When I set up this sub-site to host my Adventureland History Wiki, I created this blog to hold Adventureland-specific posts. Since then, the scope of my main blog has increased, so I think I will move all of these Adventureland posts over to the main blog to keep everything in one place.
Hopefully this will go smoothly. I am hoping to work on this some upcoming weekend.
Once done, I will try to start writing some new retro photo essays about Adventureland, similar to the ones I’ve written about Disney and Universal. Adventureland just celebrated its 50th birthday, so it will be fun to look back 30 years ago when I first started taking photos at the park.
NOTE: Herschend does not own Adventureland. They plan to own it, but the sale has not yet happened. Per HFE:
“We do not currently operate any Palace Entertainment properties. Until the sale is final, please direct any questions to the relevant property or a Palace HQ representative.” – Herschend
On March 18, 2025, Herschend Family Entertainment announced plans to acquire the Palace Entertainment U.S. properties, including Iowa’s Adventureland:
Herschend is the family that originally leased the Marvel Cave near Branson, Missouri and then opened Silver Dollar City in 1960. Today they are a large corporation that owns a number of attractions around America (and some outside of it).
Adventureland had been acquired by Palace Entertainment in December 2021:
Palace Entertainment is a subsidiary of Madrid, Spain-based Parques Reunidos which owns properties around the world.
I haven’t visited Adventureland since their 21+ Halloween event in 2018 so I cannot directly comment on the final years under the original Krantz family’s ownership, nor can I comment on the three seasons Palace Entertainment has operated the park (2022-2024), but I certainly have alot to say about Silver Dollar City.
What is Silver Dollar City?
I first visited Silver Dollar City as a teenager in 1984. It was a lovely park, and I thought “I should really get back here in 40 years.” So I did, returning in 2024 and buying their low-cost annual pass which let us visit several times that year. The main reason for making the 6-hour drive to Silver Dollar City so many times last year, and twice (so far!) this year, is their special events.
Silver Dollar City has more events each year than even Walt Disney World’s Epcot does — and that’s saying something. This year, the are hosting:
Spring Exposition
Bluegrass and Barbecue
Summer Celebration
Southern Gospel Picnic
Harvest Festival
An Old Time Christmas
We saw several of these events last year, and their Harvest Festival had more pumpkins than any place I have ever been, including pumpkin patch. An Old Time Christmas has more Christmas lights than any place I can think of other than the discontinued Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights that used to be held at the Disney/MGM Studios in Florida.
You can take a look at this original Herschend park by browsing through my (currently) 6000 photos:
This is the question fans of (insert name of Palace Entertainment park that HFE is about to start running) have been asking online. There are plenty of folks upset with what Palace Entertainment did with their home park (see the various Kennywood groups for great examples of this), but also plenty that really liked the new energy they brought.
The same can be said for Adventureland. Many classic rides and shops and long-running entertainment offerings were removed, but the park received new rides and new paint.
What will Herschend do?
Looking at Silver Dollar City is most likely not going to be a way we can figure this out. SDC is operated as a theme park, not an amusement park. They have themed areas where the workers wear costumes to match. Even the people working in the popcorn wagon are wearing 1800s outfits. The workers on their prison-themed Flooded Mine boat attraction are dressed in black and white striped convict outfits (and, you get a gun that looks like a real gun to shoot at targets).
Flooded Mine works wear themed costumes in the park, as do all other workers.
The folks working their steam train are dressed as conductors. It is a completely different type of park than Adventureland.
The park also does its best to make things fit with the area they are in. Even the Dippin’ Dots stands are themed and not just the same modern food stand you would see at a carnival.
Silver Dollar City tries to hide modern lighting in the landscaping.
Also, while Adventureland has served beer for decades, there is no alcohol sold at SDC or its water park. Other attractions they operate in the area are also alcohol-free, though I have been told some of the hotels they run have booze. I am waiting on an official list from HFE on which of their properties allow alcohol.
When Palace took over Adventureland, I was told by management of the park that they were not really keen on having an Oktoberfest. Since that event continued as planned the next three years under Palace, perhaps they looked at the amount of money it made and decided to keep it.
Praise the Lord and Thank You for your Service!
While Adventureland has a church, SDC takes Christianity much further. Many fans of the park call Herschend a “Christian business.”
SDC is a place where, if you sneeze, someone will say “bless you” instead of “gesundheit”. Entertainment in the park will share Christian stories, or offer prayer requests at the end of the show. Their Christmas event actually says Christmas, and features a living nativity show as well as a stop on the steam train to hear “the true story of Christmas.” The park even has a church with Sunday service.
The Wilderness Church serves as a history display, and real church.
Each day starts with a flag ceremony, recognizing veterans. Many shows will ask veterans to stand and be recognized. This is not specific to SDC — it is common at many of the attractions in the Branson area. For this reason, all of this may just be “because the park is there” rather than “because Herschend owns it.”
What about the cinnamon bread?
