Silver Dollar City was recently voted the best theme park in the country, and having visited the Branson, Missouri park myself for the first time not too long ago, I can certainly understand why fans voted that way. It was an excellent park and a unique experience among theme parks, and at some point soon, it’s going to become an even bigger park because Silver Dollar City is planning for expansion.
In 2021, Silver Dollar City purchased 800 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the existing park. We don’t know for sure what exactly the plans are for that space. Nobody is talking about what will be happening when this land is eventually developed, but having now been to Silver Dollar City, I have some thoughts about what the park is missing and could use that land to add.
A Resort Hotel
If I was a betting man, and I’ve been known to risk a few bucks here and there, the one item that I would absolutely put money on Silver Dollar City adding with its expansion is a resort hotel. It’s the single most obvious thing that the best theme park in America needs to have, because without it you’re not a vacation destination, you’re just a theme park.
Silver Dollar City is owned by the same company that owns Dollywood, which is getting ready to open its second hotel later this year. When I spoke with Silver Dollar City PR during my recent trip, they called a hotel “aspirational,” so it’s clear they have the idea in mind and would like to see it happen, but they also kind of need it.
While one of the most beautiful things about the park is the way it is surrounded by nature, that also means that there are no hotels within walking distance of the park. A resort hotel would be convenient for guests, but it would also make Silver Dollar City a nearly complete vacation experience, as you wouldn’t really need to leave. And if the hotel is done right, you won't want to.
A Fine Dining Restaurant, Or Two
Food is a key component of any theme park experience, and Silver Dollar City understands this. While the park has the corn dogs and chicken strips that are the lifeblood of any park, the focus of the menu is on other things, including skillet dishes, barbeque and, of course, the absolutely epic cinnamon bread. However, for me, the dining experience is only about half made up by the food, and so what Silver Dollar City really needs is a higher-end table service restaurant that can make the dining experience as good as what's on the plate.
Too often at theme parks food is gobbled down on a quick stop between rides, but sometimes you want to take your time and actually enjoy your food. A couple of options for guests to make a reservation so they know when they are going to stop moving and enjoy a meal would be welcome.
If Silver Dollar City gets the resort hotel previously discussed, it will certainly come with restaurants of its own, and one that’s a bit higher-end would seem likely. Putting such a place in a hotel would also allow a guest to enjoy a beer or glass of wine with dinner outside the dry theme park. But I’d also like to see one inside the park itself. The restaurant could take advantage of the historical aspects of Silver Dollar City to craft both an atmosphere and a menu that fits inside the park. It could also be located near the edge of the expansion property, allowing guests to look out at the beautiful natural environment around the park, giving guests a view they simply can’t get at another park.
A Brand New Dark Ride Experience
If there’s a single style of attraction that is most associated with theme parks, it's the dark ride. Theme parks tell a story, and so do dark rides. It’s one area where Silver Dollar City is currently surprisingly lacking. Right now, the park has the soon-to-be-closing Fire in the Hole, which is a strange mix of a dark ride and roller coaster, and The Flooded Mine, which is a target-shooting ride more than a dark ride.
Silver Dollar City needs something more traditional, but that doesn’t mean it has to be simple or cheap. Rise of the Resistance is essentially a dark ride, and while nobody needs to go quite that all out, something that uses modern technology in a traditional, but fun dark ride would not be amiss here. We could get something like this with whatever is set to replace Fire in the Hole, so it may happen before major expansions, but one way or another, it needs to exist.
At Least One More New Roller Coaster
While theme parks often have thrill rides like roller coasters, it has to be said that most of the best coasters in the world are found at more traditional amusement parks. However, Silver Dollar City is a significant exception, as it is a destination for roller coaster fans across the country. It has some unique experiences, including one roller coaster that is the only one of its kind in North America. If there’s anything that any “coaster park” needs, it’s more roller coasters.
It’s been five years since Time Traveler opened at Silver Dollar City, and that’s forever in roller coaster terms. That coaster was a record-breaker when it opened, but several of those records have been reset by other coasters in the time since it opened. Silver Dollar City doesn’t need to have the biggest, fastest and best coaster in the world, but anything new and fun will be welcomed by fans. If something new happened to be the biggest, fastest, or best, nobody is going to complain.
Silver Dollar City isn’t talking about its plans for the future quite yet. It’s not even entirely clear if they know what they’re going to do with all this new space or if they are still putting plans together. Even once details are revealed, we’re certainly years away from whatever is coming, but there is plenty the park can do to not just expand, but improve.
