Silver Dollar City, One of America’s Top Theme Parks, Unveils Epic $500 Million Expansion

As a lifelong lover of themed experiences, I have always enjoyed a theme park vacation. Theme parks offer unbridled joy you just can’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s roller coasters that send hearts racing, dark rides that immerse you in a story or that stick-to-your-ribs food I dream about, a great theme park can be the encapsulation of all things fun. 

On a quest to visit every theme park in the country, it was no surprise when I realized I had found one of my new favorite theme parks in Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Their one-of-a-kind, genre-bending coasters had long been a fixture in my social media feed and I had read about the park’s charms for years. 

I made my first trip from New York City to Branson, Missouri in April 2024 and it was a delight to experience the exceptional caliber of this park firsthand. So when an invitation arrived to return to the park last month for a major announcement on the park's future, I jumped at the opportunity to return to this winning park. Here’s everything I learned about the park’s exciting expansion plans and why Silver Dollar City should rank high on your list, too. 

What is Silver Dollar City? 

Silver Dollar City is one of those rare portals that transports you back to the 1880s, where charm was custom-made, everything was crafted by hand and thrills came as simple as a cave tour. The park’s story began in 1894 with tours of the awe-inspiring Marvel Cave, a limestone wonder that remains a free, must-do experience for visitors today—no photo can capture the grandeur you’ll feel 300 feet beneath the surface.

Fast forward 130 years, and Silver Dollar City now sprawls across more than 100 acres in the Ozarks, boasting over 40 rides and attractions, 12 stage venues, 18 restaurants, 60 shops, and 100 resident craftspeople who greet about 2 million guests each year.

The heartland’s first theme park resort

Silver Dollar City has unveiled a blockbuster plan to invest $500 million over the next decade, transforming and expanding its beloved Ozark park. Kicking off this ambitious vision, the first phase — the heartland’s first theme park resort and convention center — will debut in late 2026, featuring a 262-room retreat sprawled across 1,200 acres just a mile from the park, where, as Herschend Enterprises Chief Creative Officer Merrill Puckett Miller puts it, “all the goodness of Silver Dollar City will be poured into a resort experience.”

During a conversation with Andrew Wexler, chief executive officer of Herschend Enterprises, on the construction site of the future resort, I gained insider details about the company’s largest expansion in its history. Wexler said the $500 million expansion begins with the initial resort but will include “additional attractions and additional resorts.”

Wexler shares his excitement about the new resort, adding, “This is not just a hotel where you put your head on a bed; this is going to be an extension of the park that brings families together.” As for one of his favorite features of the upcoming resort, he highlights the view, calling it “really peaceful.” The vista from the resort site is indeed breathtaking, overlooking the cascading Ozark Mountains with the tops of Silver Dollar City’s coasters visible in the distance.

The perfect road trip

Silver Dollar City has all the ingredients for a stellar road trip and its new resort will elevate the park-going experience. Wexler shares that a dedicated shuttle will whisk resort guests to a private park entrance adding convenience so they “won’t have to worry about driving to the park or parking there making it much easier to enjoy the day.”

Wexler points out that the park is within a day’s drive for half the U.S. population “making a trip to the park a viable multi-day vacation.” He adds that the park’s expansion will “continue to build momentum in the marketplace so a family driving from Chicago can stay here enjoy an amazing three- or four-day getaway and feel the drive is just a small part of the adventure.” I’m thrilled about this announcement—it’s the boost Silver Dollar City needs as it keeps innovating its attractions. After reviewing the resort’s renderings and exploring the future site’s enchanting grounds I’m convinced this addition will solidify the park’s status as a world-class theme park destination.

The Best of Silver Dollar City

Roller coaster enthusiasts, myself included, rave about the wondrous engineering feats throughout the park. Time Traveler is my favorite; with its one-of-a-kind spinning car design, this is the world's fastest, steepest and tallest spinning coaster. From the first 90-degree drop out of the station to two high-power launches, you’ve never experienced G forces like this. The back row is my preferred spot, but anywhere on this wild ride thrills.

The park’s newest addition, Fire in the Hole, set the amusement world ablaze this year, winning Best New Family Attraction and Best New Attraction Installation at The Golden Ticket Awards 2024. The indoor family coaster, a beloved park staple since 1972, was completely rebuilt in a new structure as a near-exact replica of its original. The latest attraction is an outstanding achievement in family-friendly coaster thrills and it now hovers high on my list of favorite indoor coasters.

My top highlights of the park also include the rollicking ride on Outlaw Run, one of the fastest wooden roller coasters in the world best enjoyed in the pitch dark of the night, the dizzying effects of Grandfather's Mansion and the old-world charms and surprise hijinks of the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train. The park does holidays and festivals exceedingly well, especially their Christmas celebration. 

Ready for thrills?

So, pack your bags and plot that road trip—Silver Dollar City’s $500 million glow-up is about to turn this Ozark gem into your family’s new obsession. Between the coasters that defy gravity and a resort that’s pure magic, you’ll be counting the days until you’re back for more.