At the end of June, my husband and I took a trip to Branson, MO for a few days to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. We had a great time! We stayed in a cabin in the woods and really felt like we were stepping back in time. Especially the first day, when we visited Silver Dollar City.
If you’ve never been to Silver Dollar City, I recommend it. Especially if you love the idea of exploring life in the 1800’s. I had never been, but when I heard that there was a theme park celebrating 19th century pioneer life, I knew I had to visit. We weren’t able to do everything on my list in one day, but we squeezed in as many things as possible.
We rode a few rollercoasters, including the steampunk-inspired Time Traveler. Wes and I had our picture made to commemorate the event.
But even better than the rides were the historic buildings available to explore. We started at the Wilderness Church, an authentic log structure, orignally built near a local creek, that was dismantled log by log, and lovingly rebuilt in its current location. Not only could we go inside and explore, but several times a day, they had old-fashioned hymn sing-alongs! I adore hymns, so Wes and I made a point to join one of the sing-alongs and enjoyed worshipping with other park attendees.
Next to the church was McHaffies Homestead. A real, hewn-log cabin built in 1843 by the pioneering Levi Casey family, it was home to the McHaffie family before it was reassembled and preserved at Silver Dollar City in 1960. Most historic buildings are “look but don’t touch,” but this one was open for exploration. I loved that! I decided to fix my hubby a little snack while we were there.
After some actual lunch, we headed to the local saloon for some entertainment. The bar served sodas and rootbear floats, but Wes and I headed to the balcony to watch the show from there.
After spending over 8 hours in the Missouri heat and humidity, we decided to unwind in a shaded area full of good old country rocking chairs. Most of the other guests had cleared out of this section of the park by this time, so we enjoyed the quiet along with some end of day treats. We found a shop that sold our two favroites desserts – Cakes & Cones. Wes loves funnel cake, and I’m an ice cream girl. Such a sweet way to end the day.
On the way out of the park, we spotted a giant-sized triangle peg game. My son and daughter-in-law always play this game whenever we go to Cracker Barrel. So in their honor, we grabbed a quick picture.
They have working craftsmen who demonstrate trades from eras past as well, like blacksmiths, candymakers, glassblowers, and soapmakers. I wish I’d had time to watch them work. We also weren’t able to find time for the train ride or exploring the cave the the theme park is built over. I guess we’ll just have to go back for another visit!
Have you ever visited Silver Dollar City?
If so, what is your favorite thing to do there?
