Is Silver Dollar City TOO EXPENSIVE?

TPF! Travel with John and Amy

Is Silver Dollar City TOO EXPENSIVE?

Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri is one of the nation's top theme parks. At times people question whether parks like this are too expensive.

Are the shows, rides and other attractions and entertainment worth the money? Does a season pass make sense?

IS IT POSSIBLE that due to overwhelming demand that theme parks like Silver Dollar City, Disney World, Universal Studios and others should actually RAISE THEIR PRICES?

These and other questions are addressed in this episode!

BEST Things To Do In Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!

TPF! Travel with John and Amy

BEST Things To Do In Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!

Here's a list with pics and video clips of our absolute favorite things to do and places to visit in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!

From Dollywood to The Local Goat to Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Feud, you'll have a great head start to your next Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge vacation!

Brand new tasting passport at Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass and BBQ Festival!

Is the new Tasting Passport at Silver Dollar City Worth it? Yes!

Silver Dollar City's Bluegrass and BBQ Festival

After trying out Silver Dollar City's Tasting Passport during the recent Street Fest and Dollywood's Dining Pass during their Flower and Food Festival, we were excited to see if Herschend Family Entertainment could outdo themselves.

The could. They did.

For $30 you receive a badge and lanyard that provides you many delectable options to choose from. At Dollywood you find a QR code on the Dining Pass that hangs around your neck. While a quick scan opens up an informative website with all of the food items and their locations in the park, we found Silver Dollar City's method preferrable.

Every option was printed clearly on the badge, or as Silver Dollar City calls it, the Passport. Additionally, everything could be seen in larger print in the Pathfinder, Silver Dollar City's free newspaper and park guide. 

Opening day of the festival gave us perfect weather to walk the park and enjoy a great variety of bluegrass music and non-stop, diverse aromas as we passed by all of the various food stands and restaurants. 

While we enjoyed our day at Dollywood recently, we didn't prefer the majority of the Dining Pass stops to be located in one section of the park. We found ourselves aimlessly wandering the nether regions of Dollywood wondering when we might stumble into a kiosk. It wasn't until we moved back toward the front of the park that we found the food.

At Silver Dollar City it's an entire park experience. The cooks are joyfully and artistically creating their edible masterpieces at every corner of the park. Whether you are on Main Street, by the Grand Exposition, near Mystic River Falls or down by Fire in the Hole, temptations abound.

The only time we had to ask for directions was for the last punch of our passport. I was desperately seeking a BBQ bacon mac and cheese waffle cone, but didn't know to look right on Main Street for the kiosk. A wonderful Silver Dollar City citizen pointed us in the right direction and before long I was devouring a waffle cone made out of fortune cookie batter filled with a curious and mouth watering mix. 

Our favorite item of the day was probably the barbecue tater twist dog. It was truly amazing, and the portion size was large.

The Tasting Passport is not meant to be a meal replacement, but rather a fun and adventurous sampling of new and unique foods. While the idea is for each item to be snack sized, if you plan your day of tasting carefully, you'll find some samples are larger than others. In fact, like our tater twist dog, some are full sized.

We'd recommend considering eating a full meal at lunch and also purchasing a single Tasting Passport that can be used throughout the day for snacks and desserts. Between the two of us both times at Silver Dollar City and also once at Dollywood we purchased only one Passport and shared each of the five items. This worked great for us and we weren't at all hungry doing it this way. Of course, if you are zeroed in on treats others in your family are not, then you'll be very happy securing one all for yourself.

So, is the Tasting Passport worth it? We can't answer for everybody, but for us the answer is a resounding yes!

It does seem as if the portion sizes have increased some from the previous festival, which is great.

This time around we didn't get any desserts on the list. It took every ounce of restraint to say no to the temptations that were all around. Suffice it to say the desserts were our favorite foods the previous two festivals here and in Tennessee. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Is The Dining Pass Worth It? Dollywood Flower And Food Festival

TPF! Travel with John and Amy

Is The Dining Pass Worth It? Dollywood Flower And Food Festival

John and Amy head out to the Flower and Food Festival at Dollywood and check out several of the food options with the Dining Pass. Is it worth it to get the Dining Pass? Watch and see.

AND, John and Amy were thrilled to have run into Will and Dawn from Yankee in the South!

Check out their channel at www.youtube.com/yankeeinthesouth!

Silver Dollar City Update | Delayed Opening | Closed to Start 2020 Season

Silver Dollar City Update | Delayed Opening | Closed to Start 2020 Season

Due to the current events in our nation, theme parks and amusement parks all over the nation have closed including Disney World, Dollywood, Universal Studios and, right here in Branson, Missouri, Silver Dollar City.

John and Amy live in Branson and they are sharing the up to the minute info about what's open and what's closed to start the 2020 season.

They discuss restaurants, attractions, shows and more!

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