Welcome to this immersive amusement park nestled in the Ozark Mountains. Experience mouthwatering food, gorgeous views, and terrific thrills. Read on to discover the highlights of Silver Dollar City during the annual Harvest Festival.
I’ve written about Branson, Missouri before, but wanted to revisit this destination and specifically talk about Silver Dollar City during my FAVORITE time of year. I grew up in Springfield, Missouri with Branson right in my backyard.
Summer is always a good time to visit Branson so you can enjoy Table Rock Lake, the amusement and water parks while on summer vacation. But it can get oppressively hot. Branson and Silver Dollar City is magical when lit up during the Christmas season, but the possibility for snow and ice can shut down many of the thrill rides. The park takes a break after the Christmas season until around spring break, then it’s almost summertime again.
This leaves the fall, my personal favorite time to visit.
There is nothing quite like the crisp morning air in the Midwest, warming up to a sunny autumn afternoon with the Ozark Mountains lit up in fall colors all around you. Yes, it is as mesmerizing as it sounds. Pumpkin spice latte in hand, get ready to make your way through one of the best amusement parks in the world during their annual Harvest Festival.
Let’s start with what makes Silver Dollar City (SDC for short) one of the top amusement parks in the U.S., and possibly the world. The park is more than just a place to ride rides. It is an immersive experience taking you back in time to the 1880’s. The park is full of home cooked food, historic buildings, workers in full costume demonstrating and selling crafts. These fun touches are always part of the experience, but I love the extras during the Harvest Festival.
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In 2023, the Harvest Festival was from September 15 to October 28. I highly recommend a visit during this time. Let’s dive into some of my tips for a visit to SDC this time of year!
Silver Dollar City Harvest Festival: Food
Let’s start with my favorite part of SDC- the food! Their home cooked food is great all year round, but during the Harvest Festival there are an additional 25+ apple, pumpkin, caramel, and sweet potato inspired items added to menus around the park.
Wondering about the best way to explore these fall offerings? The fall Tasting Passport! I did this for the first time and highly recommend. It allows you to choose 5 fall favorites in a smaller sample sizes so you can taste more. I chose the campfire skillet, sweet potato poutine, maple bacon & pecan funnel cake, apple dumpling with cinnamon ice cream, and cold apple cider.
The apple dumplings have been a family favorite since childhood, but the sweet potato poutine became a new favorite this year. Think sweet potato fries covered in queso with bacon, crispy onions and green onions. Yum!
Silver Dollar City Harvest Festival: Attractions & Rides
SDC has attractions for everyone. Roller coasters, water rides, kid friendly and nostalgic experiences. There are 4 large scale roller coasters to satisfy your need for speed. Wildfire is my personal favorite and was the first coaster in the park to feature loops that took riders upside down. The newest is the Time Traveler. I wasn’t brave enough to embark on this one, but my husband gave it two thumbs up. Costing over $26 million, Time Traveler is a spinning coaster with 3 inversions, a 10 story 90degree drop and travels at 50.3mph.
And SO MUCH MORE
Marvel cave: Included in the price of your ticket, you can take an hour tour of a limestone cave. It’s unique in that it is the largest cave entrance room in the U.S.
Wilderness Church: Originally built in 1849, the log church was dismantled and moved to the amusement park in 1960. if you’re lucky, you might even catch one of the traditional hymn singalong services.
Train: This is a great family friendly attraction that has been running since my childhood (and probably much longer). You get to ride around the park, through the wilderness and get entertained by a short skit in the middle.
Views: The Ozark mountains are truly beautiful. The best things in life are free, and although you technically paid to enter the park the views are priceless. Especially this time of year. So take in all the colors of the season.
Here’s a few more fast facts that make Silver Dollar City during Harvest Festival the best:
-The park spans over 61 acres.
-Download the Silver Dollar City Attractions app! The park map is helpful and will help you navigate.
-They set up over 16,000 pumpkins during Harvest Festival 2023.
-If it is a beautiful fall day, the park will be busyyy on the weekend. I would recommend going on a weekday if possible for a less crowded experience.
I hope this helps you plan a trip to the best place in the fall. I would love to hear how your trip went in the comments.
Enjoy the journey,
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