Coaster Community

This was a last minute trip that was triggered by a free ticket invite from Dustijn over at MidwestInfoGuide.  We don’t like to pass up free tickets and we didn’t have anything planned for the holiday weekend so we packed up the car and headed south.  It’s close to a 4 hour drive for us and taking Ron and Art with us made it a more enjoyable road trip. 

We left Kansas City late Saturday afternoon and our first stop was Lamberts, which is just south of Springfield.  Lamberts is the home of the thrown rolls and having rolls thrown directly at your head while you’re eating increases the excitement of the meal.  As soon as we pulled into the parking lot we knew that there was going to be a long wait.  After checking in and finding an hour wait we took off on foot looking for entertainment options.  The neighboring cheese shop was closed so we crossed the street and found a Mexican restaurant named Los Paortales.  Beer and Margarita’s was a good way to waste an hour and by the looks of the dinning room we were probably the only people that thought of this.  We timed our return to Lamberts perfectly.  We were immediately seated and hit in the head with a roll within seconds.  Over the years we have perfected our dinner choices.  The chicken fried steak is great and everything else is average or below.  The other reason to visit the eatery is the walking side dishes.  In addition to flying rolls there are roving pots of fried okra, fried potatoes, black eyed peas, macaroni and molasses for the projectile rolls.

Stopping to eat and drink caused us to get into Branson pretty late.  It was about 10:30 when we reached the strip and we quickly realized that everyone else in the Midwest decided to head to Branson for the weekend.  This was the worst traffic that we had ever seen down there and it took us another hour to actually reach our hotel.

The hotel was a place that we had stayed at previously.  If you have a large group consider staying at Pointe Royale.  They have large 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom condos that are laid out like apartments.  They’re comfortable and when you split the costs with others it becomes very affordable.  There is also a small restaurant on the property, which allows you to skip the traffic mess outside.  Being off of the beaten path makes navigating the city a bit easier as well.

After a hearty breakfast we headed out for Silver Dollar City.  We left at about 9:30 and expected a 15 minute drive to the park.  We were beyond wrong.  It took us over an hour to reach our parking spot and then another 20 minutes to catch a shuttle to the front gate.  We quickly remembered the traffic from the night before and figured that the park would be packed.  This time we were right.  While waiting at the front gate for everyone another couple spotted us and asked if we needed some free tickets.  Since Ron and Art had paid for tickets online they decided to take the free one’s and see if they could get a refund on for the purchased tickets.  The employees in guest services gave them a refund without question and we thought that this was above and beyond what a normal park would do.  They didn’t even have the purchased tickets with them.

Powder Keg was a 30 minute wait with 3 trains running, which wasn’t too bad.  This was our first time riding without a winter coat on and I have to say that this is one of the best coasters out there.  The launch is intense, the air-time is abundant and the turns are wicked.  We rode near the back in the morning and after a 20 minute wait late in the day we tried the 2^nd row.  I think that I prefer the front.  The air-time is a bit more noticeable.

After a quick stop for some dehydrated animal we headed for the new Grand Exposition area.  If you happen to see the jerky stand near Powder Keg I would recommend trying the elk.  Grand Exposition is pretty much on the opposite side of the park so it took us a while to get through all of the people.  Once in there I was shocked by the beauty of the new section.  Photos do not do this area justice, and it does not look like it’s been around for less than a year.  The trees are mature, the paths are themed and the landscaping is lush.  The rides also were as vibrant as allowed by the human eye. 

Electro Spin was a 30 minute wait and it was a ride that I was really looking forward to.  It wasn’t the most intense ride but was fun. 

Grand Exposition Coaster was at least a 45 minute wait so we skipped it.  I’m hoping that we get some ERT on this one during Coaster Christmas.

The other rides in this area had significant lines so we took some pictures (be sure to check out the gallery) and moved on.

We were now in search of food, the jerky was just an appetizer.  The first place that we spotted had a line that was likely 20 minutes or longer.  We figured that if we waited the food lines would drop, so we made use of the feeding frenzy by heading to another ride.

Thunderation was a 35 minute wait and only had 1 train running.  Jenni and I made our first attempt at riding backwards and it will be our last attempt.  For some strange reason our body’s just don’t like going in the wrong direction.

It was now about 2pm so we made another attempt at lunch.  This time we found a shorter line at Jim Owen’s Fish Camp.  The line might have looked shorter but we still waited 25 minutes to get some food.  The chicken sandwich was over seasoned and the sausage skillet was soggy.  The fries, cat fish and chicken strips were appetizing though.  This was our first meal at Silver Dollar City that we didn’t fully enjoy so we’ll be avoiding this food stall in the future.  The other half of the group ate at the River City Rib House and as always the food was great.  The seating at the rib house also gives you great views of the river raft ride.

Feeling a bit unfulfilled we were now in search of sweets and we quickly found mountain sized cookies and home made ice cream.  It made sense to combine the two.  The cookie was huge and great but the ice cream didn’t taste like it was home made.

Just like every other visit we found the restrooms to be exceptionally clean and the park staff was as friendly as ever.

It was now time to hit a couple of rides and head over to Celebration City.

Wildfire was only a 15 minute wait.  We rode once near the back and another time near the front.  I definitely prefer the back on this coaster.  Getting pulled through the course beats getting pushed.

Next up was a quick stop at Celebration City.  The traffic out on the road was much better by 5pm but the parking lot at Celebration City lead us to the conclusion that more lines awaited us.

Wildcat was a 20 minute wait and was only running 1 train (not sure why).  Just like every other ride we tried the front and the back and once again favored the back.  The 2^nd ride was a 25 minute wait.  Even after 3 years of being in operation this wild wood coaster still delivers an awesome ride without beating the crap out of us.

Orbiter was only a 5 minute wait and did it ever pack a punch.  I can’t remember the last time a magic carpet ride put the fear of death into me.  The fear was powerful enough to make us ride a 2^nd time.

Fireball was a 10 minute wait.

I noticed for the first time the Rock’em Knock’em Robots.  If the crowds were a little lighter I probably would have tried these out.  They are gas powered robots that you sit in and punch the other robot.  Head shots apparently land you points.

I would also like to point out that the bathrooms as among the cleanest in the amusement park industry.  They actually beat most restaurants.  People should be aware of the cheese grader floors that Celebration City uses on ride entrances and exits.  You’re probably not going to slip on these surfaces so be extra careful not to fall because you will bleed if you do. 

The sun was starting to set and the park was filling up awfully quickly so we decided to grab some dinner and head home.  We found a place on the north side of town on highway 248.  The Majestic Steak House is a large building that housed a magic show and several dinning rooms.  We had no intentions of watching a show so they took us to the back dinning room.  The food was really good and reasonably priced.  I, like always, had the prime rib and I would get it again.  The salad was average (blue cheese dressing was delicious), the rolls were excellent and the sides included green beans, and fettuccini alfredo.  Jenni and Ron had the filet and didn’t love it.  They will probably try something else if we return to the Majestic.  Art tried the dinner portion of the fettuccini with shrimp and liked it.

To summarize the trip I can tell you that Labor Day weekend probably isn’t the best time to visit Branson.  If you do be sure to stay somewhere off of the strip, get to Silver Dollar City a little later in the day and try to get to Celebration City right after it opens.  Avoid buying tickets to the parks online.  There’s a $4 internet processing fee and the lines at the ticket windows weren’t bad enough to warrant the extra fee.  You will find several cheap hotel and motel options once you get into town so you probably don’t need to bother with online reservations.  We spotted several locations for under $30 a night.