The other day my grandparents and I hit up Silver Dollar City. As park employees, they have plenty of free passes, and invited me to spend a day at the park with them at no charge.
In case you don’t know, Silver Dollar City is an 1880s-themed park in Branson, MO. It features rides, shows, arts and crafts demonstrations, and lots of shops and restaurants. Additionally, the park holds several festivals each year. I visited on the last day of the Christmas Festival, and it looked amazing, with over 70 million lights across the park’s 61-acre footprint. All the shows we watched carried a Christmas theme, and several restaurants served holiday specials (including some fantastic peanut butter pie).
My personal highlight of the day was a tour through Marvel Cave. Before Silver Dollar City existed, tours were led through Marvel Cave, as early as 1889. The cave became so popular that in 1960 the attraction was expanded into Silver Dollar City. The tour through the cave takes an hour, and it involves a lot of climbing and descending through narrow passageways, but I highly recommend it to everyone. Caves are some of my favorite things, and a cave as magnificent as Marvel Cave is endlessly fascinating. Some of the sights, like the Cathedral Room, the Cloud Room, and the Gulf of Doom simply cannot be described. I only wish my tour had included more of the cave, as a few of the rooms were flooded and could not be accessed.
Entry to Silver Dollar City will set you back $52.66. Not bad, considering the tours, shows, and demonstrations included in the price. And while it would be easy to spend a fortune at the restaurants and shops, I was able to eat a terrific grilled cheese sandwich and some garden tomato soup on special for less than six bucks. A season pass is only $65, so it’s a good choice if you live in the area or plan to spend more than one day at the park. If you do, you won’t be sorry.
Take it slow, but not too slow.
This is my new friend, Washboard Leo.
An example of the lights. Surprisingly good result for an iPhone photo.