Silver Dollar City is a themed amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, just outside Branson on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park grew out of Marvel Cave, a natural cavern the Herschend family leased in 1950 and began offering tours through years before building an entire 1880s Ozark village on the land above it.
Owned and operated by the Herschend family to this day, Silver Dollar City has become one of the most distinctive parks in the country, blending roller coasters and thrill rides with working craft demonstrations, a narrow-gauge steam railroad, and cave tours. It draws roughly 2.2 million visitors each year and typically operates from mid-March through early January.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Stone County, Missouri (near Branson)
- Opened: May 1, 1960
- Owner: Herschend Family Entertainment
- Size: About 61 acres
- Annual attendance: About 2.2 million
- Attractions: 31, including 7 roller coasters
- Theme: 1880s Ozark Mountain village
- Notable feature: Built above Marvel Cave, explored since 1869
From a Cave Tour to a Theme Park
Silver Dollar City traces its roots to Marvel Cave, a cavern that had drawn lead miners in the 19th century and tourists by the early 1900s. Chicago vacuum cleaner salesman Hugo Herschend leased the cave in 1950, and after his death his family opened a small 1880s-style village at the cave’s entrance in 1960 to give cave visitors something more to see. That village, drawing over 125,000 guests in its first year, grew into the modern theme park.
The park still leans on that frontier heritage today, with craftspeople demonstrating glassblowing, blacksmithing, and other traditional trades throughout the grounds, alongside a narrow-gauge steam railroad and daily tours of Marvel Cave itself.
Coasters and Thrill Rides
Silver Dollar City’s ride lineup includes seven roller coasters, among them the wooden coaster Outlaw Run and the record-setting Time Traveler, a Mack Rides spinning coaster that opened in March 2018 with a 100-foot-tall first drop of 90 feet and a top speed of 50.3 mph. Other rides include Wildfire, Powder Keg, Thunderation, and Fire in the Hole, a longtime dark-ride favorite that was rebuilt and reopened in 2024.
The mix of wooden and steel coasters alongside heritage attractions has helped the park earn repeated recognition in industry rankings for both its rides and its atmosphere.
Explore more: Explore more Theme Parks.
Silver Dollar City FAQs
When did Silver Dollar City open?
Silver Dollar City opened on May 1, 1960, built around the entrance to Marvel Cave near Branson, Missouri.
Who owns Silver Dollar City?
The park is owned and operated by the Herschend family, whose Herschend Family Entertainment company began with a 1950 lease on Marvel Cave.
How many roller coasters does Silver Dollar City have?
As of the park’s recent seasons, Silver Dollar City has seven roller coasters among its 31 total attractions, including Outlaw Run and Time Traveler, whose 90-foot first drop is the tallest ever built on a spinning coaster.
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Photo by Masakazu Masaki on Pexels.