The best theme park to visit for the holidays is in Missouri, USA Today says
A Branson amusement park once again has the United States’ best holiday event.
Silver Dollar City, located three hours southeast of Kansas City, was voted as the best theme park holiday event in USA Today’s 2024 “10 best theme parks in the US to visit for the holidays” poll. The nominees were selected by an expert panel, then readers voted for their favorite.
“We are so thankful for our friends from all over who took time to vote,” Brad Thomas, president of Silver Dollar City, said in a statement. “Christmas is such a special time for us, and we’re grateful to our fans for highlighting The City as the nation’s must-visit holiday destination. The energy and joy our Citizens bring to our visitors makes Silver Dollar City the best and brightest place to spend the holidays with friends and family.”
This marks the seventh time Silver Dollar City’s holiday lights were voted the best by USA Today, and it was voted the No. 1 amusement park in the U.S. earlier in 2024. The theme park earned the top holiday spot following a four-week voting competition that included other theme parks like Six Flags, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Legoland.
The Branson theme park’s holiday attraction is An Old Time Christmas, a festival that features over 6.5 million lights, two Broadway-style Christmas shows and a Christmas light parade with colorful and costumed characters. An eight-story Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the park, and many of the festivities take place around the tree.
Other holiday shows that happen at Silver Dollar City include:
- Joy On Town Square, a light production using LED-mapping technology and synced with music. Displays like angels, shepherds, ornaments and snow are shown around the tree.
- Christmas in Midtown, a light display that’s over 70,000 square feet with 145 miles of lights
- A sing-along steam train
- “Living Nativity,” a 12-foot-tall talking tree
- A Santa Claus meet-and-greet
The holiday display is open through through Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Single-day tickets for the theme park start at $92 per person for ages 12-64.
