To be fair, at this point it’s several mornings after. But there’s good reason for that. As we mentioned in our previous post about the official announcement, despite the fact that we all knew this was coming – eventually – it’s hits different when it really happens.
Getting into the weeds a bit, we’ve contemplated what kind of impact this change might have on various pieces of Silverwood. There are some big opportunities we’d like to see them improve on, some things we’d like them not to touch, and some overarching changes we expect are just inevitable.
To be clear – this is all pure speculation based on evaluating Silverwood today and knowing how Herschend has run Dollywood and Silver Dollar City. We have zero insider information when it comes to any of this. Attempting to predict the future – especially when it comes to a big change such as this – may be a fool’s errand. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a lot of fun to talk about! If nothing else, it will be interesting to look back on all this in 5 or 10 years, and see what we got right!
And so, without any further dialogue, here are a few of our leading thoughts and predictions for the future:
More Family Friendly Rides. Yes, we do expect at least a couple of world class headliner coasters, and maybe an S&S Giant Screamin’ Swing. But beyond that, expect much of the all-new ride additions to lean heavily into being attractions the entire family can enjoy together. Silverwood today plays mostly in two worlds of mega thrills like Stunt Pilot and Spin Cycle, and kiddie rides such as Butterflyer and Tiny Toot. There’s not much in the middle. And that presents a huge opportunity to round out the offerings with things like family coasters and flat rides. Herschend has done this recently with Dollywood’s Big Bear Mountain and Silver Dollar City’s all-new Fire in the Hole.
Improving and Evaluating Current Rides. The continued transformation of Timber Terror will likely finish up first, with an added second train and full re-track, similar to what Tremors saw in 2025. After that, look for Herschend to carefully evaluate the remaining attractions. We’d suspect Corkscrew, with its historical status, is safe – and may even see vest restraints or new trains. Aftershock, with its costly maintenance and temperamental operations, is a big risk to get the axe. Finally, we’d expect changes to the Silverwood Central Railroad experience, as this has spiraled out of control in recent years to become a 30 minute non-stop barrage of poor Southern accents and cringe-worthy one liners. Dollywood’s railroad is an equally lengthy, but much classier experience. Look for Silverwood’s to follow suit.
Food will get Better. The food scene at Silverwood has always been wanting for more in terms of both variety and quality, and we’d suspect Herschend will capitalize on this opportunity quickly. The company is known for several specialty items in its existing parks – both the Cinnamon Bread at Dollywood and the Skillets at Silver Dollar City are known industry-wide. Herschend will no doubt bring some new concepts, outlets, and menus in what will probably end up feeling like a complete overhaul – look for them to lean hard into the Huckleberry scene.
Entertainment will Evolve. On the entertainment front, we can expect the Theater of Illusion to continue to provide magic shows, though it remains to be seen if Herschend will keep the Vegas-caliber quality. One thing that’s almost certain is we may never see Nick Norton again – for a variety of reasons – and while there’s a long conversation to be had on this topic, we always thought he nailed the theatrics. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the old Ice Skating Show building be put to better use – Blood Bayou is still incredibly popular, but it’s been there for over 15 years. And we may possibly see an all-new venue constructed for additional shows and events, possibly in the large grass field near the entrance.
A Hotel is Inevitable. Herschend leans hard into the “resort” experience – particularly at Dollywood. And they do a great job, with fantastic lodging offerings filled with great food, attractions, and entertainment. With its remote location and near zero competition close to the park, Silverwood is just ripe for an on-property hotel. We know from firsthand conversations that Gary Norton has had this on his future plans for at least a decade. For whatever reason, it never happened. That will change.
Boulder Beach Entry Changes. Herschend currently operates neighboring water parks to Dollywood and Silver Dollar City. Neither of these is “attached” to the theme park in the way Boulder Beach is. Dollywood’s Splash Country is a separate gate, requiring a separate ticket for entry. With Silver Dollar City’s White Water, admission is included with your ticket to the theme park. So it remains to be seen what Herschend will do with Boulder Beach. The company may eventually see it as a way to separate and charge a separate entry fee for the water park, as its own standalone experience. When a hotel is added and Herschend leans into the multi-day experience, treating Boulder Beach as a separate gate and ticket is not only an opportunity for more revenue and longer stays, but also a way to keep the water park and theme park at capacity, and balanced from an attendance perspective. If this happens, we’d expect it will be a few years.
So Long Scarywood? Finally, a real wild card to be considered is Scarywood. The annual Halloween event has grown and evolved into one of the Silverwood’s most popular offerings, and has commanded quite a following. It’s no secret that while Herschend does lean heavily into the concept of “Fall Harvest” at both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, they keep a very safe distance from all things haunt-related. Conversely, other Herschend parks such as Kennywood have continued their haunt events post-acquisition. We hope to see Scarywood continue, but we’ll have to wait and see where we are in Fall of 2026.
So, that sums up a few of our initial thoughts and predictions. Again, we have zero inside information about any of the above, other than the fact that Gary Norton has always wanted an in-park hotel. Beyond that, it’s all pure speculation.
