Archive for the ‘Silver Dollar City’ Category
Coasters Provide Plenty of Silver Dollar City Thrills
January 24th, 2012 | 
Author: While Branson’s popular Silver Dollar City theme park remains closed for the winter season, it’s never too early to start dreaming about opening day on March 15, 2012.
The internationally award-winning theme park may have a vintage 1880’s look and feel, but there’s nothing old about the exciting, state of the art roller coasters that thrill park guests.
The park offers more than 30 fun rides and attractions, including four exciting roller coasters - “Fire-in-the-Hole,” “Wild Fire,” “Powder Keg” and “Thunderation.”
“Fire-in-the-Hole” is Silver Dollar City’s oldest coaster and a park favorite for decades. This indoor coaster takes guests on a nighttime trip through an Ozarks town set on fire by the infamous “Baldknobbers.” The adventure offers everything from high-speed drops to an exciting ending that explains the ride’s name.
“WildFire®” is Silver Dollar City’s iconic coaster, a truly world class experience and offering a fantastic view of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake. Traveling at speeds up to 66 mph, the cobra-rolling coaster incorporates a high-speed spiral, a full loop with five inversions, a vertical drop of 15 stories and corkscrew into one of the most exciting coaster rides anywhere.
“PowderKeg®” is a compressed air-launch coaster that accelerates from the “Powder House” exploding from 0 to 53 MPH in a scant 2.8 seconds. An initial 110 foot drop sends riders through spiraling turns and trees at speeds up to 64 mph while creating negative “G” forces during an exciting 3,500 foot journey back to the Powder House.
Like a runaway mine train, “Thunderation” is a high-speed coaster that takes riders 121 feet into the air for a scenic view of the Ozarks at speeds up to 48 MPH before a spiraling drop and a trip through an underground tunnel.
Of course, the coasters are just a small part of the Silver Dollar City experience. For additional information on the park’s six world class festivals, dozens of demonstrating craftsmen, exceptional live shows and entertainment, visit www.silverdollarcity.com. Or for discount Branson theme park tickets and resort accommodations, go to www.westgatereservations.com.
Off Season Remains a Great Season to Visit Branson
As one might expect, off season in Branson, MO is like off season in most popular vacation destinations. Yet the winter season still offers plenty of fun and excitement for the entire family. And you can still enjoy a great Branson experience.
Although many of the town’s famed live shows are closed during January and many through February, you’ll still find a variety of great shows to choose from, including the Grand Jubilee, the Hughes Brothers and others.
And while the Ozarks biggest attraction, Silver Dollar City theme park, is closed til March 15, 2012, the Branson area remains filled with year round options such as Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, the Castle of Chaos and Hollywood Wax Museum. 2012 is also a big year for the Titanic Museum attraction as it honors the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the legendary ship. The museum will host a number of special events throughout the year.
Even in the winter, Branson offers plenty of opportunity to get outside. On February 4-5, 2012, visitors can enjoy the National Ice Carving Association’s U.S. Nationals. And you can also test your skills fishing for trout on Lake Taneycomo or bass on Table Rock Lake. Or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Branson Landing Boardwalk.
Any season is shopping season in Branson. From the Tanger Outlets and Branson Landing to a wide range of boutique and specialty shops, Branson offers an unparalleled shopping experience and great values, year round.
Off season also means fewer people and a lot less traffic around Branson and the surrounding Ozark Mountains. Plus you can take advantage of off season value and savings at area accommodations such as Westgate Branson Woods Resort. For discount Branson vacation packages and tickets, visit www.westgatereservations.com.
Branson Centennial to be Celebrated Throughout 2012
With theme parks like White Water and Silver Dollar City, more than 100 live shows and performances, plus outdoor recreation, shopping and dining, you’ll always find plenty of excitement in Branson, Missouri.
Yet the city is gearing up for an even more exciting 2012 as Branson gets ready to celebrate its centennial. Branson was incorporated on April 1, 1912 and plans are already in place for an extended Centennial celebration. The year-long celebration will “educate, celebrate and honor 100 years of Branson” by telling Branson’s story and its dedication to heritage, harmony and hospitality.
Branson’s unique heritage will be displayed with a special history museum. Harmony will be expressed in a live tribute show and hospitality will continue to be the cornerstone of Branson’s entire community.
While most of the Centennial celebration activities have yet to be announced, the city remains ready to greet visitors with open arms.
