We are back from a recent visit to Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Waterpark, where we were able to spend a couple days checking out everything around both parks. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover – from the latest at Emerald Forest, several food and entertainment updates, and a possible tease of a new Scarywood attraction. Let’s dive right in!
We visited Emerald Forest on opening day back in June, and although we had a great time, it was not without a few bumps along the way. Such is the case for most major attractions on opening day, and we were therefore excited to get back and see how things were going after a solid month of operations. We’re pleased to report that Eagle Hunt is running spectacularly!
For starters, the water was significantly warmer. Granted, the outside temperature was also significantly warmer, so that might have had something to do with it…or perhaps it was just so hot we didn’t care either way! Regardless, we found the experience much more comfortable and pleasant. Additionally, the ride operations were running very smoothly, such that we only waited around 30 minutes for the attraction both days.
The landscaping around the queue was also filled in a bit more from last time, and the additional height/weight check scales were installed at the bottom of the stairs. This is nice because if you don’t meet the requirements, you’ll find out right away, rather than after waiting through the entire queue.
We also noticed that the weight check line backed up very fast at the beginning of the day, and then tapered off later on when the full staircase queue filled up.
That leads us to a key recommendation, and we’ll update our 2-day itinerary to reflect this as well: We do not recommend rope dropping Eagle Hunt. Yes, the line can get long at times, but unless you’re literally one of the first people in line, you are going to be waiting at least 30 minutes. And in order to be first in line, you’ll need to be at the park at least an hour early…so you’re technically waiting for an hour+ anyways.
Just check out the photos above of the long line to get into Boulder Beach just 10 minutes prior to the park opening. Instead, we stick with our time-tested strategy of hitting up Avalanche Mountain and Ricochet Rapids first. Plan to jump in line for Eagle Hunt around either lunch or dinner time, when people are taking meal breaks. Think of Eagle Hunt as the “Peter Pan’s Flight” of Silverwood right now: it’s where everyone goes first. If you want to maximize your day, you need to “zig while others zag”, to quote a fellow theme park blogger.
A few other things of note: The TV monitors are still not operational at the bottom splashdown, and the interactive Eagle features in the extended queue are still missing. That latter items is probably not too big a deal, as we rarely saw the queue back up much further past the base of the stairs anyways.
We also noticed some of the landscaping is almost completely filled in on the hill between Eagle Hunt and Riptide Racer – just one small section remains. The entire area is looking great overall!
Salmon Run was also a big hit with our littlest one, although we have to admit now that we’ve had a couple more days in the area, we’re slightly disappointed with the “max height” restriction on the majority of these slides. It’s understandable given the nature of the area, but we do wish they were accessible to taller kids as well. Polliwog Park still remains the one spot where all three of our kids can enjoy slides together.
One final note from Boulder Beach in general was, we noticed a massive upgrade in the soundtrack around the park. Historically, the same tunes were heard on a shorter loop and we’ve admittedly gotten a bit tired of in recent years. As such it was awesome hearing a lot of new tunes blasting throughout the park, including a lot of more modern music mixed in with the traditional 70’s Beach Boys tracks. Here’s hoping for even more variety in the coming years – it was a huge breath of fresh air for us!
Next up let’s discuss something very new-to-us…we did it, folks. After 20+ years of waffling back and forth every summer, we FINALLY splurged and rented a cabana. We know, we know…we’re supposed to be THE experts on all things Silverwood, so how is it possible we waited this long? Well, truth be told, a lot of it was simply procrastination. By the time we finally decided to try it each year, the cabanas were all booked out and it was too late. So let that be a critical lesson – if you’re thinking about it – don’t wait! Book as early as you can!
We will save all the juicy details for another post where we’ll review in depth and try our best to answer the question of whether it was “worth it”, but our general impression was very positive. From the private shaded space, to the locker/fridge, to the food delivery service, this was truly a great way to spend a day at Boulder Beach.
Stepping away from the water park, we had a chance to see 3 of the 4 different entertainment offerings at Silverwood for 2024. First up was another new-to-us show inside the High Moon Saloon. During lunch on our first day we happened to catch one of the performances of “The Engineers” – a trio of country music singers. They sang about 3-4 songs, and the show lasted about 15 minutes. It was just the right length, and a nice touch.
Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to see the Marvin the Moose show. It wasn’t playing on the day we stopped by, but that just gives us a reason to come back again!
Next up, the Silverwood Central Railway had two offerings this year, as opposed to the three from 2023. There is a 20 minute “no show” ride, as well as the typical 30-35 minute train robbery show.
The former is simply a ride around the full circuit with no stops, and with pre-recorded audio talking about the various sights along the way, as well as the history of the park. Familiar stories about the train auction, the bison herd, and other topics are discussed. It’s a nice change of pace if you want more of a quiet, leisurely ride through the woods. Sometimes, that’s really all we’re interested in. During our visit, this was the option for both first and last trains, as well as the rides in the middle (read: hottest) part of the day.
