Situated in the scenic Ozark Mountains, Silver Dollar City gives visitors the chance to experience the scenery, crafts and entertainment of the region as it was in the 1880s, together with an opportunity to explore the expansive Marvel Cave which lies underneath the site.
| Opened | 1 May 1960 |
|---|---|
| Season | March to December |
| Owner | Herschend Family Entertainment |
| Website | www.silverdollarcity.com |
| Nearby | Worlds of Fun (184 miles) Six Flags St Louis (194 miles) Adventureland (344 miles) Holiday World (367 miles) |
Live craft demonstrations are a major feature of Silver Dollar City
The scenic Ozark mountains are the setting for Silver Dollar City, a theme park recreating life in an Ozark frontier town of the 1880s.
Beneath the park sits Marvel Cave, a large cave complex which has been a Missouri tourist attraction since 1894. Under the direction of the Herschend family the attraction was expanded into Silver Dollar City with the opening in 1960 of the 1880s Ozark village on the surface to entertain visitors awaiting their underground tour. Over time further attractions and rides were added, growing Silver Dollar City into a fully fledged theme park.
Marvel Cave remains one of the park's major attractions and guided tours are offered several times a day. Although guests are required to descend several staircases into the caves, luckily there is a funicular railway to bring groups back up to the surface at the end of their tour.
Alongside the caves, Silver Dollar City has a whole range of rides including several rollercoasters. The indoor Fire in the Hole is the park's oldest rollercoaster having opened in 1972, and has since been joined by others such as Wild Fire, a large B&M coaster which sits on a hillside overlooking a spectacular valley below; Thunderation, an Arrow Mine Train; and Outlaw Run, an extremely intense RMC.
Although it may appear fairly small, Silver Dollar City packs in a huge number of attractions and can easily consume a day of visitors' time. The cave tour is lengthy but highly recommended, and there are also real life craft demonstations and a number of shows to watch as well as some fantastic rides to try. It's the kind of place where it is easy to slow down and become immersed in the recreated 19th century environment that surrounds the theme park.
RMC wooden coaster featuring three inversions
B&M looping coaster sitting on the edge of the hillside
Arrow mine train coaster
Indoor rollercoaster ride through a town set on fire by the Baldknobbers gang.
Launched rollercoaster from S&S
Interactive dark boat ride putting riders in the midst of a search for escaped prisoners in an old mine
Train ride through the park - watch out for train robbers!
Kiddie coaster in the Grand Exposition section of the park
Hour long underground tour through the cave system which lies beneath Silver Dollar City
Demonstrations of traditional crafts
Wild West show featuring can-can dancers, singing barmaids and gun slinging cowboys
USA Road Trip 2016: Day 6 at Silver Dollar City