This is the first post of a new travel series to Branson Missouri.
During the week of Labor Day my husband and I took a week's vacation to Branson, Missouri. I have been to Branson twice before; but they were just day trips, mostly to see their Sight & Sound Theatre plays. This is the first time I ever spent an entire week in Branson and boy, did we have fun! In fact, we had so much fun we decided to come back in a couple of years with the grandchildren.
We began our vacation by spending two full days at Silver Dollar City. Yes, you heard me right, TWO FULL DAYS. The theme park had a Southern Gospel Music Festival going on and we needed two full days if were ever going to be able to go on a few rides plus see the concerts. There were so many Southern Gospel music groups, that even with two full days, we still couldn't possibly see them all.
Silver Dollar City was voted "America's Number 1 Theme Park" three years in a row by USA Today. I find that shocking since Disney World and Universal Studios has so many more visitors. But after being there, I can see why. First of all, it's extremely affordable, which Disney Parks are not. Parking is free, and admission is $92 for an adult and you can get the second day FREE! I've also seen ticket prices as low as $69 depending on the time of year. Secondly, it is such a charming, unique park. Everything is decorated in a country, hillbilly theme. There is so much to do there even if you aren't into rides. They have a lot more shopping than Disney does. Disney seems to only have shops that sell Disney merchandise, whereas Silver Dollar City sells just about everything from soaps, jewelry, preserves, hand-blown glass, etc. And did I mention shows? Yes, I know Disney has amazing shows, but it seemed there was a concert going around every corner at Silver Dollar City.
But perhaps the most amazing thing of all about this park is that it is built above a cave and they offer a FREE hour long cave tour! That is incredible since cave tours on their own can be a bit pricey. And this is no ordinary cave. I have been on a lot of cave tours in my life, and I will say this was hands-down one of my favorites! It had it all: stalagmites and stalactites, cathedral openings, and even a waterfall!
To even get into the cave, first you had descend down 700 steps to get 500 feet below the ground.
The theme park actually evolved around the cave when in 1894 the cave was open for tours. By 1960 an 1880's Ozark Mountain Village theme was created around the cave and the theme park has grown a lot since then.
Every cave tour I've been on is different. Some have a lot of details such as Stalagmites and others are just large open areas, but this cave has both! You will walk through narrow areas and see fascinating formations, but you will also experience the grandeur of a cave cathedral ceiling.
This is the narrow opening pictured in the second photo in this post. You have to walk through the cut out of this opening in real life, just to get into line for the cave tour. They want to be sure you can bend over and crawl through before getting on the tour.
Looking down into a large pit of water.
Here's a short video of the waterfall inside the cave; my favorite part!
Another fun thing about this tour is you don't have to climb 700 stairs back up! You get to take a train! That is a fun ride!
Silver Dollar City is known for its southern-style food so we planned on trying a lot of their dishes. We always got one of everything and just shared it. After we took the cave tour, we stopped at Eva & Delilah's Bakery for a Cinnamon Roll. Oh, my gosh, it was so delicious! We loved it so much, we went back the next day for a Caramel Pecan roll. I loved the decor too!
This is the outside of the bakery. I was just tickled pink with all the rustic charm of Silver Dollar City.
Molly's Mill Restaurant is decorated like an old mine. It is a sit-down restaurant specializing in southern food.
Since we had never been to Silver Dollar City before our plan for day one was just to walk the entire park and check everything out. We knew we were coming back the next day for sure, so we could catch whatever we missed on day two. It was a really good decision to get the two day pass because on the day we were there it was the Sunday before Labor Day and the park was super crowded and there were long lines everywhere. The next day was Labor Day, and there were a lot less people so we were able to get on the more popular rides easily.
A blacksmith shop which did demonstrations and also sold the items they made.
The glass blowing shop had demonstrations and glassware for purchase. We spent some time watching the process and then looking at all the beautiful pieces for sale.
They had a year round Christmas shop which we went inside of but again, didn't buy anything. It was decorated beautifully but I've never been one to be interested in Christmas out of season.
We had a fun time walking on this suspension bridge.
The bridge led to a beautiful old mill.
They must not have a lot of crime in Silver Dollar City for their jail was very small. 😀
This boys and girls clothing store was incredible! So much cuteness!
There are so many buildings which hold performances. This one I never got inside of to see a show. There were so many shows I couldn't possibly see them all.
Sorry for the blurriness of this photo. This is the main stage arena. Every night at 6:00 pm there was a concert here. We did not stay that long on either day. We always got to the park when they opened and left when they closed. The concerts began when the park closed, if you paid for the day, you could attend the concert, but we also saw people arriving when we were leaving just to see the concert.
The Fire District had Silver Dollar City's newest ride: "Fire in the Hole". We waited a long time in line to get on that ride. The ride tells the story of the fictional mining town of Marmaros and the Baldknobbers who burnt the town down.
On our first day at Silver Dollar City, we were only able to see two shows: Sound Street, pictured below and Spoken 4. I really enjoyed both groups and they really ministered to me. What other theme park in the world can you go to and enjoy rides, plus hear the gospel?
"Flooded Mine" is an interactive dark ride where riders shoot targets from a boat.
The park has a large pond that you can walk around and also feed koi.
This park is fun for all ages. They have the wild roller coaster rides for the thrill seekers, but they also have lots of little rides and activities for the little ones to enjoy like this climbing tree house.
A cute little bear making shop.
The Giant Barn Swing is one of the park's most popular rides; it takes riders seven stories into the air!
My favorite ride of all was "Tom and Huck's River Blast". Oh my gosh, I had so much fun on this ride. You ride on a boat and shoot water guns at targets and other people, while also engaging in water battles with riders on other boats.
For more posts on Branson, Missouri, check out these posts:
A Return to Branson, Missouri, Part Two
Have A Great Day! Amy
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