Alternatively, the train robbery show version includes some of the same pre-recorded dialogue, although not all of it. Instead it primarily features live actors, and as we discussed from our May trip report, has two stops this year. One out at the mine, and another at the show scene near Country Carnival. Most of the story beats are familiar here, but we didn’t care much for the second stop.
The set didn’t lend itself as well to decent views unless you were in one of the middle cars, whereas the mine “stage” out in the forest is easily viewable no matter where you’re sitting.
Finally, there’s the crown jewel of entertainment at Silverwood: Nick Norton’s magic show Phantasm. For 2024, it seems Isaiah Daniels has officially left the (park), and Nick is running the show by himself again.
We did enjoy the Nick-Isaiah duo show last year, so we were wondering whether we would like having it revert back to a single lead performer. As the lights dimmed, Nick even teased us that he felt like this was his favorite show he’s ever put together for Silverwood, so the stakes were high. Make no mistake: this is Nick Norton at his best. The tricks, special effects, acting, pacing, and showmanship were firing on all cylinders.
We’ve been watching Nick perform now for about 20 years. Every year we think there’s no way it could possibly get better, but this guy just keeps topping himself. And it’s not like the show needs improving – it’s been award winning for years. But yet, he keeps pushing himself to be better, and it truly shows. You may tire of hearing us say this but it always bears repeating – if you are at Silverwood, DO NOT MISS Nick’s performance. It is not just the best entertainment at Silverwood, it is hands down the best of all attractions – rides included.
We even took the time this year to wait in line to meet Nick after the show, and we’d recommend doing this if you haven’t before. He’s a great guy, not just on stage, but off stage as well. He and his crew took time to sign cards, and talk individually with each of our kids. Indeed, a class act all around.
Across the board, this has been a rather sweeping year of changes for Silverwood’s dining scene. There’s some good, some bad, and some borderline unforgivable changes to discuss here. For starters, the Boulder Beach food scene has seen some marked improvements. Namely, the Sapphire grill has brought back the personal pizzas, as well as some new Hawaiian rice bowls.
We tried the teriyaki bowl, and it was great!
A bit farther north in the water park, the quesadillas are still missing from Pablo’s, and the Chicken Shack remains shuttered.
But there are a few new items at Dessert Island, to help round out the selection of sweets.
And in general, we noticed that the food service in Boulder Beach has gotten faster. Normally we see long lines at all of the food stands, but during both our days last week we rarely saw queues filling up. This was despite both days seeing temps over 100 degrees, so it’s not like the water park was empty. Although the food quality isn’t quite as sky-high as it used to be, it’s still better than most theme parks, and we appreciate letting some of that go in order to help increase the speed of service.
Moving out of the water park, we did grab lunch at the High Moon Saloon to try out their new Panini sandwiches. We tried three of the four options – Turkey and Cheese, Monte Cristo, and Ultimate Cheese.
All three sandwiches were very similar – it just depended on what meats and cheeses were inside. No veggies or other toppings were available.
They also offer a kids box which includes an Uncrustable along with a few other snacks.
The sandwiches were a nice change up from the typical theme park foods you can get throughout the rest of the park, and each one was a good big portion and very filling. Next year we’d love to see a little more variety in these sandwiches, such as perhaps a grilled veggie option. Also, side note: Monte Cristo sandwiches should come with jam and powdered sugar. Always. We knew we weren’t going to get the Disneyland version here, but you can’t skimp on the essentials!!
As per our usual tradition, we did a meal at Lindy’s during our trip. And we were shocked to find that our family curse has made its way to Silverwood. What curse, you ask? The curse of “if we have a favorite menu item, it WILL be removed”. Yes, the Tandem Jump – the soup/salad combo and our single favorite food item at our home park – is no more.
We’ve been through this all too often. The enchilada platter is gone from Rancho Del Zocalo at Disneyland. The waffle sandwiches have vanished from Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom. And, and and… It never gets easier, no matter how many times it happens. What’s next – the Lobster Nachos at Lamplig……actually nevermind. Let’s not go there!
