Silver Dollar City plans to retire Thunderation roller coaster

After carrying over 27 million riders, Thunderation, Silver Dollar City’s first roller coaster, is set to be retired at the end of the upcoming season for the Branson-area 1880s-themed park attraction.

The coaster’s final day of operation is scheduled for Jan. 2, 2027, according to social media postings made by park officials this morning. Thunderation will be celebrated during the park’s entire upcoming season, Silver Dollar City officials said. Activities include a special opening-day ceremony set for 9:30 a.m. on March 13 and a sendoff on the coaster’s final day.

“Thunderation is so important to Silver Dollar City's legacy in a number of ways,” Brandei Clifton, Silver Dollar City public relations manager, told Springfield Business Journal in an email today. “First and foremost, it's been a generation of riders' first big rollercoaster. It was also the first time we partnered with an outside manufacturer (Arrow Dynamics, now S&S Worldwide, the same manufacturers of PowderKeg, the Barn Swing, and Firefall). Thunderation's success led to the international acclaim of Wildfire, PowderKeg, Outlaw Run, and Time Traveler.”

Thunderation opened during the park’s 1993 season, featuring 3,022 feet of track, 600 feet of which ran underground, according to news accounts archived by the Springfield-Greene County Library District. At its opening, Thunderation was 81 feet from ground level to its greatest height. It achieved a maximum speed of 48 miles per hour and a maximum G-force of 2.9. Silver Dollar City officials said today on social media that among roller coaster enthusiasts, Thunderation is widely considered one of the best mine train coasters in the world. Costs to build the coaster were undisclosed.

On social media today, Silver Dollar City officials hinted that something new is coming to the area of the park where Thunderation is currently located: “While park officials maintain the coaster has become a city treasure,” the postings read, “the Marvel Cave Mining Co. has declared it is time for ‘real’ work back beneath the mountain. Officials hint that its return to activity signals significant developments ahead.”

When asked for details on future SDC projects, Clifton noted, “When we made the announcement about Silver Dollar City Resort, we also announced a nearly half-billion [dollars] in future investments. We are excited to be following through on that promise with more announcements to come.”

According to past SBJ reporting, Silver Dollar City officials announced the six-story, 262-room Silver Dollar City Resort on Sept. 27, noting the resort is expected to be completed late this year.

Park officials also said on social media today that special ride moments, promotional offers, commemorative merchandise and limited-time offerings will be unveiled throughout the final Thunderation season.