Silver Dollar City Encore

As promised here is a report from my second day at Silver Dollar City. Much like the first day I arrived at the park around 9:30 am. As I was getting out of the car I noticed a bunch of school busses in the parking lot behind me. I knew that today was going to be much busier than the day before. I saw Derk pull in right after I got out of the car and he yelled over and said, “look at all those busses, today is going to be much busier than yesterday.” Yup, my thoughts exactly.

I Love this Sign

 

Great Fall Decorations

 

As we entered the park the smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the air so we decided to take a look inside the bakery. Everything on the shelves looked insanely good. It was cool to see that everything is made fresh right there in front of you. It is at this point as I am typing this I regret that I didn’t buy anything from here. I had a small breakfast but didn’t want to overdo it since I knew I would be getting in a ton of rides today.

Made Fresh Daily

 

Oh my goodness!

 

We walked around the front of the park and watched a few of the craftsmen make their items. One guy was hacking away at a huge log with an ax (pictured below). I also loved how rustic some of these people look with full on beards, flannel shirts, and overalls. We managed to sample some sort of syrup that they were making from scratch. It was quite good. Then we made our way through all of the crafts to the candy shop. Oh the candy shop! What homemade treat didn’t they have in there? We were able to sample some freshly made peanut brittle and it was delicious.

Just chopping a log

Fear the Beard!

 

Homemade SDC candy

 

It was about time for the park to open so we waited by the ropes and when they dropped headed for what ride? Outlaw Run of course. We were able to get in three rides in a row before the crowds amped up. They amped up so much in fact that they had to put an extra train on Outlaw Run. After speaking with a few of the staff they said that 42 busses showed up to the park that they didn’t know were coming. I know right, pretty crazy. When they noticed the extra crowds they decided to add extra trains to the coasters. Again, impressive move Silver Dollar City. While they added the extra train we made our way over to Powder Keg, then Fire in the Hole, and then back to back rides on Wildfire.

Still a wonderful view

 

Yup there's a ride back there somewhere

 

Wildfire from a distance

 

 

It was now time to pick up some lunch so we decided on Crossroads Pizza. I probably waited longer for the pizza than any other ride in the park for both days. The place was packed. The pizza was good and again we found a nice shaded spot outside to eat. After lunch we decided to ride Outlaw Run again because riding over 20 times is never enough. We rode it a couple of times and got in a groove. What I mean by ‘grove’ is we were feeling good and enjoying ourselves so we felt we could do a little marathon on the coaster. They had two trains going still so the line was basically nonexistent and we ended up riding it 11 times in a row.

Cool looking building

Ok so I ate a little

 

Outlaw Run Theming = One of my favorite pics

 

After Outlaw Run we went and rode Powder Keg three more times. At some point Derk and I split up so he could go to a show. I walked around the park some and grabbed a strawberry smoothie drink which was delicious. I then found my way back over to Outlaw Run. I mean seriously people this is one awesome roller coaster! I proceeded to ride it ten more times in a row. If you have lost count that would be 24 total times ridden in one day. That would be a personal best for me. If it hadn’t of been for my desire to ride Powder Keg a few more times before the park closed I would have ridden Outlaw Run more. But I left and finished the day with three more rides on Powder Keg.

This was good!

 

This guy loves roller coasters especially Outlaw Run...

 

...and Powder Keg!

 

 

What more can I say? I had a blast. The weather was gorgeous both days with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80’s. Silver Dollar City is probably the most charming park I have ever been to. There were so many things that I didn’t even get to do mostly because I love to ride roller coasters and that took up most of my time. They have so many other things to do from shows, arts and crafts demonstrations, and even Marvel Cave (which I didn’t even get a chance to tour). Yes they have a huge cave right inside the park and included with park admission!

Awww, see the cute old couple?

Charm!

More Charm!

Silver Dollar City almost didn’t seem like amusement park. It felt as though you were just out in the beautiful countryside and the rides and attractions just blended into the natural surroundings (see below). It was a pretty amazing thing to witness. I don’t think I have been in a park with as much shade as Silver Dollar City. There were trees EVERYWHERE. The theming inside the park was remarkable. Even the queue lines were themed with lanterns, barrels, ropes, and other western style offerings. In my opinion Silver Dollar City is only second to Disney parks theming wise.

Is this a ride, or a barn?

Theming! I mean seriously!

More Theming!

 

Also, the park staff were so nice and genuine. Most of the staff were on the older side so it felt as though Grandma and Grandpa were running the rides. I liked this. You could tell that most of the park staff enjoyed their jobs and took them seriously. I met and talked with so many of the staff at the park. It’s so great to see a park associate friendly engage in conversation with guests. It felt as though I could shoot the breeze with any of their employees about anything. If you asked them specific questions about the park they would answer you honestly. I had one instance where I had to wait for a manager to retrieve an on ride photo for me. He apologized for the wait and said that the photo was “on us.” I was floored. Never before have I ever had an amusement park do this. You win Silver Dollar City, you win.

Grandma & Grandpa running Outlaw Run!

Santa has become a lumberjack

 

Well hello there fella

 

In closing let me just say if you or your family ever want a place to visit then Silver Dollar City is worth looking into. They have plenty to do even if you aren’t into riding rides and roller coasters and I can guarantee you will have a great time. Trust me, you will love Silver Dollar City. Now let's just sit back and admire the beauty that is Silver Dollar City:

Look at all those trees!

Pretty old-style building everywhere

Charm!

Shade is everywhere...

...see, everywhere!

Unbelievable theming everywhere! 

 

Below are my stats for day two as well as my two day totals:

24x Outlaw Run
7x Powder Keg
2x Wildfire
1x Fire in the Hole
= 34 total rides ridden

Two day totals:

40x Outlaw Run (yup, I love this coaster)

12x Powder Keg
5x Wildfire
2x Fire in the Hole
2x Thundernation
2x The GIANT Barn Swing
1x The Great Exposition Coaster
1x Electro Spin
1x Magnificent Wave Carousel
1x Flooded Mine

= 67 total rides ridden

Why visit Silver Dollar City:

Beautiful, clean, and well-themed park

Great rides, food, and staff members
Great roller coasters; Outlaw Run, Powder Keg, Wildfire, TNT
Unique and charming
So much to do without even riding rides
General public seems very nice and easy going
Park staff so friendly and easy to talk to

Thank-you Silver Dollar City

Beautiful!