(Note: this is continued from Part 2)

We had a brief but intense gift exchange the next morning, then hung out at the condo until the main event.

Benjamin and P, ready to open gifts.
(Photo by my dad. Click to enlarge and sharpen)

One of the oldest tourist attractions in or near Branson still ranks as the best for me. It offers places for the children and adults to play, thrilling amusement park rides, live performances, and in fair weather, demonstrations of how this country’s pioneers made and built things they needed to survive.

And don’t forget the kettle corn (although I can’t say I ever ate any).

I went to Silver Dollar City more than once as a kid. In fact, besides the cool go-kart tracks and the hellacious sunburn I got at WhiteWater, SDC was the only thing I associated with Branson. There was that one year that Dad went without us and brought home a cassette of hammered dulcimer Christmas tunes called, “Why Should the Devil Get all the Good Music,” but it’s now buried under a mountain of other music in his collection.

Did I mention that I actually liked waking up to that cassette on Christmas morning? And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly. (insert hammered dulcimer solo)

Fast forward to 2008.

After parking, we tried to cover exposed skin as we rode the open-air shuttle tram to the front gates. The overcast skies and 40-degree temperature let the artificial wind chill cut through. We skipped the photographers-for-hire offering to snap a group photo.

As we waited in line to pay, a woman approached us. “Here are three 1-day passes. Want them?”

Unsure at first whether she was offering something we could use, we said, “Sure.” A closer look revealed that the user must accompany a season ticket holder.

Mom and Dad just happened to be season ticket holders, and the passes saved the group $90. Yay for nice strangers!

I decided to participate instead of being the official photographer. Sure, I snapped a few, but Shannon took as many pictures as I did. We saw a funny show that also made the children laugh, and rode my childhood favorite ride — the Fire in the Hole.

As I told Shannon it wasn’t a roller coaster, my brother made a face that said, “Oh, you’re going to pay for that one.” Shannon sat by me while C and A sat together, and Benjamin sat next to his cousin P.

Shannon’s screams were worth the ride.

As we walked the exit tunnel, Benjamin said, “I didn’t like Fire in the Hole, but the next time we ride it, will you sit next to me, Daddy?” I think maybe he liked it but just needed that reassurance of a trusted adult nearby. I try to at least act like one of those every chance I get.

The highlight of the children’s play area, as I remembered it, was a room full of colorful balls for diving and digging. Now there’s a multi-story monstrosity that on the outside looks frighteningly rickety. Once inside, however, it’s obvious it is a sound structure, and loads of fun. (”inside” is a bit misleading, as there were support structure and roof, and lots of netting, but no actual walls).

Where else can one launch colorful balls from high-powered air cannons mounted on multi-story balconies? Whether or not they hit the intended target, they sail down to the ball pit below. The boys had fun climbing up and down a mesh-walled vertical obstacle course while my brother and I tracked them up and down the surrounding stairwells.

Next we conquered the amusement park section of SDC. Benjamin and I got numb cheeks on the flying elephants and a small but fun roller coaster. Shannon and my mom took him and his cousin on the high-flying, spinning swings while I tried to capture some video in the fading light. Mom took both boys on the whirling teacups, a ride similar enough to Tilt-A-Whirl that my brother and I chose not to risk motion sickness.

In a moment of independence, Benjamin and his cousin met the height requirements to ride the jumping frogs without an adult. They had a great time.

Silver Dollar City at night, with millions of Christmas lights adorning the buildings, rides, and trees, was a fairyland. We forgot the cold nipping at our noses, but not enough to pass up the hot chocolate before the train ride.

The SDC train, an old-fashioned steam locomotive as far as I could tell, picks up passengers at the depot and takes them into the woods, where an old man in a rocking chair tells the story of Christmas. Lighted figures blink to life all around him as the story unfolds.

Benjamin clutched his hot chocolate while the rest of the 15-minute train ride afforded unique looks at the SDC Christmas lights. He sipped carefully and gladly shared with us when we asked for a taste.

We left there at about 6:30 or 7, and by the time we reached a restaurant in Branson Benjamin was so deep in sleep that his arm repeatedly fell limp after I raised it and let go. He lay across one chair and Shannon’s lap and slept while we ordered and ate seafood.

It was a fitting end to a great time in the Ozarks.

   
   

Gluttons for more photos of our time at SDC, in the condo, and at our big family Christmas, may go to my online gallery, featuring four glorious pages of thumbnail pics to browse.

(For anyone who doesn’t know yet, the title of this post series is a play on the film title Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead. I surmise that you can do little no matter where you are post mortem, but the filmmakers chose that title and I ran with it.)