If you have seen anyone commenting on this acquisition, you might have seen references to cinnamon bread. Cinnamon bread appears to be the “Dole whip” of Silver Dollar City (and also at the sister park, Dollywood, which originally was a second SDC). There can be long lines to buy a fresh loaf of this stuff. The park even has an express lane at the shop that sells it JUST for buying loafs!
Clara Belle’s world famous cinnamon bread can create long lines to buy it.
Fans of it are hopeful this might make its way to the Iowa park.
What does this mean?
Nothing. We know nothing but there is an intent to buy the Palace Entertainment parks. We can only look at other properties SDC has acquired to look at changes they made — and, changes may be localized and not apply at any other property. (For instance, alcohol being served at one Herschend property did not mean it would be served at all of them.)
Time will tell. Meanwhile, Adventureland has already had two different general managers since they took over the park, so another change of boss may not be as disruptive as it was the first time it changed.
I am overdue for the annual “anniversary” post, so I’ll try to find time to collect that information, soon.
The park is open for the 2021 with many changes, meaning the Wiki is a bit out of date now, referencing rides that have been relocated, renamed or replaced. Sometimes all three 😉
Recently, Adventureland announced a new multi-tier season pass offering for 2021. Four different passes will be available at different price points with different benefits. The complete details are found on the official website.
Here is a breakdown of the new tiers:
Bronze – $110
This new pass is $30 lower than last year’s $140 pass, but only includes:
Admission Monday-Thursday
No discounts, no parking, no Oktoberfest admission, no arcade game card, etc. This is the “babysitter pass” for parents to drop their kids off at the park. Since a pass that includes parking is only $30 more, and with parking costing $10 in 2020, anyone driving to the park and paying for parking more than three times is better off upgrading to the next level.
Silver – $140
The silver level, matching the price of last year’s full pass, is a step down from previous season passes as it does not include food/merchandise discounts, Oktoberfest admission, etc. It adds the following:
Free general parking.
$5 off a guest ticket.
Season Pass Holder Only Days admission.
Sunset on the Boulevard Concert Series admission.
Notice “general parking.” 2021 will now bring an upcharge for “priority parking.” Also new is the concert series and Season Pass Holder Only Days.
Gold – $175
The gold pass is the new equivalent to last year’s $140 season pass. This means the price jumped $35 this year, but some new benefits have been added. It includes everything from bronze and silver, then adds:
$10 off guest ticket.
1 free guest ticket on each Season Pass Holder Only Days.
Circo de Luz Admission
10% retail discount.
$5 arcade card.
Full refund on Adventure Bay tubes.
$20 off Adventure Bay cabana.
2021 souvenir cup with one soft drink or ICEE refill.
2021 souvenir bucket with one popcorn or cookie refill.
Oktoberfest admission (21+).
$20 off Labor Day Party admission (21+).
10% discount at Spectators Bar & Grill.
$10 RV campground discount.
$15 Adventureland Inn room discount.
Also note the new Circo de Luz and Labor Day Party events.
Platinum – $290
And, much like the special VIP packages offered at Oktoberfest the past few years, there is a new mega season pass which includes everything above, but adds:
Early Adventure Bay check in at 10:30. (Is this admission, or just check in to get in?)
$50 off Adventure Bay cabana.
PLATINUM CUP with free soda and ICEE refills.
Labor Day Party admission.
Park Hospitality Suite Admission.
$15 RV campground discount.
$20-30 Adventureland Inn room discount.
Free one night stay at Adventureland Inn.
Adventureland Inn Splash Pass.
I could not find any details on some of these offerings, so right now it’s a leap of faith on upgrading to a higher pass level for events or benefits that have not been announced. However, compared to regular single day admission to the park plus parking, an individual going to the park ($50 ticket + $10 parking) just five times is a break even for the $290 platinum level.
Obviously, using ticket discounts would require going more than that to benefit.
The new “babysitter pass” is likely to be very useful to families who can visit Monday through Thursday. A parent can get a gold pass that covers parking, and the rest of the family can get the basic bronze pass and save a bunch of money after just a few visits.
I, personally, would go for gold or platinum since I used my passes for numerous 1-2 hour visits to the park over the season. Depending on what the special events are, the upgrade from the $175 pass to $290 ($115) depends on if you planned to use the hotel room and the cost of the special parties. For someone who gets one or two sodas each visit, just having free soda refills might make it worthwhile.
These are some fantastic options. Let’s hope we are allowed to go to amusements parks in 2021.
Anniversary of the fire that destroyed have of Main Street (hat tip to Elizabeth Dunn Huether for mentioning this). The rebuilt Main Street re-opened for the 2011 season.
The big for 2020 was when Adventureland post this on May 17, 2020 to their Facebook page:
Mary 17, 2020 Facebook teaser.
The image of a knight slaying a dragon immediately started speculation that something would be happening to the double-loop Dragon coaster.
Two days later, on May 19, the park posted an animated GIF that has the same image rotating in to view with the text “The Dragon Slayer” above it:
May 19, 2020 Facebook post.
