Stop Making Me Laugh Or I'll Pee My Pants! Go Back! I Lost My Shoe! Trip Report!

[leamom2princesses]

I've never been to Branson/Silver Dollar City. Looks neat and an awful lot like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Can't wait for the next installment. I want to see more!

BTW, I'm one of those people who can never sleep in either. I have an internal alarm clock set to 6:30am CST.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Shhhh....boss is on the phone. I'm going to type up a little more report. Don't know how long it will be though.


We walked to the front of the park and were stopped by a photographer. She took 50 forevers to get us situated. The poses were kinda of lame so we knew we wouldn't be buying the pictures. As we were getting our picture made, lots of people were walking by and making their way into the park. Come on lady....take the picture already! Snap. Snap. Snap. Done!

I did take one of the kids before we walked to the ticket turnstiles:

The very first thing we wanted to do was the cave tour. Marvel Cave is really pretty and I have to do it each time we go to Silver Dollar City. I love it. Only problem is, you have to walk out onto a platform suspended over a hugely humongous hole. It scares me witless, snotless, spitless every time. My legs get all shaky and uh, I am just scared.

****Crappy poo! Now, I've gotta stop and run something to an attorney's office on my way home. Oh well, I'm getting out of the office. I'll try to finish this from home.

 

[skippyman111]

You need to put the Titanic museum on your next to do list for Branson. It's really neat.

 

[jenseib]

Happy Belated Birthday!
I'm all caught up again.
What exactly is Silver Dollar City?

 

[mickeystoontown]

You need to put the Titanic museum on your next to do list for Branson. It's really neat.

We were either going to do the wax museum or the Titanic museum. The kids chose the wax museum. I'm sure we'll do Titanic next time.

Happy Belated Birthday!
I'm all caught up again.
What exactly is Silver Dollar City?

Thanks! Silver Dollar City is a small amusement park but it's themed like the old West/country. They have two or three coasters, a few attractions and some kids' rides. People say it's like Dollywood but on a less grand scale.

 

[Kathy Jetson]

Cool pics of the cloud that looked like a crown. I'm sorry you had to sit next to that guy but it was a very funny story! Do you have more pics of Silver Dollar City? We love amusement parks. waiting for more.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mama had said that she was going to do the cave tour with us but then changed her mind. There would be a LOT of climbing and quite a bit of bending and stooping. The way it works, you go behind a desk and wait in a little area. In front of you is another little holding room. And, in front of that is another little room. It sounds complicated but it's not. It's just one big room with little dividers.

Anyway, I had to take a tinkle break...well, not really but I was afraid not to because the tour is pretty long and it would be cold in there. It wasn't until Mama and I went to the bathroom that she changed her mind about going on the tour. She said she'd just look around in the store and then find a nice spot to sit and people watch. I had to wiggle my way to the first holding area where John and the kids were waiting.

After about 5 minutes, we were admitted into the next little section. In order to get into that section, you had to be able to bend down and fit through an opening. The opening is the size of the smallest space you must go through when in the cave. I tried to take a picture of the sample opening but you can't see it all.

While we are in the waiting area, I am telling Lacey that I am going to be so scared during the first part. She asked had she ever been in the cave before and I told her that she had several times with the last time being when she was about 10. After about 20 minutes, we were in the last room and were being told all about the cave tour, how long it would take, there were no bathrooms, there was no gum chewing, etc.

If any of you are interested, you can check out the Marvel Cave information on the Siilver Dollar City website. Here's the link: http://www.bransonsilverdollarcity.com/rides-attractions/ride_detail.aspx?AttractionID=399

Our guide came into the room and led us out of the building and to another waiting area outside. He went through all of the warnings again and told everybody that they could still back out. Nobody did.

We walked down a little path and down some steps to the cave door opening. We went down more steps and then onto a platform and it was pretty dark. I could feel my legs start to get tingly but I was, basically, okay. UNTIL.....I had to move further in (per that stupid little guide boy's instructions). It's at that point, you realize that the concrete structure is suspended over a gigantic hole. Then, the stupid little long haired guide boy has the nerve to start telling a few jokes. All the while, there are people, literally, leaning over the sides of the platform to look down. What's around this concrete platform? you ask. Just a waist high chain link fence.

Needless to say, I kept as close to the rock wall as I could. Even though I had taken a tinkle break before we started the tour, I almost pee'd my britches when I saw my idiotic husband and daughter are one of "those" people leaning over and looking down. Hunter is looking down too but he's not leaning. John looked over at me and I know he could see me giving him the evil eye 'cause he tapped Lacey on the shoulder and they came over beside me.

The tour guide finished his spiel and said it was time to start the long walk down. To get down, you have to walk on skinny metal walkways that have the chain link fence around them. The walkway is wet and slippery as are the handrails. I made John go first. I guess I was thinking that he could block us if the rest of us started to fall. Hunter was after John, then Lacey then me. There was a family of four behind us. I was thankful that they had little kids because they had to walk pretty slowly for their kids.