R.I.P. Tandem Jump – photo circa 2023
Instead we’ll just pay homage here to one of the greatest, tastiest, and most wonderful dishes at any theme park. It was the perfect balance in every way – light yet hearty; sweet yet savory, fancy yet simple. And it was even cleverly themed to the park and the restaurant itself! Maybe it will return someday, maybe it won’t. But at least we have the memories, right? A moment of silence, please…
Whinging aside, make no mistake – Lindy’s is still the best place to eat at Silverwood, and has incredibly reasonable prices for how good the food is. The burgers are still amazing, and the Gingham Salad is fantastic, along with the garlic fries. So we will not stop coming here or singing its praises…albeit with a slight grumble as we reminisce on “the good old days” when the Tandem Jump reigned supreme…
Lastly, we partook in a family feast at the Pizzeria in the Magic theater for the first time in quite a long while. We had forgotten how good the pizza is, as well as how good a deal it is. A large 16″ pizza, four huge breadsticks, four sodas, and a salad (which we added on), all for $35. Seriously, we wondered what planet we were on when we were given the bill?? Easily the best deal for food in Silverwood…and possibly…anywhere? Good stuff all around.
One more quick comment on food – the ice creamery still rocks. We did notice that the “signature scoop” went from 5 scoops to 4. But it’s still massive, and a great way to end your day.
Around the rest of the park, things were looking as good as ever. All of the coasters were running, including Aftershock, which we hadn’t ridden in years. It’s still just as good as we remember – surprisingly smooth for a Vekoma GIB.
We’re happy to report that SpinCycle is still running a full 360 degrees at Silverwood. #iykyk
The new scrambler was up and running and looked great against its Corkscrew backdrop.
We always stop by the coffee shop in the morning for sweets – make sure you do as well – a lot of these items sell out throughout the day.
The cinnamon bread, cinnamon rolls, and blueberry muffin tops are our favorites.
Progress continues along at the convenience store and gas station that is under construction.
Again, this will be a great addition to the area for sure.
One final major news topic to report – on both of our train rides, we noticed a massive new building being constructed across the tracks near Aftershock. We don’t know for sure, but we can only assume this will house a new permanent attraction at Scarywood.
As you can see, this building is HUGE. It looks to be at least 2 stories tall, with lots of room for a lengthy walk through.
If we had to wager a guess, whatever is going here should easily be the longest maze at the park. We should be getting an announcement soon, as Scarywood is only a couple months away. Fingers crossed!
We’ll close with a few shots of the park at dusk.
These Pacific Northwest sunsets lend to such an amazing backdrop for Silverwood.
And one final shot of the full coaster skyline as we headed back to CDA. A fitting end to another great trip.
Planning a trip to Silverwood this year? Be sure to check out our Silverwood Trip Planning Guide to help you get the most out of your visit. Also, maximize your time in the parks by using our Silverwood and Boulder Beach 2-day itinerary!
Have you been to Silverwood yet this year? What do you think of all the changes and updates? Did we miss anything? Let us know your thoughts - we love hearing from you!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
Great Report! I didn’t notice the new building, but I did see on one of the Maps around the Park that there would be a new Haunt for Scarywood although it didn’t say what it was. I thought maybe it would be something replacing the Pharaoh’s Curse, or Chuckles (I hope not! they are a lot of fun, and I love their theming!), but if they are building something new maybe it will just be an addition along with the others.
I live in Coeur D Alene, and it’s great having a place like Silverwood so close by. Right now what I do is get a Season Pass while they are on sale during November, and then I go a couple times a Month (At the very least!) while they are open at this time of year.
Thanks for the comment Joshua! We missed the sign on the map, but based on that it sounds like this will be in addition to all the existing attractions at Scarywood. And we agree – Pharaoh’s Curse and Chuckles are both great. With very few exceptions, we would much rather see something added as opposed to something getting replaced. Very excited to see what the theme ends up being!
I went back to Silverwood yesterday, and managed to catch the Marvin show. The last time I saw the show (last year? Maybe it was two years ago?) it was Marvin talking with the audience so basically I guess there would be somebody in another room watching, and listening, so they could talk through Marvin. This year it seems like it was all prerecorded, but there were two other characters (All three are Animatronic Animal heads.) Elmer the Elk (I think that was his name.), and Bruce the Bison. They talked/joked around with Marvin, and sang songs with altered lyrics about how they got to Silverwood, and their Romances. I assume they changed it so that they wouldn’t need to have the same person for every show to talk to the audience. The closest thing I can compare it to from my personal experience would be the Country Bear show in Disneyland, or the shows at Chuck E Cheese, but at a much smaller scale.
Also I saw the Magic Show again, as the last time I watched it (last month) Nick Norton wasn’t at the Show, but rather it was one of the Actors who I’ve seen during the Train Show in the past (I can’t remember his name, but he wears Glasses). Both shows were basically the same, but I think Nick’s version had a little more with the Card Throwing, and one of the Women doing Acrobatics (I’m not sure if that’s the right word.) with a big Ring over the Stage, but I can’t remember if there was anything more than that besides some differences in the dialogue.
Also I double checked the Scarywood AD thing on the Map, and took a picture. It looks like it shows a staticky old TV Screen with a bloodied Face in the static on it so I’m assuming it will be themed like that, at first I thought it was a statue’s face, until I saw it was in a TV.