Motion sickness at Silver Dollar City: what's rough and how to cope

Photo: sheffieldb, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted.

Branson, Missouri, United States · Herschend · ~2.18M visitors (2018, published figure)

Yes, though the park is built in a way that helps you recover. Silver Dollar City is an 1880s-themed craft village in the Ozarks with a set of genuinely serious coasters running through it, and the village half is the reason motion-sensitive visitors do better here than the ride list suggests: craft demonstrations, live shows and a cave tour give you real reasons to sit still between rides. The coasters do not hold back. Time Traveler spins its cars while dropping 90 degrees and launching twice, Outlaw Run pairs an 81 degree drop with a double heartline roll, WildFire runs five inversions over a valley, PowderKeg launches from 0 to 53 mph in 2.8 seconds, and Fire In The Hole runs three drops in the dark. The park announced a record 2.18 million visitors back in 2018.

The rides most likely to set you off

• Time Traveler: spinning coaster with a 90 degree first drop and two launches, so rotation and drops arrive together.

• Outlaw Run: wooden coaster with an 81 degree drop and a double heartline roll.

• WildFire: looping coaster running five inversions out over a valley.

• PowderKeg: compressed-air launch from 0 to 53 mph in 2.8 seconds.

• Fire In The Hole: indoor coaster and dark ride with three drops in low light and a splash landing.

Time Traveler is the hardest ride here, and the spinning is why. Its cars rotate freely while the track does its own work, so a 90 degree drop and two launches arrive while you are facing a direction the layout did not choose for you. That means you cannot brace, because you cannot predict. Riders who take Outlaw Run and WildFire without trouble regularly name Time Traveler as the one that got them.

Where to reset between rides

When your stomach needs a break, head for Frisco Steam Train, Hugo & Mary's Carousel, The Flooded Mine (slow boat dark ride) or Marvel Cave (walking cave tour, March to December). Slow visuals, a fixed horizon and a seat that is not spinning give your inner ear time to settle before the next big ride.

Feeling queasy at Silver Dollar City right now?

Stop the nausea

Open Dizzout, plug in any headphones, tap play. Drug-free sound therapy, and most people feel better in about 90 seconds. No pills, no drowsiness, no waiting for a tablet to kick in.

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On a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone. Scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.

Your survival plan for Silver Dollar City

1. 1

   Ride Time Traveler first. Free spinning plus drops is the day's heaviest combination and there is no version of it that gets easier on a full stomach.

2. 2

   Split Outlaw Run and WildFire across the day. One is a wooden coaster that shakes and rolls, the other runs five inversions, and together they compound.

3. 3

   Use the shows and the craft demonstrations as scheduled breaks, not as filler. Twenty minutes sitting still with a fixed view is the most effective reset in the park.

4. 4

   Marvel Cave is a walking tour, so it is calm, cool and completely free of motion. It is the strongest recovery option here and worth booking into the middle of the day.

5. 5

   Take the Frisco Steam Train or the Flooded Mine boat ride when you need something slow between coasters.

6. 6

   The park is built on Ozark hillside, so the walking is steeper than it looks. Pace it, and keep headphones handy to start Dizzout at the first wobble: drug-free, and most people feel better in about 90 seconds.

Going with kids

The craft village structure is quietly excellent for mixed groups: demonstrations, shops and shows fill the gaps, so the people who are not riding are not just waiting. The Frisco Steam Train and the Flooded Mine boat ride suit younger children.

Common questions