Silver Dollar City
The first thing you notice when you enter this Ozark oasis is the beautiful landscaping and a plethora of trees nestled around craft shops and various sit down restaurants. After making my way through the lush foliage, I made my way to Thunderation for the first ride of the day.
Thunderation: The ride starts out fast with a good drop out of the station and picks up speed with tight turns before the trains speeds into a very intense g-force laden helix straight into a great tunnel, creating some nice headchoppers. The ride then slows down a bit before hitting the chain lift which is located at the end of the ride. The final drop is decent but I would have preferred a straight down drop rather than a twisting one. I also found that the last drop was a little bit rough. Final Rating: 7/10
The next ride I rode was Wilderness Waterboggan. This unique ride is a fast water slide attraction in which up to 5 rider sit in "waterboggans" and navigate down a twisting slide. This ride was surprisingly fast and was probably one of the better water slide attractions I've been on. Final Rating: 7/10
I then decided to head over to the "Tom Sawyer's Landing" section of the park. This area is mainly for little kids, but I did enjoy the "Skychase Balloon" ride. Final Rating: 5/10
By now it was about noon, and I decided I'd stop at "LumberCamp Burgers" near the entrance of Wildfire. My "Lumberjack Burger" was great (and reasonably priced).
Next, I headed to the very far end of the park for a trip on Buzzsaw Falls. This unique coaster/flume hybrid starts out like a typical flume ride, as riders navigate a number of turns before the coaster portion of the ride begins. The coaster portion of the ride was very fast with some nice g's and even a little airtime. The ride then slowly goes up the long (and steeply angled) lift hill. The last drop is breathtaking and very steep, with a nice headchopper effect while going under the log pile at the drop's end. Note: Riders sitting in the back will get wet! Final Rating: 8/10
After a great ride on Buzzsaw I decided it was time to hop on Silver Dollar city's marquee ride, WILDFIRE! The first thing you notice as you enter the dark and twisted queue line is the incredible theming and storyline that goes with the ride. The storyline is that a crazy inventor named Horatio Harris has invented a new formula that will provide fuel for a new traveling device. As you wait in line you can see Horatio's sketches and even Horatio's own laboratory as well as a huge glass container which is supposed to represent the "potion." After the wonderfully detailed queue line, you finally reach the ride. The first thing I noticed was the new B&M sitdown trains which allow rider's feet to dangle. Finally, overhead mist machines shot off and I was on my way! The ride first takes a nice little 15 foot dip and turn on to the lift. The lift is VERY speedy, and before you know it you are 155 ft. up looking out at the BEAUTIFUL Ozark mountains. Then the train plummets down an incredibly steep 155 ft. drop that provides lots of floating airtime. Then you go into the immelman. This inversion, usually reserved for inverted coasters, was definitley the best inversion, providing lots of floating sensation. Next up was the huge vertical loop and monster cobra roll. Before I entered the cobra roll, I noticed some trims, but they didn't slow the ride down much. After the cobra roll, there are two quick side to side turns with nice lateral g's and then a nice quick corkscrew. The ride finishes with a very nice helix with lots of g's. A great, quick, and intense ride. Final Rating: 8.5/10
Next up was the half dark ride/half coaster, Fire in the Hole. This quirky dark ride navigates through lots of theming and scenes depicting a great fire. After the scenes the ride features 2-3 quick and peppy drops before the splashdown finale. A nice quirky vintage style ride. Final Rating: 6/10
Next up was the raft ride, Lost River of the Ozarks. After the incredibly long wait, we hopped aboard the raft and made our way up a lift hill before dropping down a quick fun drop. The ride has nice theming and features 2-3 small drops and unique rapids which for allow you to drop before hitting the rapids, almost guaranteeing a great soaking. I found this to be the best raft ride I've been on (minus Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges at IOA.) Final Rating: 7/10
The last ride of the day (before 3 more trips on Wildfire and Thunderation) was a shoot em' ride called "Great Shootout at the Flooded Mine." The ride takes riders through a nicely themed jail on a boat and allows riders to shoot at targets with pistols to tally up points. This was a very fun ride, even if the technology was a little dated. Final Rating: 6.5/10
Overall park thoughts:
Pros: Wildfire, landscaping, theming, lots to do, food, and water rides.
Cons: SDC accepts no discounts unless the discounts are purchased out of the Branson area, park maps were useless, park navigation could be very hard at times.
