The complete guide to Silver Dollar City! With tips, where to stay, what to eat, best rides, must see attractions, festivals and events, ticket prices, parking info, Should or should’t get the ‘trailblazers’. Is Silver Dollar City worth it?
Nominated the #1 Amusement Park in the USA in 2023 on TripAdvisor, Silver Dollar City is a 1880s-style theme park located in the Ozark Mountains near Branson, Missouri. The park stands out for its excellence in theme, presentation and operation. Silver Dollar City was founded atop the great Marvel Cave and features over 40 thrilling rides & attractions (including record-breaking coasters), live shows & concerts, resident craftsmen demonstrating America’s heritage crafts, award-winning restaurants and festivals. It’s a beautiful park with fun for everyone and every age!
Where to stay near Silver Dollar City?
There are plenty of hotels and campgrounds near Silver Dollar City and near Branson, Missouri to choose from. We stayed at the Silver Dollar City campground and paid $29 + taxes per night for a tent site, that had electricity (standard outlet), a picnic table & fire ring, pea gravel terrain and a nearby bathroom with hot showers. They also have RV sites starting at $38 – $56 per night, and some hand-crafted rustic log cabins starting at $170 – $220 per night.
Silver Dollar City Campground, RV sites and Cabins
The Silver Dollar Campground is a great option for any traveler, especially If you’re looking for something more affordable. The cabins are also nice and some can accommodate up to 6 guests. The campground is close to the park and they offer complimentary shuttle service to Silver Dollar City. They also have a Clubhouse stocked with snacks, supplies and souvenirs, an air-conditioned lounge with free Wi-Fi, laundry facility, and a swimming pool.
Parking at Silver Dollar City
General PARKING at Silver Dollar City is FREE and they offer a complimentary tram ride from the parking lot to the park entrance. You can also use the walkway and walk to the park entrance instead of waiting for the tram. If you’re staying at the Silver Dollar City Campground, they offer a free bus ride from the campground to the park entrance. They also have Preferred Parking for $18 + taxes per day for quick access to your vehicle and Premier Parking for $58 + taxes per day to park just steps away from the park’s entrance.
What is Trailblazers? Is it worth it?
Silver Dollar City’s TrailBlazers is a pass that gives you front-of-the-line access to rides. The regular TrailBlazers price starts at $49 for 8 uses and the unlimited starts at $79. Both of them include only one ride per visit on Mystic River Falls. The TrailBlazer pass is a MUST HAVE if you’re only visiting the park for one day. It’s pricey but it’s better than spending your whole day in lines in a hot summer day. Add the TrailBlazers to your budget when planning your trip. Also, make sure you buy them before going to the park or right when you get there because they sell out fast.
Top 10 Rides you CAN’T miss
1 – Time Traveler
World’s Fastest, Steepest & Tallest Spinning Coaster, featuring three inversion, including a 95-foot tall vertical loop, and two launches. Hight requirement: 51 inches.
2 – PowderKeg
PowderKeg launches from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. It features air-launch with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or “G” forces, “floater” hills and a 110-foot drop. PowderKeg salutes the miners who worked in the great Marvel Cave, which is located below the theme park. Hight requirement: 41 inches.
3 – Outlaw Run
The world’s first and only double barrel roll on a wood coaster, with a 720-degree (double) barrel roll. The only wood coaster to twist upside down three times. The world’s steepest wood coaster with a first drop of 162 feet (more than 16 stories) at 81 degrees. And also one of the fastest wood coasters in the world. Hight requirement: 48 inches.
4 – Mystic River Falls
Mystic River Falls is a new Family River Expedition at Silver Dollar City. This raft water ride features a rapid river, elevator and falls. The whole ride takes about 5min from loading to unloading. Hight requirements: 55 inches and max 77 inches. Guests between 40″ – 55″ may ride with a supervising companion 16 years or older.
5 – WildFire
WildFire is a high-flying, multi-looping, cobra-rolling coaster. The ride features a vertical drop of 15 stories, followed by five inversions including a full loop, cobra roll, corkscrew and high-speed spiral. High requirement: 52 inches.
6 – Fire In The Hole (Permanently closed after the 2023 season)
This legendary coaster is a three-story dark coaster that is themed around the story of the Marmaros, an Ozark town that relied heavily upon the mining operation of Marvel Cave. It’s considered one of the world’s most historical indoor roller coaster. The ride was build at the park in 1972 and will be closing down by the end of 2023. Don’t miss your chance to scream “FIRE—IN—THE—HOLE!” one last time.
7 – Thunderation
This mine train is 81-foot tall, high-speed coaster with a scenic view of the Ozarks! Features a spiraling drop and an underground tunnel. Hight requirement: 48 inches.
8 – The Giant Barn Swing
Embark in this pendulum swing, that launches through the barn doors at 45 mph, bursting over 7 stories into the sky and nearly upside down! You’ll fly a full 230 degrees from one side of the barn to the other! Hight requirement: 48 inches.
