Negative-G Negative-G - Silver Dollar City World Fest 2013 Page Twenty-One

Silver Dollar City
Branson, Missouri
World Fest 2013
April 19-21, 2013
Page Twenty-One

You've got to take a stroll across the Swinging Bridge as this was the first "thrill ride" at Silver Dollar City when the park opened in 1960.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

Another favorite of Bond and mine is the Grandfather's Mansion fun house.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

Some of Grandfather's photos on the wall are really shocking.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

Bond likes just being able to let go and defy gravity when he visits Grandfather's.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

These French stilt walkers were a fun World Fest attraction.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

So were three days at Silver Dollar City a good way to celebrate one's birthday? The answer from Bond was a resounding "Yes can we do this next year". Maybe son, maybe.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

A minor complaint about Silver Dollar City though. To exit you have to go through the Ozark Marketplace. If you're leaving at the end of the day the Marketplace gets stuffed with people shoulder to shoulder and it just doesn't move. After a few minutes of this both Bond and I were getting completely claustrophobic stuffed in there like cattle so we walked back into the park where we noticed a couple unhooking a chain and leaving through the entrance so we followed them and put the chain back up. I understand they like people to have to go through the store in the hopes that they will see one more item they have to buy because that makes Hirschend Family Entertainment (Owners of Silver Dollar City, Dollywood, Wild Adventurers, Ride The Ducks, Dolly's Dixie Stampede and managers of a few other parks like Elitch Gardens and Darien lake as well as other attractions) money which keeps them profitable and able to build more coasters like Outlaw Run but please when it gets packed give people a way to bypass the packed store and just get to the parking lot.

Complaint aside like every time I have headed on down into the Ozarks for a visit to Silver Dollar City we had an fun and memorable time and afterwards we can't wait to go back.

It was a five and a half hour drive back home and on the way I kept replaying Outlaw Run in my head just trying to really get a grasp of the ride. Somewhere near Mexico (the town not country) the thought came to me "Outlaw Run or Voyage"? For the last seven years The Voyage at Holiday World has been the be all, end all of the coaster world for me. It has been my #1 coaster in the world throughout all of those years and several hundred coasters that I have had the chance to ride in that time and nothing even came close until Outlaw Run. Back to the question if The Voyage and Outlaw Run were sitting next to each other which would I head to. Both have negative-g's aplenty, both use terrain to their advantage, both are situated away from their parks out in the woods and both give an extremely out of control ride. While The Voyage may be go up to "11" Outlaw Run and its aggressive layout leaves The Voyage choking in its dust.

So kudos to Silver Dollar City and Rocky Mountain Construction as Outlaw Run has done something that I didn't think possible. It obliterated The Voyage and it is now my new #1 coaster (not just wooden) out of the almost 400 coasters that I have been on.

So go to Mapquest and find out how far it is from you to Silver Dollar City (338.1 miles for me), check out hotel rooms, start saving, buy your tickets (or season pass) and do whatever you need to get there because Outlaw Run isn't just another new coaster and Silver Dollar City isn't just another park.