For information on discount Branson show and theme park tickets or discount Branson resort accommodations, visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/.
Fall Color Season Remains One of Branson’s Best Annual Shows
Fall is in the air and it won’t be long before Mother Nature begins her annual fall color display throughout the Ozark Mountains in and around Branson, Missouri.
Branson is widely known for its wealth of live concerts, stage shows and performances. Yet the colorful autumn foliage offers up one of nature’s greatest shows. Wherever you are in the Branson Lakes area, you’re sure to witness a fall show that is simply full of magnificent glory with its many hues of red, yellow and orange.
One of the best ways to catch the color change is by taking a drive around the Branson area. One scenic drive that offers exceptional views is the Ozarks Mountain Highroad (State Hwy 465) from its junction with Hwy 65 to its end at Hwy. 76. You’ll travel over Table Rock Dam and experience beautiful vistas and millions of leaves in virtually every stage of color, vibrancy and hue.
Another scenic panorama during fall color season is The Overlook on Hwy 165. From there, you can see Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Dam, along with all the surrounding foliage.
If you prefer, you can also experience one of Branson’s many tourist attractions while viewing the fall colors. Hop aboard the Showboat Branson Belle riverboat on Table Rock Lake or the Lake Queen on Lake Taneycomo. Either boat ride offers up a 360-degree view of the spectacular colors.
Another option is the Branson Scenic Railway, a vintage train that offers railroad cars from the ‘40s and ‘50s. You’ll experience memories of a bygone era while viewing the colors during a special trip through the Ozarks.
If you prefer a little more excitement with your color tour, try out the Wildfire roller coaster at Silver Dollar City theme park. You’ll view the colors from above as your coaster car climbs high in the sky before dropping down 135 feet and looping upside down five times.
For more information on Branson attraction tickets and discount vacation packages, visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/.
Branson Welcomes America’s Premier Southern Gospel Gathering
The Ozark hills surrounding Branson, Missouri have long resonated with beautiful Southern gospel music. The vibrant music can be heard from county fairs and country churches to grand stages and family backyards. Yet the biggest stage of all features the spectacular Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City theme park.
The Southern Gospel Picnic is actually an annual festival at Silver Dollar City running from August 25 through Sept. 5, 2011. This year’s festival features hundreds of performances from the most famous names in southern gospel music.
Of course, as the name implies, the Picnic is also a delicious feast, with savory southern cooking at The House of Chicken & Fixin’s on the City’s square! You’ll find a variety of styles of chicken, all the extras. Choose from Apple-Glazed Chicken, Hickory-Smoked Chicken or Southern Fried Chicken.
You can also learn new recipes at Silver Dollar City’s Culinary & Craft School where a Master Craftsman of Culinary Arts demonstrates favorite recipes and cooking tips and tricks in a state-of-the-art kitchen. A small fee applies for all classes.
A Full Lineup of Southern Gospel Greats!
The Southern Gospel Picnic features a daily musical celebration filled with great gospel harmonies and soul-stirring melodies from a variety of artists:
HisSong - August 25
The Pfeifers - August 25
Blackwood Brothers Quartet - August 25 - 26
Chuck Wagon Gang - August 25 - 26
Soul’d Out Quartet - August 25 - 26
Tribute Quartet - August 25 - 27
The Harper Family - August 25 - 28
Booth Brothers - August 26
Albert E Brumley Jr. - August 26 - 27
The Browders - August 27
Legacy Five - August 27
The Freemans - August 27 - 28
Gold City - August 27 - 28
Hosea Bilyeu & Family - August 28
Brian Free & Assurance - August 28 - 29
Tim Lovelace - August 28 - 29
The Whisnants - August 28 - 29
Bowling Family - August 29 - 30
The Perrys - August 29 - 30
2nd Generation - August 29 - September 1
The Downing Family - August 29 - September 1
Dixie Echoes - August 29 - September 2
The Hoppers - August 30 - 31
New Horizons - August 31
The Lesters - August 30 - September 1
Mark Trammell Quartet - August 31 - September 1
Reggie & Bridgette Saddler - August 31 - September 1
Down East Boys - September 1 - 2
Karen Peck & New River - September 1 - 2
The Williamsons - September 1 - 3
The Collingsworth Family - September 2 - 3
The Morace Family - September 2 - 3
Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain RR - September 2 - 5
Spoken 4 Quartet - September 2 - 5
Dr. Dennis Swanberg - September 3 - 4
Triumphant Quartet - September 3 - 4
The Diplomats - September 3 - 5
Jeff & Sheri Easter - September 4
Ninth Hour - September 4 - 5
The Isaacs - September 5
The Petersen Family - September 5
Southern Sound - September 5
The Taylors - September 5
Southern Gospel Nights
Let your spirit sing during the Southern Gospel Nights concert series each evening at park closing. Hear your favorite artists as they perform an unforgettable concert at Silver Dollar City’s 4,000-seat Echo Hollow Amphitheater. The show begins at 6 pm each evening during the festival, 7 pm on September 4 & 5. Seating in Echo Hollow Amphitheatre® will begin two hours prior to show time, weather permitting.
