With strong commitment and focus on the guest experience, Silver Dollar City continues to look to the future by implementing projects totaling more than $30 million in improvements. Significant projects are underway to include new guest offerings; enhanced benefits for employee recruitment & retention; and parking, road & infrastructure improvements.
Silver Dollar City, sitting atop the great national landmark Marvel Cave, is known for delivering top-notch entertainment, festivals and shows; crafting unique food offerings; and for presenting a demonstrating artisan community creating heirloom, handcrafted wares. The $5-million slate of what’s coming for guest experience includes a new area scheduled to open during the 2023 season:
Guest Experiences - Scheduled to Open During the 2023 Season
A new, expanded Heartland Home Furnishings where craftsmen will demonstrate the use of authentic, late-1880s equipment, such as dovetailers, lathes and saws, located through a nationwide search to replace what was lost in a 2021 fire. Heartland Home Furnishings is an important part of The City’s culture, and in preserving the US Congress designated title, Home of American Craftsmanship. The heirloom, high-quality products created include bedroom sets, desks, bookshelves, cabinetry and more. Guests will watch the craftsmen in a new highly-designed and themed furniture factory. The atmosphere will be airy with high ceilings, handcrafted wood surroundings and open spaces, but warm and cozy in appeal.
New Fried Fancies, plus all-new waterside dining. The fresh and inviting schematics for the new Fried Fancies mark the return of the popular dining facility, but with enhanced décor, a larger footprint and the addition of a 200-seat dining area alongside a picturesque waterfall. This new eatery will excel in serving Silver Dollar City’s famous variety of funnel cakes and other family favorites.
Student Employee Housing Project - Opening Mid-2023
Silver Dollar City is partnering with the Wisconsin-based Holtz Builders to construct an on-grounds residence hall, adjacent to the park. Construction begins this fall and is scheduled to open in mid-2023. The new 3-story, dorm-like project will house temporary seasonal hosts participating in a variety of student work programs including Silver Dollar City’s growing intern program, Silver Dollar UniverCity.
The project will accommodate up to 300 students. Standard rooms will house up to 4 students with 4 beds, individual lockers, a private bathroom, a large refrigerator, Wi-Fi, a study desk and self-contained heating and air. Additionally, the Hall will have 2 common kitchens with gathering spaces and laundry facilities. Indoor and outdoor recreational areas will provide open spaces for games and gatherings.
Holtz Builders has earned a stellar reputation for creating partnerships in resort communities to create safe, efficient and affordable housing for seasonal workers. The group has developed housing complexes in other tourist destinations in Wisconsin and Tennessee, as well as facilities that will soon be underway in other locations. Silver Dollar City has provided the tract of land to Holtz for the project, with Holtz constructing and managing the new property.
“We most enjoy creating, and operating, housing developments that become ‘communities’ for student residents,” said Tom Holtz, founder of Holtz Builders. “Our mission is to create lasting relationships and we are in this project with Silver Dollar City for many years to come,” Holtz added.
The housing complex joins a long list of employee programs such as the recently-announced GROW U that pays college tuition for any interested employee of Silver Dollar City Attractions, an employee medical clinic with same-day access to a doctor and nurse, matching 401K program, Profit Sharing program and other assistance programs.
Parking, Roadways and Infrastructure - Target Completion in 2024
Construction will begin this winter on a significant project to improve the Guest Entrance experience into Silver Dollar City. The project includes an additional 1,200 parking spaces and improved entrances into parking lots allowing for expedited traffic flow into and out of the parking lots. Also included are enhanced pedestrian access routes, and a new turn lane into the park. Project work will be done in phases and targeted for completion in 2024.
Fun For Today, While Building For The Future
“Families and adult couples from throughout America’s heartland choose to visit Silver Dollar City for our fun and entertaining experiences. These additions will enhance the time our guests spend with us. Each of these projects has been carefully chosen and designed to meet our guests’ needs and expectations and continue to elevate Silver Dollar City as a major theme park in the very center of the USA,” said Brad Thomas, President of the Silver Dollar City Company. “Stay tuned as we continue to plan for the future with a strong commitment and focus on our guests and our hardworking and caring employees,” Thomas concluded.
