Silver Dollar City’s Old Time Christmas Still Inspires
There’s a moment at Silver Dollar City when the whole place seems to exhale. It usually happens right after dusk, when the last streaks of daylight slip behind the Ozark Mountains and the park’s 6.5 million Christmas lights illuminate the world. You can try to take it all in-every building, every tree limb, every lantern wrapped in color-but eventually you just stand there and let it happen. The glow feels bigger than a theme park, like a small town agreeing to celebrate at full volume. This is Whoville without the Grinch.
My wife Anita and I enjoyed the park last weekend. For us, it’s an annual trek and one that helps us ring in the Christmas season. We seem to know every inch of it by heart, and I know this sounds corny, but it has a special place in our hearts.
This time of year, you might think people wander in bundled up like they’re heading into a snow globe or riding Outlaw Run over Mt. Everest. But the Ozark’s milder late autumns mean the heavy jackets don’t come on until evening. With mild temps in the upper 50s expected before Christmas, there’s no reason not to plan a trip.
It brought back a lot of memories of when our children were younger. Kids tug at their parents, wanting to race ahead toward the giant Christmas tree on Town Square. When the tree launches into its light-and-music show, everything gets still for a moment. Even parents who’ve seen it before stop mid-stride. That’s true for Anita, who grabbed my arm to stop and enjoy the light display and music. It’s spectacular, yes, but there’s also something grounding about it-like a reminder that the season is supposed to feel a little magical.
Walk a few steps and you’ll hear music drifting from nearly every porch and theater door. Gospel groups blend harmonies with a Christmas flavor that bounces down the streets. Bluegrass bands slip carols between fast-picking instrumentals, and somehow it works perfectly. The whole soundtrack of the place-laughter, warm voices, fiddles, and brass, makes it impossible not to slow down.
One of the quieter corners of the park hosts the Living Nativity, a gentle, sincere retelling of the birth of Jesus. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t try to compete with the parades or the big productions. Instead, it offers a few minutes of calm where visitors sit shoulder to shoulder and take in the story that started the holiday in the first place. People leave this show a little quieter than they went in, maybe with a lump in their throats.
Of course, Silver Dollar City, voted best Christmas destination in the U.S., still delivers its signature theatrical favorites. A Dickens’ Christmas Carol rolls out with big sets, rich music and enough energy to make even Scrooge entertaining. We attend a lot of Broadway productions and this production competes with the best of them.
Over at the saloon, the frivolity of this vaudeville troupe brings the laughs and there’s always someone from the audience who is pulled into the plot. The craziness is tempered at the end by a reflection Christmas really means. We’ve seen it dozens of times but the wait in line is always worth it.
Then there’s the Frisco Sing-Along Steam Train, chugging through dark woods with riders belting out carols like they mean it. As the train twists and turns through the park’s hills, you see glimpses of the millions of lights through the trees. The train stops mid-journey for a sweet retelling of the Christmas story from a grandpa who speaks to you as if he’s welcoming his children home to his country cabin.
Don’t worry if you think the rides are closed. You’ll ride all your favorites, including the new Fire in the Hole.
By the time the night air finally pushes through your coat and you find your way back to the exit, it hits you: Christmas here isn’t just lights and shows. It’s the feeling of being wrapped up in something warm, familiar and wonderfully old-fashioned.
If you haven’t been to Silver Dollar City in years, maybe since your kids were young, why not make the journey before the end of the year? For the park, Christmas isn’t a marketing strategy common with most big brands and theme parks. Here, the spirit of Christmas and its true meaning are visible all year, and it shows in how they celebrate it.
2025 Dates & Hours:
An Old Time Christmas runs through Jan. 4, 2026. Most operating days are 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., though specific schedules vary, so it’s best to check the park calendar before visiting.
Visit Silver Dollar City for more info.
–Dwight Widaman
