No. 2: Silver Dollar City announces half-billion-dollar expansion

Construction began in October on a seven-story resort hotel that is the leading edge of a planned $500 million investment for Silver Dollar City over the next decade.

The theme park and associated properties are now collectively known as Silver Dollar City Parks and Resorts, park officials announced Oct. 17.

Also included in the expansion plan are additions to the theme park and development of 1,200 acres attached to the park on its west side.

SDC President Brad Thomas said the hotel will have 262 themed rooms, with priority park access and lots of amenities. It will also include 17,000 square feet of meeting space.

The resort portion of the expansion is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2026, at which point, Thomas said, it will be the first theme park resort hotel in the central United States.

SDC officials see the expansion as drawing visitors to the region.

“The half-billion dollars – $500 million – that we’re investing in the next 10 years will not only transform this place, this park, but hopefully have such an impact on our region and attract visitors right here in the Ozarks,” Thomas said.

The investment will be funded by Herschend Enterprises, the parent company of SDC.

SDC sees its visitor base as extending from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the north to Houston, Texas, in the south; its east-west boundaries are Memphis, Tennessee, and Denver.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson was present for the announcement, and he called the economic impact of the planned expansion “second to none,” in part because of the vision of its founders, the Herschend family, who established the park 65 years ago.

“Keep in mind this is a family-oriented, family business, when you talk about making a half-billion-dollar investment and what that’s going to do for tourism in general for our state, but what it’s going to do for Missouri to showcase all over the United States – and not only the United States, but all over the world,” Parson said.

Visitors to SDC in Branson often find their way to Springfield, according to Jonas Arjes, senior vice president of development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. He cited data from July that said a fifth of SDC visitors also stopped in at popular Springfield destinations, including Bass Pro Shops, Buc-ee’s and Battlefield Mall.

Arjes called the expansion a game-changer for the entire southwest Missouri region.

“This investment signals a strong commitment to growth and job creation, promising to attract even more visitors to the area,” he said.

SDC has a ripple effect on the region’s businesses, Arjes said.

“We are confident that this expansion will enhance that impact,” he said.

SDC officials say the park gets more than 2 million visitors annually. It reported record attendance of 2.2 million in 2018.