Every once in a while, John would walk too far in front of us and I'd freak out a little. What the fart made him walk so fast I don't know. This is the same man that can't ever keep up with me when we are walking.

The walkway was similar to a spiral staircase but more square. You could see down below you and I didn't like it. But, I knew that I'd be okay once we reached the bottom. We finally made it down and I was okay. Lacey walked up to me and asked if I was okay and I told her yes but that my legs were shaking.

The guide told us a story of how the cave was found but I don't remember if he told it while we were standing on the platform or when we got down in the cathedral room. Let's see if I can remember what he said. Way back when, there were indians chasing a bear through the woods and all of the sudden the bear disappeared into a hole. One of the indians convinced the other to jump into the hole and get the bear. Needless to say, neither the indian nor the bear were ever seen again. Why? Because the hole was pretty much bottomless.

I tried to take a picture of the stairway/walkway from the bottom but it didn't turn out well at all. I'll post them anyway. Maybe you can get an idea how far down we had to climb. You can see a bright light at the top of the picture, that's the hole that the indian and bear fell down.

Since it was Christmas, the park had put in Christmas lights on the hill going up to the stairway. You can't see this one well either, but, still, I'm posting it. You can also see the staircase in the link I posted above.

The tour guide also told us that the room was so big that they once put either 2 or 3 hot air balloons in the room at the same time. I think it was 2 but John said he thinks it was 3. Anyway, it's a super big room.

There was a photographer in the room waiting to take each group's picture. We had our's done and it was a good picture but I didn't end up buying it. After all of the pictures were taken, the real tour began.

Oh, I had to take a picture of Hunter and Lacey:

The tour guide didn't do any more talking until we came to a room that he called the shoe room. The ceiling looks exactly like a shoe print. He also turned off the lights so we could see how dark it was in the room. He then lit a candle so that we could see what it was like when the first explorers went through the cave. He took questions from the people on the tour.

Here are some pictures that I took before we got to the shoe room. Of course, my family was hamming it up. You can see there were some pretty tight spaces we had to go through.

****Okay, I'm going to sign off for the evening. Lacey is ready to start packing her stuff into the Jeep. She's leaving in the morning to go back to Georgia. Jesse is going to pick her up at the Mission apartments and take her back to Tennessee to spend New Year's with his family.

I'll come back in the morning and finish up the cave tour. I have lots more pictures!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Fun update! I started laughing with Lacey...Ashton started laughing at me and we laughed for about two minutes about nothing
great cloud pictures and fun cave story...maybe we will have to add Branson to our long list of upcoming trips after all...I want to add the Memphis Zoo (after seeing Becky's -ladybugmom-pictures)...I think I need a job...you think I could find someone to give me a paycheck to stay home with Ashton and plan many vacay's a year

Have a great day tomorrow!!!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Happy Belated Birthday!
I'm all caught up again.
What exactly is Silver Dollar City?

Jen, The Herschend family that owns SDC also owned Dollywood at Pigeon Forge then sold it to Dolly. When SDC first opened it was the mid 60's and they had a train and a stage coach ride and of course the cave. The cave is really awesome. The setting is really pretty and they have different festivals year round. Most of them relate around food and different countries. There is a gazebo in the middle and they used to have gospel music all the time. They still do different groups of music. We would always buy passes when our girls were small then the grandkids but we haven't been now for about 3 years. It is about a 40 minute drive from our house. And yes we all laughingly call it Steal your Dollar City. They have a part that is dedicated to younger children with rides and things to do.

Ginny

 

[aprilisis]

Great photos! You are brave- I would never be able to do a cave tour. I don't know when I got so claustrophobic, though, because my late Aunt took me to Luray Caverns when I was 12 & I was ok with it.
I love Hunter's glasses- where did you get them? Lacey cracks me up. She is so funny in that photo where it looks like she is licking the cave wall!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

That looks like fun. I've been to Dixie Caverns in Virginia, but that's it. I went once when I was really little with my maternal grandparents, then again just a few years ago with my paternal grandparents. The entire time I was there recently I was walking through going, I SWEAR I've been here before. And then I called my grandmother who said, yes, they'd taken me. And that when they turned the lights off I got scared and reached for Grandaddy's hand...except when they turned the lights back on it wasn't Grandaddy holding my hand. Mamama (yes, that's what I call her) said I had a traumatized look on my face and quickly dropped his hand and went over to Grandaddy.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good morning everybody! My boss hasn't made it in yet but I just have this feeling that I'm not going to like today. Don't really know why but I can just tell.

Anyway, I'm going to post another Branson trip installment really quickly before Mr. Bossman comes in.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Good morning everybody! My boss hasn't made it in yet but I just have this feeling that I'm not going to like today. Don't really know why but I can just tell.

