Arkansas - Day 2

Rainy and I got up early to make the 2 hour drive to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.  Silver Dollar City, on of our favorite amusement parks, is celebrating their 50th year of fun and good times.  Rainy and I have both been to Silver Dollar City numerous times before, but still couldn't pass it up since we were so close to it.  One of the thigs we like so much about SDC is that when it was built, the large trees and vegetation were left in place as much as possible.  This means that you can walk around and always be in the shade!  This is totally different from most amusement parks.  Along with rides, there are a multitude of shops, crafts demonstrations, theaters and event venues; all of which are based on an 1800's mining town theme.
Our first ride was Thunderation, a roller coaster where uou rumble through the treetops on a run away mine train.  This was a mild ride for Rainy, but Julie considered it to be about as wild of a ride as she could do.

Next we wandered in and out of the shops.  We watched a glass blower at work and then watched as two women were making peanut butter fudge.  Part of the fun about Silver Dollar City is watching the craftsmen at work.  You can observe a  blacksmith, coppersmith, jewelry maker, potter, or baker just to name a few.  One amazing thing is that you can buy their wares for very reasonable prices, unusual for when you are visiting in a captive market.

They also have old buildings on site such as the Wilderness Church.  There was an axample of a beutiful log cabin that was built in the 1890's and had been restored on site.
Of course we went on other rides, revisiting Rainy's favorrite ride, Fire in the Hole.  Fire in the Hole is based on the theme that the Baldknobbers have set the town afire.  It is a thrilling coaster with suprises around every corner, including a dosing of water at the very end.  Other water rides we enjoyed included Lost River of the Ozarks; The fastest whitewater in the Ozarks, it propels your raft down a mighty raging lost river with numerous turns, twists and drops. Prepare to get soaked!  Well, Julie was soaked but Rainy managed to remain mostly dry.  We also went on the American Plunge; we climbed more than five stories into the Ozark sky and splashed down at a rapid speed. This traditional log flume ride offers a thrilling way to get a refreshing all-American soaking!

We also saw two shows.  The first was a bluegrass band playing at the Homstead Picker's Shed.  The band added quite a few jokes and silly stories in between songs, but it was still fun.
At the Silver Dollar Saloon, we saw the Frontier Follies, a madcap comedy that ensued when Bart and the girls hired a couple of big city directors to produce a new saloon show.  Rainy and I shared the strongest beverage they served, a rootbeer float!  It felt good to be out of the heat and in the cold saloon, but by the end of the show it was nice to get back outside.  We stayed until just after 5:00 pm and then headed back to Bentonville.  We had a full at Silver Dollar City, it was nice to get back "home".  Of course we visited some more with Edna and Hank, then crawled into bed, tired and bit up by mosquitos.