Mystic River Falls located at Silver Dollar City opened to the public on July 21, 2020. This was to be a replacement for the Park’s prior river rapids ride called Lost River of the Ozarks. At a price tag of a whopping $23 million was the replacement a success or disappointment?
Mystic River Falls is a success
Even with expectations as high as they were for Mystic River Falls, I am pleased to report that silver dollar city knocked it out of the park with this ride! It is a vast improvement upon its successor and serves as the best example of this ride we have ever ridden!
Mystic River Falls Theming
Just like everything at Silver Dollar City, Mystic River Falls has great theming. From The sign at the entrance, the look of the station, the theming throughout the queue, and on and on. Truly everything here is of the highest quality. All working together to make a seamless entertainment experience.
It is also an example of a perfectly themed experience based upon the park in which it sits. Mystic River Falls feels like such a natural fit for this park. It has that down-home country feel-good vibe coming out of every element. I would love this ride no matter what park it was in. Here at this park it fits so naturally that it feels like it has always been there.
Cool off and have fun
The boats can seat eight riders. Right from the beginning, it is obvious that Mystic River Falls is not your standard roaring rapids ride. You go up a conveyor belt which gives you enough momentum to have a really wet and fun ride through the rapids. The Rapids were noticeable stronger than on any other rapids ride we had ever been on. This is because of the boat’s smaller design they can take a bigger wave and never be in trouble of flipping.
Yet it is the looming elevator lift and the subsequent plunge into the bay that is the highlight of the ride. It also is the ride’s best element. The views as you’re turning 180° going up to the top are breathtaking. Being as this is the Ozarks you can see for miles around.
The drop itself is fun and provides a good sensation of speed. The splashdown at the end is extremely fun to experience and also to watch as a bystander. While I would consider the big drop intense, it isn’t so intense as to scare away younger riders. Even the park’s family coaster Thunderation is way more forceful than this.
You can be assured that everyone in your party is going to get soaked. Wave after wave spins the boats creating fun memories. The fun factor is through the roof as the boat spins and another in your group is now getting drenched. It makes for fun interactions with those you are riding with. Smiles and drenched clothes are what we saw as the boats came back into the station.
Any Downsides
I have no complaints about the ride or any way to improve it exactly. The only issue I had with the ride was it was so popular when I visited that I waited three and a half hours to get my one ride. That is a sign of a popular ride. The line was moving slowly because of not filling the boats up well and because of the Trailblazer system. I get why parks do skip the line systems but it really clogged up the works on this ride. Hopefully, as this ride ages, this kind of thing will be less of an issue.
Final Verdict
Silver Dollar City has belt something very special with Mystic River Falls. All areas of the construction and ride experience are done to perfection. It rides like this that are making Silver Dollar City one of the best theme parks in the world. Mystic River Falls is just another example of why. This one is fun for all ages. On a scale of one to ten Mystic River Falls gets a ten!
Pros: Theming, rock work, uniqueness,
Cons: Long lines not helped by skip the line system
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Thanks for the great review of the ride. When I visited the park, there was still a very big construction site.