We have never been there (well, I went a long time ago) and we weren't really sure what to expect regarding lines and such. I had read that the gates open about 30 minutes prior to the rides opening and that they have a wonderful bakery to get some cinnamon rolls. So, that's what we did...and I agree...the rolls were wonderful and huge! (Of course, that didn't stop the boys from wanting one of their own.)
After finishing our rolls, we headed into the center square area to check things out...Westyn looks stunned.
It was still a few minutes before they would open the ride areas, so we found the SDC Jail.
We headed to Fireman's Landing first. This is the new section that just opened this season. It's almost all family rides that young children can do. We heard that it gets busier later in the day, so we wanted to go before the lines got too long.
I thought it was awesome that they incorporated charging stations into this section with standard outlets or USB ports.
The boys wanted to ride Lucky the dog...we found it hilarious that on these rides that don't really go fast at all, Justin was required to turn his hat backward...really?!
Next up...the mini swings...they can ride it all by themselves!
After that, we headed over to the Grand Exposition area.
They had a whole little kid section there. Most of the rides they could ride without an adult.
Pretty soon it was time for lunch and afternoon break. When we came back from our afternoon break, I tried to get a picture of the boys in front of the SDC sign. Garytt was all about it...Westyn was maybe still waking up...
We headed inside and across the bridge for an afternoon of fun.
We didn't take many pictures of the afternoon. We revisited some of their favorite rides but mostly kept to the sections that we went to that morning. We did get to ride the Mighty Galleon right at the end. And since it wasn't busy, they let us stay on for three rides in a row. The boys LOVE this ride!
We went back to Silver Dollar City the next day as well. This time I asked the boys to get a picture in front of the water wheel...that didn't work out that well though.
So, I decided to try one last time to get a good picture in front of the main SDC sign. There it is...only took about 20 pictures and two days to get a picture where they both look like they are having fun.
We started our morning out with another roll...Westyn was pretty darn excited about that!
Then we headed out with Garytt leading the way.
We rode some rides like the swings again.
But we also had some pretty big adventures on day 2! We realized that Garytt was tall enough to ride some of the bigger roller coasters. So, Justin and Garytt got in line for Powder Keg while Westyn and I went to Fire in the Hole.
So, the height requirement for Fire in the Hole was pretty low...obviously Westyn was tall enough...but I do wish someone had warned me that it was a "scary" ride. It is an indoor roller coaster with a majority of the ride being slow and just driving by some animated scenes. The part that gets you is that you plunge into darkness as it becomes a real roller coaster. So, while the drops and curves aren't nearly as big or scary as a traditional roller coaster, there is an added dark factor, and Westyn wasn't too happy! He didn't cry but held on to me tight and when we got off just said that was too scary and he never wanted to do it again...poor little guy.
When we were done at Fire in the Hole, we walked back up towards Powder Keg. I realized there was an observation area, so we walked over there...then I freaked out! I actually saw the coaster they were going to ride! It was so big!
The previous photos are compliments of an internet search because I was so busy calling Justin asking where they were in line. He said they were going to be loading soon. I was freaking out and telling him this is a really big roller coaster, I don't think they should go...he's too little. Justin said he would tell him it's really big. Well, sure enough, a few minutes later...here they come...first car in the coaster!
And there they go!
I was so nervous the whole time. When they got off, he was just as happy as could be...I don't think his smile or excitement could have been any bigger! Well...color me surprised. Justin said that even a few people on the coaster gave him high fives afterwards because they weren't sure how he would react either! Wow! What a big boy!
We decided to head back to do some more tame rides that all of us could manage at that point. We, of course, took an afternoon break and came back to the park later.
At that point, Westyn wanted to go ride the little roller coaster in the grand exposition area again. So, they headed there while Garytt and I rode the Thunderation roller coaster. Thunderation is the tamest of the big roller coasters...but it it still a thrill. (Again, photos courtesy of the internet.)
Again, Garytt loved it! We headed over to meet up with Justin and Westyn because we were planning to switch kids. We got there just in time to see Justin and Westyn enjoying the mini coaster.
After they were done on that ride, we switched kids because Garytt really wanted to ride Powder Keg again and, if I'm being honest, Powder Keg scares me! So, Westyn and I hung out in the Grand Exposition while they went to ride the big coaster. As it was getting close to park closing time, we headed towards the front...and stopped at Brown's Candy Factory, of course.
The boys enjoyed their treats while we waited for some of the crowds to clear.
Overall, we enjoyed our two days at Silver Dollar City. I will say I'm surprised at some of the height requirements there. They have some rides similar in style to those at Disney like their version of the Dumbo ride and they require the child be 36" to ride it, which seems like a tall requirement for such a tame ride. It means that had we gone last year, Westyn would have been excluded from most of their rides, which would have been a big issue! On the flip side, the height requirement for some of their coasters seems a little short!
Another issue we noticed is that a majority of their rides are slow loading, which makes for long lines. We were there during the weekend, so the crowds were probably a little higher than their lowest time but they were by no means super busy while we were there. Yet, the lines didn't move all that well.
The boys had a great time and I do hope that we can go back sometime...maybe in the fall when we don't have to deal with the summer crowds!
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