Blackwood Brothers Quartet and Chuck Wagon Gang - August 25
Booth Brothers - August 26
Gold City - August 27
Brian Free & Assurance and The Whisnants - August 28
The Bowling Family and The Perrys - August 29
The Hoppers - August 30
Mark Trammell Quartet and Reggie & Bridgette Saddler - August 31
Down East Boys and Karen Peck & New River - September 1
The Collingsworth Family - September 2
Triumphant Quartet - September 3
Jeff & Sheri Easter - September 4
The Isaacs - September 5
Posted in Branson, Festivals, Ozark Mountains, Silver Dollar City, Southern Gospel Picnic | 
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Branson is Full of Great “Kid Stuff”
Known for its family friendly hospitality, Branson has plenty to offer everyone in the family, including the kids.
From theme parks and water parks to fun family shows, Branson has enough to keep the kids busy for days on end.
Branson offers two indoor water parks in Castle Rock and Grand Country’s Splash Country. The largest and only outdoor water park, White Water, provides a wide selection of water adventures from thrilling water slides to a lazy river.
Branson’s biggest attraction, Silver Dollar City, is ideal for kids of all ages. The theme park, modeled after an 1880’s Ozarks village, Silver Dollar Citiy offers more than 30 thrill rides and attractions, more than 40 daily shows, and 60 unique shops and restaurants. There are also six special festivals throughout the year including National KidsFest.
Kids will also love Dixie Stampede, a family dinner show highlighted by 32 magnificent horses, trick riders, racing pigs, a stampede of longhorn steer and a delicious four course feast.
For a little slower pace, try one of Branson’s many miniature golf courses where kids can enjoy themes ranging from pirates to dinosaurs.
The live entertainment capital of the world, Branson is full of family shows, including many that will thrill the kids. Noah the Musical offers animatronics and live animals. Acrobats of China thrill with their amazing feats of grace. The Hamner Barber Show is filled with magic and ventriloquism.
And for the ultimate kid adventure, you can Ride the Ducks! The Branson sightseeing tour provides a land and water trip around town in one amazing vehicle. You’ll tour through the heart of Branson and the Ozarks before splashing into Table Rock Lake for a tranquil cruise.
For additional Branson activities, discount tickets and discount resort accommodations at Westgate Branson Woods Resort, you can visit www.westgatereservations.com.
Branson Offers Something for Everyone
In Branson, you can catch a world class roller coaster at Silver Dollar City theme park. You can catch one of more than 100 different live shows ranging from comedy and magic to country, gospel and rock music to Vegas style revues. Or you can catch fish - lots of fish!
The Branson area’s three exceptional lakes offer some of the best bass and trout fishing in the nation. Catching a limit of trout on Lake Taneycomo is a common occurrence. Lake Taneycomo is a cold water lake that offers up a wealth of Brown and Rainbow trout. Meanwhile, Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake are both warm water lakes providing anglers with outstanding bass fishing.
The area also offers a number of local full service marinas where visitors can find boat rentals, complete tackle shops and even guide services.
For more information on Branson’s myriad activities, attractions and lakes in addition to Branson discount vacation packages, visit www.ticket2Branson.com or www.westgatereservations.com.
Bluegrass & BBQ at Branson’s Silver Dollar City
mouth watering BBQ.
This year’s Bluegrass festival features a variety of top Bluegrass artists including Rhonda Vincent, a seven time winner of IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year; The Grascals, two time winner of IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year and Russell Moore, 2010 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year, and IIIrd Tyme Out, seven time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year.
While the music fills the air, so too will the scent of delicious BBQ. Tempt your taste buds with everything from Memphis dry rubs and Carolina vinegars to Texas-style BBQ all slow cooked to perfection in a massive wood fired smoker filled with 40,000 pounds of brisket, chicken, ribs and pulled pork.
