down one of the best coasters in the World when it comes to views. It’s rather short but well-paced layout is beautifully located on the hill side and makes for a great night ride. For those wondering what Wildfire‘s best seat is, the back row left wing makes for some impressive and aggressive airtime on that first drop.
Thanks for checking out this new Silver Dollar City article. If you ever have the chance to visit the park at night, plan a trip. It’s one of the World’s finest night time parks. Also don’t miss out on the Marvel Cave Tour. We totally slept on that and will make sure to come back and experience that again!