BRANSON, Mo. — Silver Dollar City announced Thursday that it plans to invest $500 million over the next 10 years, starting with resort development.
This large-scale project includes a 1,200-acre development adjacent to the theme park overlooking Table Rock Lake.
Silver Dollar City Resort is the centerpiece of the planned development. The seven-story, 262-room resort, already under construction, is scheduled to open in late 2026. The resort will offer guests unprecedented access to the theme park and will also serve as an event center, according to company president Brad Thomas.
“We’re going to see a lot of announcements like today over the next 10 years,” Thomas said. “A $500 million investment. The first step is this resort we’re building here.”
This investment is the largest in the park’s 65-year history.
Before announcing the plans, Thomas joked, “No, folks, we’re not building a five-story Dollar General.”
Silver Dollar City Resort aims to bring more visitors to the Ozark Mountains and create a true destination for tourists from across the country. Thomas said the investment is a love letter to the company’s belief in the Ozark family.
Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, compared the expansion to the success seen at Dolly Parton’s Stampede in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Herschend is a privately owned themed entertainment company that operates Silver Dollar City and Dolly Parton’s Stampede.
“It’s starting to draw people from far and wide and continues to grow as a true destination,” Wexler said. “That’s what we’re going to experience here, and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to showcase not only Southwest Missouri, but the rest of Arkansas.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson echoed similar sentiments, praising the investment as beneficial to the region’s tourism and economic growth.
“I’m excited that this project will bring thousands of new jobs and millions of new visitors to our state,” Parson said.
Additionally, the resort is located near other popular family attractions such as White Water Park, Showboat Dinner Cruise, Pink Jeep Adventure Tours, and Silver Dollar City Campground.
USA Today recently named Silver Dollar City the No. 1 theme park in America for the second year in a row.
Ahead of the resort, Thomas announced other additions to the park’s 2025 schedule. Silver Dollar City’s Festival Plaza, for example, will undergo billions of dollars worth of renovations next year. The expanded plaza will feature a Christmas tree comparable in size to Rockefeller Center’s iconic Christmas tree.
Next Christmas attendees will also be able to experience an all-new mountain music show performed by Lindley Creek at the park’s Town Hall. That show, by a bluegrass group from Buffalo, Missouri, will take place in November.
In December 2025, bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent, who began her career at Silver Dollar City, will return to play every day this month.
“This isn’t just growth, it’s a new era,” Thomas said.
Silver Dollar City, the famous theme park in Branson, Missouri, announced yesterday a $500 million investment. By the end of 2026, this will be the view of the park’s new seven-story resort. (NWA Democrat Gazette/Dustin Staggs)
Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend Enterprises, compared the 1,200-acre expansion project to the success seen with Dolly Parton’s crowd in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and said the resort will bring more people to the Ozarks. He said it should be done. (NWA Democrat Gazette/Dustin Staggs)
