Silver Dollar City goes with the glow
Fall event pops with gazillions of pumpkins
I have a soft spot for family-owned and -operated parks. They were once the backbone of the industry, but corporations are the predominant force in the modern era. So let’s hear it for the families that are hanging in there, such as the Long-Norris clan. Its members have been at it since 1876 and can be found bringing joy to folks at Seabreeze amusement park in Rochester, New York. Read about them in my Funworld magazine column.
Hey there ATP paid subscribers. Check out my audio narration of this article–ART Talks audio: Silver Dollar City goes with the glow. If you are not a paid subscriber, kindly consider becoming one to get bonus content like my monthly audio narrations. Remember, paid subscriptions are my only source of income here. And you want to support quality journalism–and me–right?
Typically, I share my park adventures with you about limited time events in advance of or shortly after their kickoffs. But I happened to recently be at Silver Dollar City in Missouri to report about its new resort and expansion plans and got to experience the park’s Harvest Festival, featuring Pumpkins in the City for the first time. I want to let you know about it–even though it wrapped up last Saturday. It is (or was, I guess) a fabulous event, so consider making the trek to Branson next fall.
Most parks go for the jugular this time of year with Halloween haunts, but Silver Dollar City foregoes the chainsaw-wielding ghouls, evil clowns, and heart-stopping jump scares in favor of G-rated, silly, family fun. The festival featured a proliferation of pumpkins, many of which were carved with intricate designs and beautifully lit at night. Some of the displays were wildly creative and stopped me in my tracks.
There were about 20,000 pumpkins filling many of the park’s nooks and crannies. A 30-foot tall giant pumpkin greeter towered over the proceedings. There were bats, spiders, cats, and a variety of other creatures fashioned out of the jack-o’-lanterns. Carvers demonstrated their considerable skills on a stage at the event. Speaking of giant pumpkins, there was an assemblage of gargantuan gourds that each tipped the scales at more than 1,000 pounds.
The park transformed one of its midways into Foggy Hollow, a path that was aglow with hundreds of LED light strands that changed colors. It was a trippy experience moving through the fog-filled walkway and seeing other guests silhouetted in the dimly, but stunningly lit space.
Renowned for its exceptional food, Silver Dollar City went all out with special dishes for the event. As you might expect, many of the items featured pumpkin flavors, including a pulled pork sandwich with pumpkin barbecue sauce, a pumpkin spice churro with Marshmallow Fluff, and my favorite, pumpkin bread pudding. That last treat was made from the park’s (rightfully) famous cinnamon bread and was infused with gooey pumpkin goodness. It was sinfully rich, but oh so scrumptious. A close second was an apple dumpling served with cinnamon ice cream.
Known for its craftsmen, the park augmented the blacksmiths, millers, potters, and other folks that regularly ply their trades with artisans that designed copper art, weaved rugs, created wind chimes, and others that took up residence during the festival.
There are a series of festivals at Silver Dollar City, the highlight of which is An Old Time Christmas, which kicks off November 2. The park will be awash in a riot of more than 6.5 million twinkling lights which have to be seen to be believed. There will also be Broadway-quality shows, a nighttime parade featuring Rudolph, and, of course, holiday fare.
Have you been to Silver Dollar City’s Harvest Festival? How about any of its other festivals and events? Do you agree that that the food at the Missouri park is exceptional?