9 – American Plunge
This is a great water ride for hot summer days! In this traditional log flume ride, you’ll climb more than five stories and splash down at speeds reaching 35 miles per hour. High requirement: 48 inches.
10 – Electro Spin
This mechanical sensation spins round and round, launching you 50 feet toward the sky before careening up another 50 feet in the opposite direction. High requirement: 48 inches.
MUST Visit Attractions at Silver Dollar City
Marvel Cave
Before Silver Dollar City, there was Marvel Cave. In 1894, Canadian entrepreneur William Henry Lynch and his two daughters opened the cave as an Ozarks tourist attraction. For more than 50 years, Marvel Cave operated as a tourist show cave. In 1960, the Herschend family introduced their 1880s Ozark Mountain Village, Silver Dollar City theme park, literally built around the entrance to Marvel Cave, upon the foundations of a genuine 1800s mining town – Marmaros.
Marvel Cave tour is included with your Silver Dollar City admission. Each tour takes about an hour and can accommodate 45 people per tour. It’s a walking tour, with stairs, narrow and low passages, wet walking and enclosed places. The group will stop several times throughout the tour to listen to the tour guide explaining about the places. Small kids are allowed accompanied by someone 16 years or older. To start the tour, you’ll go down the stairs 300 feet below the surface and enter the Cathedral Room, which is the largest cave entrance room in the United States. You’ll see the wet limestone cave and beautiful formations. There’s also a surprise underground waterfall! To get back up, there’s a unique cable train.
Grandfather’s Mansion
Grandfather’s Mansion is a cool place to visit! With mystifying rooms with slanting floors, mirrored walls and dizzying effects that will turn your world upside down. Pay attention to the details or you’ll miss seeing the grandfather. I don’t recommend this place if you’re pregnant, or if you get dizzy easily. I’m usually fine and I had to sit down for a second because the rooms made me very dizzy.
Festivals & Events
Summer Celebration in the Ozarks
From June 3 – July 16, 2023, Silver Dollar City hosted their ALL-NEW Summer Festival! With lots of cool stuff around the park, shows, performances, decorations, and of course FOOD! The Summer Tasting Passport costs $35 and you can choose any 5 tastes from 16 eateries in the park. Here are some of the samples we tried during the festival: Which one would you try first?
Silver Dollar City will also be hosting the Harvest Festival, from September 15 to October 28, 2023 and An Old Time Christmas from November 4 to December 30, 2023.
Unique Dining
At Silver Dollar City you’ll find food for every taste! Start your day with a hearty traditional American Breakfast Buffet at Molly’s Mill Restaurant. For lunch choose between brisket or pulled pork, chicken and sides buffet, burgers, chicken fajitas skillet, cheesesteak, chicken tenders, sausage & potato skillet, American cookout food, chicken sandwiches, or turkey legs. For dessert, try their FAMOUS Cinnamon bread from Eva & Delilah’s Bakery, head over Cakes & Cones or Fanny’s Famous Funnel Cakes for funnel cakes, you can also get Ice cream or fried Oreos. For snack time, Chester’s Kettle Chips, kettle corn, Tater Twist or pretzels.
GOOD TO KNOW: We got the Refillable mug for $16.99 and then we had to pay $1.99 every time we refilled the mug even though it was the same day of purchase. Most parks offer free refills on the day of purchase but apparently not here. My tip is, bring a water bottle and take advantage of the free water throughout the park.
Demonstrating Craftsmen
The demonstrating craftsmen is another reason why Silver Dollar City is so unique! You can you watch a woodworker carve life-like wooden figures, see a glassblower create delicate works of art, and a candy maker craft incredible edibles. It’s very fun to watch the skilled artisans handcrafting pieces from raw materials.
Hidden Gems and Treasure Hunt Game
Besides great rides, shows and food, Silver Dollar City also have some hidden gems throughout the park! Play a game with your kids and try to find some of these places: Swinging Bridge, “Talking Bucket”, the “Don’t look” peep hole, Farmers Wilson’s Milk Cow, Wax Hands, Silver Dollar City Jail, The Flooded Mine, The Wilderness Church, Oak Trail School and the McHaffie’s Homestead & Barnyard.
OVERALL: Is Silver Dollar City Worth It?
Absolutely!! They have record-breaking roller coasters, award-winning food, demonstrating craftsmen, and world-class festivals. They did a great job with the decorations and it’s one of the most beautiful theme parks I’ve been to. Definitely add it to your bucket list!
Plan your visit
Can you visit Silver Dollar City in one day? Well, it depends. If you’re with a small group and going there mostly for the thrill rides and have the trailblazer’s pass or if you’re going just for kids’ rides you probably can. It all depends on what you want to see and do. Silver Dollar City has a lot to see and do, and it’s hard to complete everything in one day, especially if you go during the festivals or summer time. If you’re going with a big group and kids you’ll probably need 2 or 3 days to see everything. For reference, when we went, it was just my husband and I and we had some ‘skip the line’ passes so we were able to ride everything but the Mystic Falls (very long lines and broke down 3 times throughout the day).
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