The Bluegrass entertainment is included with Silver Dollar City admission. The 1880’s themed park offers 30 fun-filled rides and attractions designed to thrill the entire family. You’ll also find dozens of period craftsmen demonstrating their work.
For additional details, go to http://www.silverdollarcity.com/. Or visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/ for information on discount Branson vacation packages and accommodations such as Westgate Branson Woods Resort.
Branson’s 2011 Show Season Springs to Life!
Spring has arrived in Branson and that means the self proclaimed “live entertainment capital of the world” is once again one of the nation’s premiere destinations for live shows.
A vast number of live shows in Branson have already opened their 2011 season. In addition, the area’s most popular attraction - Silver Dollar City theme park - also re-opened for the season on March 17.
The long list of shows already open for 2011 in Branson include: # 1 Hits of the 60′s, Absolutely Patsy, A Country Legacy - Fountains of Country, Acrobats of China, Amazing Pets, Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, Bucket ‘n’ Boards, Cassandre’ The Voice of an Angel, Circle B Supper Club, Clay Cooper Country Music Express, Comedy Jamboree, Comedy Hypnosis Dinner Show, Dixie Stampede, Eagles Tribute, Grand Jubilee, Hamner Barber Variety, Hank Williams Revisited, Haygoods, Hooray for Hollywood, Hughes Brothers, Jeerk Rhythm Artist Group, Jim Stafford, A Tribute to John Denver, Joseph Hall Elvis Rock N Remember Tribute, Kirby VanBurch, Legends in Concert, Legends of Kung Fu, Liverpool Legends, Neal McCoy (Limited Engagement at different times), New South Gospel, Ozark Mountain Jubilee, Pierce Arrow, Presleys’ Country Jubilee, Rankin Brothers, Red,Hot & Blue, Shake Rattle & Roll, SIX, Strait Country, Sunday Gospel Jubilee, Todd Oliver & Friends, Tony Roi’s Elvis Experience, A Tribute to Marty Robbins, Twelve Irish Tenors, and Yakov’s Dinner Adventure.
Just as spring brings a colorful new season of flowering beauty to the surrounding Ozark Mountains, most of the Branson shows incorporate colorful new changes and new material each spring. For example, the Presleys’ Country Jubilee is said to create 50-70 percent new material for its show each year.
For additional information or tickets for any of the shows mentioned or to make lodging arrangements at Westgate Branson Woods resort, please visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/.
Silver Dollar City Festivals Bring Year-Long Fun
It wouldn’t be Silver Dollar City without a great festival. So let the fun begin.
With a total of six world-class festivals throughout the year, Silver Dollar City offers fun for everyone. You can take a trip around the world without ever leaving the Ozarks during World-Fest. You can celebrate BBQ, Bluegrass and Gospel music. You can experience America’s largest Kidsfest. You can see hundreds of America’s finest craftsmen create amazing works of art. Or you can be dazzled by the Christmas spirit during an Old Time Christmas celebration. It’s all part of Silver Dollar City’s annual run of exceptional festivals.
Of course, every day is a fun-filled adventure at the 1880′s style, award-winning theme park. Silver Dollar City offers 30 rides and attractions for adventure seekers of all ages. You can hop aboard the thrilling “Wildfire,” a multi-looping roller coaster that reaches speeds up to 66 miles per hour. Or check out the new $1 million “Half Dollar Holler,” a ride designed for kids through age 7.
Silver Dollar City also offers some of the best live shows and entertainment available in an area known for its exceptional live entertainment.
Festival season kicks off with World-Fest, April 7 to May 8. 2011. This international event is a colorful and musical celebration of entertainment, food, culture, music and fun that has become a must-see tradition every spring in the Ozarks.
World-Fest features world-class performers and musical artists from around the globe including folk singers, an Irish tenor, steel drum corps from Trinidad and Tobago, stilt dancers, champion fiddlers from Canada, amazing acrobats and more.
World-Fest also features the “Tastes of the World,” a delicious food pavilion providing a taste-tempting selection of international food specialties such as Irish Stew, Chicken Fajitas and Italian Calzone and desserts like Baklava, Tiramisu Torte and Apfel Dumplings served with Cinnamon Ice Cream.
For additional information or tickets to Silver Dollar City or any of Branson’s other shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements, visit www.westgatereservations.com or www.ticket2branson.com.