Suffice to say – and to reiterate what we said earlier this week – the pros seem to vastly outweigh the cons. We’ll miss the charm of what Gary Norton created, as there is no way Silverwood’s “vibe” isn’t impacted at least in some way by this change. But based on our experiences at Herschend’s current offerings around the country, we’re excited for the future. This is a company that just gets it, and there’s every reason to think that Silverwood 5 years from now will be better than Silverwood today.
Planning a trip to Silverwood? Be sure to check out our Silverwood Trip Planning Guide to get some great ideas on how to plan your trip. Also, our Silverwood Rides and Attractions Guide and Boulder Beach Attractions Guide have even more details on which rides, slides, and shows to hit up while you're there!
Do you agree with any of our predictions? Do you think we are dead wrong on any of this? What else do you foresee changing as things move forward? Did we miss anything? What are you most excited/worried for? Let us know in the comments below!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
Some pros that you mentioned I wanna comment on
1. I would love an S&S Screamin swing to come here. I believe i’m right when saying this but there is not a Screamin swing anywhere on the west coast, so this would be an incentive for people here on the PNW who don’t travel far away who’ve never been on one to finally expierence it
2. I would love to see a headlining coaster from RMC like Dollywoods Lightning Run but it would be all IBOX. Right now Stunt Pilot, Tremors and Aftershock I would say are all the Headlining coasters, but I do think a ground up IBOX coaster would no doubt be the headliner.. and it makes sense for another RMC to be added to the park with their long time relationship and shipping the track and trains would be cheap/quick to arrive.
3. The food for sure would be much better in quality. There were some food items I bought this year that I did not find quite spectacular and I think Herschend could for sure fix that.
I thought at first Aftershock is safe as it’s the only GIB left in america but seeing as you said it’s costly to maintain does scare me that they may remove it. It’s an intense but very fun ride!! I hope it still has a long future. Everytime I come to the park Aftershock is always open, I’ve never seen it go down, but I always go in July/August so it’s prime weather for the ride clearly.
Lastly I don’t expect big changes to happen for a few years at least as with Kentucky Kingdom when they bought it in 2021 this year was their first big investment and next year with a new Vekoma Family coaster. I hope if/when Hershcend adds a family coaster to silverwood it’s not 1 train only as that’s been a Con of Silverwoods past.
Thanks for the comment Andrew!
There’s a small S&S Screamin’ Swing (4-seater) at a family fun center in Tukwila, WA. But aside from that, we don’t know of any others in the region, and certainly none that would be considered the large versions like we see at SDC and Dollywood. You’re spot on though – they are awesome rides, and fun for a wide range of people! It would be a great addition at Silverwood.
You’ve had much better experiences than we’ve had with Aftershock the past few years! Seems to be closed at least half the time we’re there, and when it’s open, operations are slow with frequent breakdowns through the day. There’s clearly a very specific set of weather conditions it can operate in; the slightest wind or temperature variations will shut it down. And we get it – last thing anyone wants is for that ride to stall out and require rider evacuations, so we are grateful that Silverwood is very careful about when to run it. But it feels like it’s getting past it’s prime. It was a great addition to the park in 2008, and has lasted way longer than it ever had any right to. But at this point, we wouldn’t be sad to see it be retired.
Hey sorry for the late comment, I wanted to reply sooner, but kept forgetting! Like I mentioned on the other post this news is very exciting, but also leaves me very nervous of what they will do with the Park.
Mostly with Boulder Beach like you mentioned they will probably make it have its own Ticket eventually. I’m just a bit nervous about it because what I do is buy the Season Pass during their Black Friday sale (Which I just did.) and then during the Summer I go every Friday that they are open after I get off work as it’s just about 20 minutes away. When it’s hot enough I go to Boulder Beach, and then to the main Park around when the Water Park closes. I hope that at least the Season Passes will let you go between both Parks, but if I have to buy a pass for both Parks then so be it.
Also Scarywood, ooooh Scarywood! I Dream of Scarywood all year long, and that’s what I’m most nervous about. I’m hoping against hope that they don’t get rid of it entirely. It sounds like from what you’ve said that they keep the Halloween events for the parks they’ve bought so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that. I’m expecting that they’ll get rid of some Haunts, but I hope that there will always at least be a Zombie Haunt, and a Clown Haunt.
Most of the things that I imagine they could do to the Park I think would be overall positives, so I’m not TOO worried, about it overall. There are some things I’m hoping for like a Dark Ride or something like that, but I’m not sure how likely that is. Mainly what I want just at this time is for Timber Terror to get the same treatment that Tremors did. Particularly near the end is very shaky. And the seats are a bit more restrictive than what I like, since I’ve been spoiled by the new Tremors, and Stunt Pilot. I saw people saying on Facebook that the prices are about to skyrocket which worries me a little, but I’ll wait and see.
Also I’m not sure what’s going on with Nick Norton if it’s public information, but I’m assuming it’s no so I won’t pry (Praying for him whatever’s going on!)
Thanks for the comment Joshua, and sorry for the delayed reply from us!! You raise a lot of concerns for sure, but overall we wouldn’t expect much to change for 2026. Scarywood is a big question mark, but we’d bet it isn’t going anywhere soon, due to how popular it is. In any case, it’s all very much “wait and see” at this stage, but to your point, most of the changes we’ll see in the coming years should end up being positives.