Advice on which day to visit?

[Paul71]

Hello,

I'm tentatively planning a one-day trip to Silver Dollar City with my kids this week, either on Friday (Oct. 7) or Saturday (Oct. 8 ).  On Friday, I'm concerned about the weather forecast, as there is a chance of thunderstorms that day, and I would hate to make the long-ish drive, only to find that many rides are closed for a significant part of the day.  On Saturday, the weather forecast is better, but I'm concerned that crowds could be much heavier on a Saturday than on a weekday.  Any advice on which of these concerns is more legitimate, and which day you think would be better to visit?  (FYI - I would be taking kids who range in age from 8 to 12, and we would want to ride at least some of the bigger rides, especially Powder Keg.)

Regarding my concern about the Saturday crowd, I should mention that I have been to SDC several times, but never in the fall, so I don't know what kind of crowds to expect this time of year.  We usually visit on weekdays (never on weekends) at the end of May or beginning of June.  At those times, the crowds generally are not bad at all.  I would be interested to know how the fall crowds compare.

Also, does anyone know how soon SDC generally opens the rides in the fall (assuming no inclement weather)?  When we went this past May, we discovered that while the park opened at 9:30 AM (or thereabouts), many of the larger rides did not open until 11:00 AM or later, even though there were no weather issues.  This would be good to know in advance, because I don't want to go to the trouble of getting there right when the park opens, if the rides don't open until an hour or more later.

I appreciate any input y'all can give.  Thanks!

[Tmboote]

According to my weather app, there is only a 20% chance of rain on Friday. So I would recommend Friday if you're okay with it being 65 and cloudy.

[Paul71]

According to my weather app, there is only a 20% chance of rain on Friday. So I would recommend Friday if you're okay with it being 65 and cloudy.

Thanks -- I appreciate the input.  Accuweather.com was showing a 60% chance of thunderstorms for Branson on Friday (tomorrow), but if I read it right, the chance is now down to 24%.  I think we probably will take a chance and go tomorrow. 

Does anyone know if the rides will open when the park opens, or if they open later?  (This question assumes no rain.  Of course I understand that if it is raining or has been raining recently, that could delay the opening of the rides.)

Update:  I called SDC customer service, and they assured me that the rides begin operation at the scheduled park opening time, weather permitting.  I'm not sure why we experienced the rides opening late when we visited earlier this year.

[tinmann620]

To my knowledge, Plunge opens at 11, could be the same for Lost River and Riverblast.

[Dewayne]

Water rides always open at 11:00 or 1 hour after they open if they open later. SDC is the only park I know of to run water rides every month except Nov and Dec. Not sure why the late start. They do have to let the water rise slowly and circulate before they start test runs, but I would think they could do that earlier. Either way, it is fun to watch the water rise on LR and when you see that wave coming, it is a great time for a picture. PK usually opens late because maintenance or inspectors cant start testing it until a certain time everyday. The train sometimes starts test runs early, about chain drop time or 17 minutes after, but it depends on how long it takes for 1 to wake up. As for all others, they should open at chain drop, unless something broke or the weather conditions. I know of no reason why other rides wouldnt open early.