My Kids Rode Their First Roller Coaster At Silver Dollar City, And I Don’t Know If They’re Scarred For Life Or In Love

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As a child, I was completely fascinated with roller coasters. Starting with my first ride on the Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas and continuing with countless hours spent playing RollerCoaster Tycoon, I just loved everything about them. Although I never achieved my childhood dream of designing roller coasters, I recently had a wonderful experience at Silver Dollar City with my kids that felt like a dream come true.

I recently had the chance to visit what’s been named “America’s Best Theme Park” for their first-ever Fan Fest and to see how construction is going on their new resort-which they revealed plans for last year. By the end of the weekend, I knew I needed to take my kids on at least one of the park’s top roller coasters. Now, after that experience, I’m still not sure if I’ve traumatized them or turned them into thrill-seekers!

Thunderation Was A Surprisingly Intense Experience That Resulted In Wild And Terrified Reactions

I was hoping Thunderation would be a good first roller coaster for my kids, who are 5, 8, and 9 years old. I’d done some looking into it and thought it would be similar to the mine train coasters I used to ride at Six Flags when I was growing up. I couldn’t have been more mistaken! It was completely different than I expected.

Right after the train departed the station just after sunset on our first day at the park, I understood this wasn’t a gentle ride for little ones with a few small bumps and a curved track. It was actually a surprisingly thrilling coaster that really tested my kids’ limits. I think my 5-year-old even momentarily lost consciousness during Thunderation’s big spiral turn, my 8-year-old repeatedly exclaimed “Oh, man,” and my 9-year-old began to cry as soon as we disembarked. After that, we opted to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Harvest Festival before returning to the hotel.

They’d Never Wanted To Ride Another Rollercoaster, But Then Started Talking About How Much Fun They Had

As we walked back to the car, got ready for bed at the hotel, and then headed back to Silver Dollar City the next morning for another day of fun, all three of them declared they were done with roller coasters. But, after we arrived and I enjoyed a ride on Wildfire by myself (it was my favorite of the weekend), they began reminiscing about how much fun they actually had the previous day, even though they were scared.

I told them that the thrill of roller coasters comes from the mix of excitement and fear. Even now, I still feel nervous the instant the lap bar (or shoulder restraint) clicks into place and the ride starts moving, no matter how many times I’ve been on a coaster before. I admit, I get scared and want to stop, but I also know I’m about to have a fantastic time. I believe they grasped this idea, which is why they were eager to try another coaster: the newly renovated Fire in the Hole.

We Had A Similar Experience With Fire In The Hole, Especially That Final Drop

This was my first time visiting Silver Dollar City, so I’m not familiar with the original version of Fire in the Hole before the park spent $30 million on a recent update a few years ago. However, this new version of the popular dark ride was honestly one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had at any theme park in a long time. With that in mind, do you think my kids loved it, disliked it, or had a mixed reaction?

Their experience mirrored that of Thunderation, evoking similar feelings of both fear and thrill when the train pulled back into the station. The ride began peacefully and at a slow pace, recreating the local tale of the Baldknobbers setting fire to the town of Marmaros. However, it became much more intense as it progressed. This included a sudden drop that appeared to put them directly in the path of an “oncoming train,” which frightened the entire family.

When the ride was over, all three children excitedly described the thrilling and scary experience on the new, high-tech dark coaster. They couldn’t stop talking about how both terrified and excited they had been!

Though Not A Coaster, Mystic River Falls Was A Massive Hit (We Rode It Both Days)

The most popular thing we did this weekend wasn’t Thunderation, Fire in the Hole, or even the old-fashioned family photo we took at Silver Dollar City. It was actually Mystic River Falls, the very first ride we went on (and the only one we rode twice!). While it’s not a roller coaster, this river raft ride, featuring the tallest drop of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, was a uniquely thrilling and soaking experience.

This ride takes everything you love about classic river raft adventures – like fast-moving rapids, a spinning boat, and plenty of water splashes – and adds a huge drop at the very end. We definitely got drenched and were still damp two days later after an early morning ride, but a theme park trip isn’t complete without getting a little wet, right?

Now They’re Watching Rollercoaster POV Videos And Planning Our Next Theme Park Trip

My children are still talking about Thunderation at Silver Dollar City – they were both a little frightened and really excited! They’ve already begun planning our next theme park adventure, and I’m guessing they’ll want to ride another roller coaster. As a parent who also loves coasters, I’ve been happily fueling this interest by showing them point-of-view videos from the SDC YouTube page. It’s been really enjoyable, especially revisiting rides they’ve already been on. I’m not sure if they’re quite ready for something as intense as The Time Traveler or Outlaw’s Run just yet, but we’ll see how they feel with a little more time.

Even though I realize scaring the kids wasn’t ideal, I believe putting them on Thunderation marked the beginning of something wonderful. I’m really excited to see how things unfold from here…

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2025-10-02 22:35