Silver Dollar City Resort on track for late 2026 completion, officials say 

The six-story, 262-room Silver Dollar City Resort is on track to open in late 2026, according to Brad Thomas, general manager and president of Silver Dollar City Attractions. 

A Sept. 27 media tour of the property showed framing in place for the first three floors. SDC officials reported that a crew of 150 has poured more than 3,500 cubic yards of concrete and moved 400,000 cubic yards of earth in the past year. 

Brandei Clifton, public relations manager for SDC, said the Marvel Cave on the SDC grounds is the inspiration for the theme that will be in play in the resort lobby. Guests will cross a bridge over a stream as they enter the lobby, which will feature stonework and lanterns to light the way, she said. 

The lobby will also feature a large stone fireplace and a four-story window facing Table Rock Lake, according to Clifton. 

Prior to the media tour, Clifton highlighted some of the features that are planned: 

• Family suites with bunk beds for kids
• Door-to-door transportation to Silver Dollar City
• Indoor and outdoor pools
• Cinnamon bread delivered to guest rooms

Offering tours on the site, Thomas gestured toward the outdoor pool, planned for the space between the hotel and its view of the lake. He described it as a fun shape: “It’s not a square or rectangle; it’s kind of meandering.”  

The outdoor area will also include fire pits for guest use, he said, as well as trails and grottos. 

Thomas pointed out that the accommodations will be flexible to accommodate families, couples or business guests. It will be open year-round, with meetings and special events, and when a festival is happening at the theme park, events at the resort will tie into them. 

“The rooms are very family friendly, but they’re also great for adult couples, because the kids’ space is separate from the couple’s space,” he said. “Whether you’re a family or if you’re an adult couple getting away for a Valentine weekend, then it can be an incredibly romantic experience.” 

Thomas said he anticipates the resort will employ 250-300. 

He noted the 17,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, plus a restaurant, would make the resort very business friendly. 

“We’re basically 45 minutes from the southern tip of Springfield,” he said. 

People staying nearby can head to the restaurant and enjoy it and also have a tour of the hotel, he said. 

“It’s going to feel like the Ozarks,” he said. “There’ll be some comfort cooking, but there will also be some fun culinary treats, and of course cinnamon bread.” 

In addition to the SDC project, a $400 million multiphase development project was announced this month for the city of Branson. It spans 136 acres and 17 parcels of land in the Branson Meadows area, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, and is slated to include multifamily residential units, a Bible Encounter tourist attraction, tourist cabins, restaurants, a convenience store and a 200-room hotel. 

Asked if he thought the SDC development plans may have served as a catalyst for that local project, Thomas merely called the project more good news. 

“From Springfield down to Branson and all of 417, when something happens that’s good and positive, it’s good for all of us,” he said. 

Thomas added, “The resort’s certainly important, but all of these other things that are happening are important, too. I mean, I get excited about the remodeling of the Springfield-Branson National Airport, because that’s a good thing for all of us. As they pour more runways and they get ready for strategic growth, that’s good for visitation in Branson.” 

Similarly, he said, he loves the fact that Interstate 44 is going to be widened to six lanes through Springfield. 

“That’s good for Branson; that’s good for Springfield,” he said. “It’s good for all of us in southwest Missouri.” 

While the project remains on target for its late 2026 opening, Thomas said there have been some delays. 

“Taking down the mountain took longer than even we thought,” he said. “It puts some tightness to the schedule, but we’re getting there – and every time a steel beam comes up, that’s a really good thing.” 

When SBJ first reported on the resort plans in October 2024, Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Enterprises, parent company of SDC, put the cost of the resort at about $100 million, with another $400 million of investment planned in the 1,200 acres surrounding the resort and to the park itself. 

The cost projection is now in the $115 million-$120 million range, Thomas said. 

“Inflation, other cost pressures are certainly present all around us,” he said. “It’s a real deal.” 

The resort update and media tour were offered as part of the first-ever Fan Fest event held at SDC to apprise season ticket holders and others of the park’s plans for the coming year. 

When the resort was announced in 2024, media reports consistently described the facility as a seven-story hotel, while current reporting describes it as a six-story structure. Officials clarified to SBJ that the welcome tower in the front of the resort will be seven stories tall, while the rest of the resort is six stories, with a lower level and lobby topped by four floors of rooms. The design is unchanged from when it was first announced, officials say. 

SDC officials made another key announcement during Fan Fest: Its paddle wheel dinner cruise attraction the Showboat Branson Belle is being renamed. 

A performer identifying himself as First Mate Steve made the announcement before the Fan Fest audience that the boat is being rechristened as Silver Dollar City’s Showboat. 

Excursions on Table Rock Lake for the SDC attraction will feature all-new family-style seating, officials said. 

The park is also planning a season of semiquincentennial celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary, including recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Among the plans are free season passes for active-duty military members, with discounted passes for spouses, dependents and veterans.