The past few years have been momentous for Silver Dollar City. With the new-and-improved Fire in the Hole dark coaster, a multitude of festivals and special events, and various upgrades throughout the park in Branson, Missouri, there’s been a lot going on. Yet no project is bigger or more anticipated than the upcoming Silver Dollar City Resort, which is being built where a 90-foot mountain once stood. Yes, mountain.
Like a few of my colleagues before me, I recently visited Silver Dollar City to attend its inaugural Fan Fest. On top of learning about all the big plans for what USA Today has called “America’s Best Theme Park” in 2026 and beyond, I also went on a tour of the massive 262-room resort situated a few miles from the park. During the tour, I caught up with SDC President Brad Thomas, who explained the herculean effort that’s gone into the project over the years:
A resort at Silver Dollar City has been on the radar for a very, very long time. We made our announcement last October. We acquired this land about eight years ago. And started building basically last fall. But literally, where we stand right now, a year ago was a 90-foot-tall mountain. I mean, imagine one of these guys [pointing towards other mountains], and we had to take it all the way down so we could get this flat land.
Since it was first announced back in October 2024, SDC has moved 400,000 cubic yards of rock and earth while also laying more than 3,500 cubic yards of concrete for the highly anticipated resort. During the tour, I got to see the first three stories of vertical progress of the six-story resort. Very much still a work in progress with exposed beams and concrete floors, you could see the park’s vision coming to fruition.
Thomas, who is also referred to as the Mayor of Silver Dollar City, sees the resort as a central hub for the park in the future. Once completed, the resort will boast spacious rooms and family suites with bunk rooms for kids (this is huge for parents), multiple pools, a restaurant, event spaces, and most of all, transportation to the various SDC parks and the Showboat dinner cruise in the Branson area.
It's a seamless experience. They're going to book their reservation. They'll book their theme park ticket, their water park ticket, and their Showboat ticket all seamlessly on our app or on our website. We'll transport them to the different experiences. And then get to check out. They don't have to worry about planning, all the other things, all the other details in their journey.
With various renderings throughout the site showing everything from the four-story window overlooking Table Rock Lake, the various design choices paying homage to SDC and Southern Missouri history, and an attention to detail on par with anything in the park, you could see the vision coming together.
So, when will the Silver Dollar City Resort be open to families from around the country and throughout the world? After joking around by saying “20 years,” Thomas informed me they still have around a year-and-a-half before everything is complete.
Other Big Plans For Silver Dollar City In 2026
The Silver Dollar City Resort construction tour wasn’t the only update the park gave us during Fan Fest, as SDC highlighted some massive plans for 2026 and beyond. From events celebrating America’s 250th birthday to new merch (the glowing lantern popcorn bucket was a massive hit) to a stacked concert calendar to a revamped holiday festivals like the Stars, Lights & Christmas Nights Parade, “America’s Best Theme Park” has a lot in store for guests in the weeks, months, and years to come.
The park also gave those in attendance mysterious certificates for the "Marvel Cave Mining Company." Though they didn't explain why we should hold onto them, they did tease they'll come in handy at a later date...
After spending two days in the park with my family riding some incredible coasters and eating way too much food, I’m even more excited to see what’s to come.
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