As long as we can squeeze a bit of nature into our vacations, I don’t mind doing a few touristy things. After hiking at Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area earlier in the day, we headed to Silver Dollar City. Silver Dollar City is an 1880’s themed amusement park located in Branson, Missouri.

This would be my second time visiting as my parents took us there at least 25 years ago! I didn’t remember much so I was excited to check it out.

One of the most unique attractions in this park is Marvel Cave. The tour is actually included in the price of admission so check it out! The tour leaves from the hospitality building, the first building you walk through when entering the park. Be sure to ask the guides the tour times and arrive 30 minutes before the tour time to ensure a spot on the tour.

Marvel Cave is known for having one of the largest entrance rooms. After descending 30 stories, you are standing at the bottom of the Cathedral Room. The guide said they fit 5 full size hot air balloons in this room!

Due to the recent rains, the bottom part of the cavern was flooded so we only were able to go into the “Shoe Room” and then had to turn back and go out the same way we came in.

Up next, we wandered around Homestead Ridge which is an area with historic homes and buildings. I especially like the church that had huge windows that would showcase the natural beauty of the area.

I’m not a big fan of rides, but I did ride “Fire In the Hole”. Here’s a funny story about that. When we were here a long time ago, my parents really wanted to ride “Fire In the Hole”, but my brother and I were pretty terrified of rollercoasters. My parents lied to us and told us it wasn’t a roller coaster and by the time we were locked in the cars, we knew we had been lied to! Not only was it a roller coaster, but it was in the dark. We were scarred for life and so mad the rest of the day. Needless to say, we just barely got over it! 😂 So 25 years later, I conquered my fears! It honestly wasn’t that scary anymore!

This is also the first year for Pumpkin Nights and due to this, the park was experiencing record attendance levels. The fall decorations are beautiful and the statues that they built from pumpkins are pretty cool. The downside is that Pumpkin Nights is limited to one smaller part of the park so it felt like everyone was in that area. It was crowded so we grabbed a few fall themed bites to eat and headed out.

We waited for the train which is a great option if you are tired and want to relax.

Overall, I really enjoyed this park because it was neat to wander around and look at all of the decorations.

A few tips:

Buy your tickets online or at the self serve kiosk when you arrive. The ticket lines can be long!

Download the Silver Dollar City app to find your way around and check on ride wait times.

I don’t recommend paying for parking. The free parking is fine and the shuttles were running pretty frequently.

If you plan on buying more than two sodas, but one of the souvenir cups and then you also get cheaper refills. If you buy last year’s souvenir cup, it’s cheaper!