Handblown beauties at Hazel’s Glass (Silver Dollar City…The Ozarks)
For years, our family has purchased season passes to Christian-owned and operated Silver Dollar City. SDC is a family-oriented theme park which showcases the Ozarks at its finest. It’s one of my favorite places where time stands still.
Atmosphere, nostalgia, great food, and friendliness are hallmarks of this must-experience destination if you’re traveling to my neck of the woods. Bring your loved ones, wear your walking shoes, and prepare to have fun! (And crankiness isn’t attractive, so please be mindful–this IS a happy place!)
Now through October 26th, 2013, you can enjoy the Harvest Festival (complete with myriad craft vendors–like barrel-makers–who showcase their handmade wares). AND if you come hungry, you won’t leave that way. There are sit-down buffets with fried chicken and barbecued pulled pork, grilled burgers and hot dogs, catfish nuggets, funnel cakes, homemade ice cream, tater twists, kettle corn, and oh, so much more!
A craftsman at SDC demonstrating the ancient art of barrel-making.
Barrel-making does indeed have a rich history!
Except for a few of the winter months when SDC is closed, there’s always a festival of some sort going on. When our children were younger, the National Children’s Festival at Silver Dollar City was always a must.
Next up (beginning in early November) is the Old Time Christmas Festival. Thousands of multicolored Christmas lights decorate the park in the form of various beautiful displays with the main focus on the real reason for the season. Jesus. (Love that!)
Now, for those of you dare-devils who are into rides, don’t fret. There are plenty of those, too–roller coasters, swings, water rides, etc. I usually let the family tackle all that fun while I find a comfy spot and people-watch. Since I’m a writer, of course you might guess I can’t let such a golden opportunity slip past. I bring a little notepad to capture those not-to-be-missed moments and away I go. (At a theme park, there are interesting people and story ideas around every corner! And the snippets of lively conversation are an added bonus. = ) )
In Wednesday’s post I talked about why the Ozarks is the setting for my stories. Besides the natural beauty of the old hills and hollows here, there’s an ethereal quality to the way many folks still live. In some small niches, it’s like time has stopped and little pockets of paradise have been virtually untouched by human hands or hardened mindsets.
As seen at Silver Dollar City…The Ozarks
I visit places like Silver Dollar City and I’m reminded of the old ways. Days when there was “always room for just one more.” Days where heart, faith, and freedom mattered. Days where hope dwelled.
Now, I don’t write about perfect people or ideal situations. Even our ancestors carried secrets and harbored faults.
I write about the broken, the lost, and those searching for answers in communities bound by unity and Christ. Kind of like the Ozarks. And perhaps, kind of like your neck of the woods, too.
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Do you have a favorite go-to place where time stands still?
What, if anything, do you miss about the old days?
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Hope your weekend is a time-stand-still kinda time!
Blessings Always,
Comments 12
I love Silver Dollar City!
I miss the freedom in riding bikes all day and mom calling us home at dinner time, not through text but yelling our names. Actually, I don’t miss that part but my kids can’t ride around like I used too, and I think they’ve missed out on something every kid should experience.
Author
Jess, I miss those carefree childhood days, too. That’s why I like to re-visit my favorite spots. It keeps the memory alive of how things used to be.
I love Silver Dollar City around Christmas! My sister and I are actually planning a trip down there this winter because she loves Christmas more than anyone I know…my parents went last year and asked us if we wanted to come along at the last minute. We did and had such a blast…
Author
Melissa, the Christmas festival at SDC is so much fun! I enjoy all of it–the sights and sounds, the wafting scents of delicious yummies, the pretty lights, the awesome parade! I think our favorite places become all the more special when family comes along.
Our trip to Silver Dollar City was just perfect. Our entire family loved it! I’m so happy we were able to have the experience! Of course, even though I live in California, part of my heart belongs in the Ozarks…and I cherish all my family there!
Thanks for a lovely post about this special place! Have a blessed week!
Author
Kate, I’ve always said that one day it’s my dream to retire on the water. (Preferably the beach, but then again, lake life might be nice, too. I fear I’d miss the hills and hollows of where I was born and raised if I moved too far away. Definitely requires some thought…)
So glad you and your family had such a wonderful time!
Here’s wishing you a tea-time *cheers*!
What a lovely place!
I sort of live in a place like that…my workshop. I work on antique airplanes, and have had to learn the methods and sometimes make the tools that were in use 70 years ago, and more.
It’s hard to explain to others, but being immersed in the past has ‘synergized’ with my preferred reading (about that time period), and I feel sometimes like I have no real place in the world of the 21st century.
No…it is everyone else who is out of their time, and not I.
Author
Andrew, ahhh, aren’t our workspaces fun?!
I had to re-read your comment…you work on actual antique airplanes–you’re not talking about models? Wow! That’s so impressive! And you weave a bit of your craft into your novels, I’m guessing?
Have you read Sarah Sundin’s books? I think you might like them–they’re a combination of romance/history set in the WWII era.
I so enjoy immersing myself in the past and fusing it with the present. (The best of both worlds…)
Blessings on your writing!
Yes, real ones. For awhile we had the cockpit section (where the pilot sits) from a WW2 fighter in our kitchen. When my wife met me I had a wing in the living room.
I’ll look up Sarah Sundin…I’ve written one (unpublished, so far) WW2-era romance. I don’t use aviation much in my writing, though. I’m too close to it, and I’ve found that a bit of distance is needed to write effectively.
Author
Andrew, I’m sure yours is quite the love story! (I believe I remember reading part of it on the Married with Fiction site. Very inspiring!)
I’m looking forward to your books!
I like visiting “Old Town” a restored section of the city where my daughter lives. Antique shops mingle with little restaurants, historic buildings with modern fitness tenants. It’s a lovely place for a walk. There’s a nice coffee shop, too.
Author
Patti, “Old Town” sounds wonderful! I love nostalgia, antiquing, and those out-of-the-way kinds of places! Oh, if only we lived closer…