Kid Testing Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City is the ultimate fantasy—the playground to top all playgrounds with over 30 rides to fit children of all ages. Although my big kid, Lee, is an aficionado of the City’s roller coasters, we took a look at our favorite theme park through the eyes of Timothy, our four-year-old great-grandson. When he first stepped inside the reproduction 1890’s town, he exclaimed: “This is amazing!”

We made our way along the winding, shady walkways to The Grand Exposition, an area specially designed for families. More than ten rides take their themes from the Grand Expositions and World Fairs of the late 1800s. The rides thrill little ones, yet accommodate a parent or grandparent to ride with them.

With his Pap-pa Lee, Timothy rode a miniature roller coaster, giant twirling teacups, flying elephants, and pirate ships braving imaginary high seas. We did not get to hopping frogs and whirling ladybugs. A spinning butterfly ride especially suits the youngest rider.

Older kids get thrills on rides with names such as the Magnificent Wave Carousel, Mighty Galleon, Racing Regatta, and the Electro Spin. The Grand Exposition area also features games of skill and glimpses of history, combining the latest technology and innovation in rides with the “Golden Era of Discovery” that was popular in the late 19th Century.

Because of Timothy’s young age and height restrictions, we skipped rides that older kids enjoy—the roller coasters: Powder Keg, Wild Fire, Thunderation, and the City’s newest, Outlaw Run. Riders are promised splashes and spritzes on American Plunge, Lost River, Flooded Mine, and Fire in the Hole. We saved those rides for Timothy’s next adventure—when he is older and bigger.

However, he and his Pap-pa Lee made a tough team for Tom and Huck’s River Blast, a wet and wild river adventure. Passengers on the river barges and spectators along the 567-foot river channel wage a fierce water war, both shooting streams from super soakers mounted on the rafts and at strategic look-outs along the shore line. Boy and grandpa emerged soaking wet—and I never knew who won the battle.

For a slower pace, we took a 20-minute ride on Silver Dollar City’s authentic steam train. Although Timothy’s imagination soars, he did not understand why the train stopped rumbling along its tracks through the woods for a staged train robbery. Most of the wacky, hillbilly dialogue between the train conductor and the train robbers went over his head.

Stepping off the train, we took the walkway to Half Dollar Holler, one of Silver Dollar City’s newest play areas designed especially for visitors ages three to seven. The playground, described as a playscape, provides a safe zone with a single access entrance. Treetop fun houses and climbing nets set the stage for youngsters to expend energy climbing through a maze of elevated structures.

Timothy and several other children his age enjoyed the Lil’ Swings. The operator set a friendly and secure tone when she made note of each child’s name as they climbed into the bucket swings. Throughout the ride, she announced they were going higher and higher, and then they were reducing their speed to the crawl of a snail.

Timothy also rode a bear on Hugo and Mary’s Carousel, a beautifully restored old-fashioned carousel with hand-carved horses and bears. Children of all ages, heights, and weights can ride the Carousel with an accompanying adult or teenager at least 17 years of age.

Our next adventure took us to Geyser Gulch, the World’s Largest Tree House towering three stories and stretching out over Silver Lake. The area sets the stage for children to explore—and Timothy stayed busy. He giggled as he raced back and forth through the unpredictable water spouts on the outside deck. Next, there were water guns to shoot at targets in the lake and stairs to climb reaching a three story slide. After at least a dozen trips down the slippery red slide, he was off to the main tree house, fitted with air guns to shoot soft foam balls into the air and quietly fall to the bottom floor. Quickly, he caught on to the method for retrieving pastel balls from a bin and loading them into one of several guns mounted on three levels of the giant play house.

On the bottom level, he stood ankle-deep in blue, pink, and green balls while dozens more rained down from the upper levels. He again loaded guns and pushed the button to hurl them high above his head. But often he interrupted his sharp shooting to sit on the carpeted floor and suction up the balls in a long clear vacuum hose.  

The balls swooshed up the hose—but where did they go? The kids taking turns did not care. Timothy played for about two hours at Geyser Gulch, a lively, noisy area that intrigues young kids and teenagers alike. 

By late afternoon, we made our way back to the City’s square and to the exit. We had one last ride—the tram back to the parking lot. Timothy declared that as fun! And he asked how many “sleeps” did he have to take before he could return to Silver Dollar City.