Facebook group member Alec Rushford posted that SkyHigh Coasters LLC had reshared the teaser on their Facebook page, with Tag Gable following up with a post saying that they were the ones that did the build job on last year’s Phoenix roller coaster.
Also on May 19, local TV station KCCI posted an article that included drone footage of the Dragon being dismantled at the park:
That post was quickly removed from the page, but said a zoomed photo taken off property confirms this was actually happening.
As of this posting, it looks like the park will have two rides less for the 2020 season, with something new to replace the Dragon next year. Nothing has been announced about a replacement for the Splash Over (though some have speculated maybe it is just being disassembled to be refurbished and will return).
I used to write articles for a technology and amusement publication based in California. I just ran across this one that I submitted in 1998. I do not recall if it was published (I’ll have to find my print copies and see), but I thought it would be fun to share now that my publishing agreement is long expired.
This was before they had a website! Wild.
FAMILY OWNED FUN
While corporate America continues to turn more and more things into mass produced, pre-packaged commodities, independent theme parks still draw an audience. Just outside of Des Moines, Iowa in Altoona sits Adventureland Park, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and still owned by the man who started it all back in 1973. This park sports three roller costers, including The Outlaw, ranked as a Top-40 woodie. Each year the park tries to add something new, such as high-tech carnival rides or, for the past two years, the rather nice travelling Royal Hanneford Circus.
You won’t find any multi-million dollar attractions here, but the prices are great (only $2 to park, and less than $20 to enter) and even the choice of food is unique. How many theme parks have a sit down cafeteria with fried chicken, salads, burgers and Jell-O(tm)? The theming is loosly an old West setting with a Main Streat (including train station) tribute to Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdoms. The employees are overall quite young but do a decent job at keeping things going. You won’t escape reality here, but you can spend an affordable day on rides and watching shows. For a special treat, find the rather mature lady who is the queen of guessing ages and weight and try to stump her. A fantastic assortment of merchandise is available with virtually every ride in the park on some sort of shirt, hat, or beach towl. There is even a nearby Adventureland Inn and Campground for those wanting to take advantage of the reduced 2-day passport.
Adventureland has no official web site and, although the domain name is registered and being held, no plans are known to add one any time soon. A few unofficial fan sites can be found on the net giving other insight on this park.
1998 Operating Season:
Mostly weekends in May and September, with full time operation in June, July, and August. Open daily at 10 a.m.
1998 Prices:
Parking: $3 / General Admission: $19.50 / Children 4-9: $18.00 / Children Under 3: Free / Seniors: $15.50
Park Information: (800) 532-1286 or (515) 266-2126/2121.
This might explain why there was a sharp spike in activity to this blog yesterday. The top search results that people are looking for when they end up here are “maps” and “season pass” information. Frankly, I’m surprised they can even find this site buried in all the hundreds of travel sites that have Adventureland entries.
Welcome, new visitors! Be sure to check out my Adventureland Wiki for some neat park history.
Recently several very old Adventureland post cards popped up on eBay that I had not seen before. One in particular showed “The Moat’ which was the original entrance to the ride area of the park. I knew that the location was the bridge at the end of Main Street, but I’d never seen a picture of what was there. I guess in my mind it was someone just taking tickets or something, but it was actually a ticket building of some sorts:
The Moat (entrance to the ride section of the park). Behind it: Der Flitzer. Back of post card for “The Moat.”
I believe that is the original bridge that was still in the park in 2017, but was rebuilt between the end-of-season and that year’s Oktoberfest. If you notice, there is fencing along the left of the photo, which would have kept visitors from going past the end of the Main Street buildings.
Also, middle right of the photo are the old one-way exit turnstiles like the park used to have at the entrance. That would have been where ride visitors would have exited back to Main Street.
Behind it appears to be Der Flitzer. That roller coaster (originally called Rallye Racers) sits about where the Splash Over is today. This clears up something I’ve wondered about.
The roller coaster was located in the “Alpine Village” section of the park and the Giant Skywheel (100′ tall Ferris Wheel) operates in its spot today.
– Roller Coaster Database entry for Der Flitzer
Apparently this is incorrect, since this post card shows it’s location further down, towards The Boulevard. Also, we found a photo of the Sky Ride that had the coater in the background, and the coaster in that picture matched the description of Rallye Racers. My wiki entry notes:
It was located somewhere around where Tea Cups is. This is based from seeing it in an old photo of the Sky Ride that was taken in 1975. It shows a coaster matching this description in the background. (Thanks to Johnathan C. for pointing this out.)
If Rallye Racers were there (down from the Tea Cups) and the post card shows Der Flitzer in the same location, then the notes about it being relocated may be incorrect.
Does anyone know if Rallye Racers was just rethemed and renamed in the same location to become Der Flitzer?
Adventureland has announced a new spinning coaster called Phoenix. It is from Maurer Rides in Germany, and will reside in the location formerly home to The Inverter. They are targeting a June 2019 opening.