Anyway, I'm going to post another Branson trip installment really quickly before Mr. Bossman comes in.

I take it you didn't get to talk to him last nite? I am leaving at noon today and only working till noon tomorrow. Don and I are coming back to the office over the weekend. We have some bad locks on our file room and he is going to change those out for me and help me drag stuff to the basement. I would like to have the office clean before the Doc shows up on Monday. It is in need.

To be truthful I'm not really working today. Cleaning my desk and that sort of thing. I got everything else I needed to get done yesterday.

Keep us posted as to how things go.

Ginny

 

[starling]

Ohhh I have so much reading to do!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Next up on the tour was the cloud room:

See the people in the LSU purple? They were from Louisiana too.

We went around the corner and there was this bucket. Me, being me, had to take a picture:

Lacey, being Lacey, had to take a silly picture:

Once we left the cloud room, we descended even further down. See how narrow and steep the stairway was:

John going down:

The stairway turned and here's one of Hunter going down:

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab254/planning4disney/SANY1488.jpg

A sign we passed while walking:

Are ya'll bored yet? No? Well, then, I'll post more pictures. At this point, we were in some of the very narrow passageways:

I even had the nerve to look down into this hole:

Continued in next post

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Hey, Lisa! I am such a bad friend. I did not realize that your birthday had come and gone. I hope you had a wonderful birthday! Forgive me for missing it, please.

I have missed so many updates, I'm sure I have forgotten some of the things I wanted to comment on, but I'll try to remember it all.

Those pictures of the sky and clouds were SO AWESOME. You're so right - that one picture did look like a crown. Makes me think...

First off, I am thoroughly enjoying Branson with you. I feel as if I'm right there along for the ride! The show that you saw sounds so great! And you were right - Branson does sound a lot like Pigeon Forge.

Too bad about the guy taking up your seat and his and snoring the whole way through. I can't think of anything worse. That's not even as bad as someone tall coming and sitting in the seat in front of you. Oh, by the way, that happened to me in the Nemo show at Disney! I had the perfect view, until... some dude sits right in front of me! I was leaning left and right throughout the whole show. He leaned way down in his chair once, and I was relieved for that, but it didn't last long. Still better than having someone share my seat and snore in my ear!

How sweet that you found Lacey an umbrella. It sounds really cute!

I can just imagine you all laughing your booties off over those two smooshed raccoons! Things are always more funny in a group, especially yours. You guys always have the best times.

The cave. Wow! The bottom of my feet are just tingling as I read your description of standing on that platform suspended over a giant whole only proteected by a chainlink fence. I'd have been a nervous wreck!

It reminds me a lot of the cave in Chattanooga, TN. Ruby Falls. I can't remember exactly, but you take an elevator about 300 feet? UNDERGROUND. The elevator has windows so you can see the earth as you go down. I hate that part. But then you walk through this long cave and see all different kinds of formations in the rock and there's this HUGE waterfall at the end. It's been nine years since I've seen it, but it's really pretty. You walk into a dark, dark room and you can hear the water flowing. Then they have lights all around it and they do a light show. Really pretty.

Sorry, didn't mean to get off the topic. Anyways, I'm really enjoying everything you've seen and done so far.

I hope Lacey has a safe trip home. So???? Are she and Jesse officially dating now? I couldn't help but ask since I saw that he was taking her home to TN???

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Lisa. I've never done a cave tour and probably won't. Caves remind me of bats and I HATE bats! I won't even go into the small mammal houses at zoos because of those creepy things.

Happy New Year if I don't get around to wishing you one later.

 

[mickeystoontown]

See this low ceiling/rock? This is where John hit his head. Yes, we all laughed.

The people in front of us were a little ways ahead and the people behind us were a little ways behind so I told John and Hunter to stop and let me take their picture:

More pictures:

Look at John protecting his head:

I took this picture because it had this weird creepy clown looking face in it. It took me a while to point it out to the others:

Another head protecting picture:

I need to stop here. The boss is here now and, just as I predicted, he's in a semi-sour mood. I think he's lonely during the holidays. Poor thing.

 

[jenseib]

sounds like fun. We have some caverns in Ohi, but it's been 10 years since we visted them. I think they are cool.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Great update, Lisa. I've never done a cave tour and probably won't. Caves remind me of bats and I HATE bats! I won't even go into the small mammal houses at zoos because of those creepy things.

Happy New Year if I don't get around to wishing you one later.

We girls must be so related. Don't do heighths, critters that crawl in the night, that would include snakes or any mammal exhibit,(I stepped on a bat once barefoot) and enclosed places. And No CLOWNS Now since we are related I'm adopting your mom Kathy and Lisa's mom as my own. Then I don't need to worry with mine own any more.