Silver Dollar Experience

[Mr. D.T.]

I just got back from a recent trip to Branson.

I wrote a review on Epinions years ago and on that review I complained and moaned about the traffic there and how obscenely overgrown the architecture. I had a bad experience there from a past trip due to overflowing traffic and I swore up and down I never wanted to return there. Ever! I can recall talking to a hotel clerk and she said the traffic was like that year round.

Five years later, I can tell you now ... don't listen to my review on Epinions. (I'm mrdt, BTW) I would still advise you not to travel to the entertainment complex in the summer unless you know the streets there by heart and can take the back roads cutting to the desired show. The bottom line: there's no better month to go there than April.

Ok, now let's get to THEME PARKS before bothering with the other stuff.

Silver Dollar City is among the best themed parks in the Midwest, at some points better than WDW. You get to see replicas of life in the 1800s with bits and pieces of the real thing, such as an old schoolhouse, a church, cabins, and a mill. People flock there for the experience, as well as animals.

The park holds a handful of rides. They may not be as plenteous as in a Six Flags park; it ain't no SF park. But they are well-themed (with the exception of Powder Keg). The Flooded Mine is a cross between Buzz Lightyear's Spin and Pirates of the Carribbean. You shoot random targets for points during the ride. It must be the first of its kind in the world. The American Plunge is a nice way to cool you off on a hot day. It's similar to Yankee Clipper except it features tunnels and theming and stuff. The wetness on that ride is equivalent to Yankee Clipper but half that to Loggers Run. Don't ask me about Lost River of the Ozarks because I didn't ride it. It was too cold for that.

And now we'll start with the coasters. Fire In The Hole isn't technically a coaster. It's more like a dark ride with three elements in the last 3/4 of the ride; one of them under a 'train locomotive' and another in the finale in which you hear the voice "Fire in the hole!" It may look cheesy but I really enjoyed it. But beware to those who are afraid of the dark! Wildfire is another neat ride which crosses between Raging Bull, The Hulk, plus the Ozark Mountain scenery. It has its usual elements of a B&M coaster, so I guess it's supposed to be similar to the Bull and Hulk. I didn't ride Thunderation this time but I did on my last trip there. It's almost similar to the Big Thunder Mountain minus the rock 'formations'. The Powder Keg is the newest ride in the park. It blasts riders to a head start by a launch into the first hill. I say the ride itself and the atmosphere are a winner but the theming is just dope! Throw in dry dialogue plus a cheesy bluegrass theme song as well as the remains of the old Buzzsaw Falls canal and this has to be literally far from the best ride in the park. I did have a memorable experience on the ride; one of the operators came in to ride with me for a safety inspection. I asked her and she said the ride operators do this every two or three hours.

So that's all for the rides in SDC. Celebration City doesn't look that cool so we didn't bother to go there.

And now for a very quick review on the shows there if you don't mind. The Baldknobber's and Presley's were keepers for me, while The Legends was merely OK, and the Waltzing Waters show was nothing more than a lawn-sprinkler demonstration.

So that's all I have to say about my review.