Silverwood opens 38th season with anniversary pricing, familiar experience
Silverwood opened its 38th season at $38 a ticket, with 2,000 seasonal jobs and a new owner promising, “Silverwood is still Silverwood.”
Silverwood Theme Park opened its 38th season on Saturday with a price tag that matched the milestone: $38 general admission for opening day, $19.88 for seniors and children ages 3 to 7. Main Street opened at 10:30 a.m. before the park welcomed guests at 11 a.m., setting up another summer when the Coeur d’Alene-area park anchors Kootenai County’s tourism calendar and family entertainment spending.
The opening carried a new ownership backdrop, but not a new identity. Director of Marketing and Communications Jordan Carter said the park’s first full season under Herschend Family Entertainment will not alter the core guest experience. His message was blunt: “Silverwood is still Silverwood.” Carter said the company’s support should help preserve the park’s family-centered feel while strengthening the operation behind the scenes.
That matters well beyond the gates. Silverwood plans to hire about 2,000 employees over the season, including about 1,200 workers before Boulder Beach opens June 6. For North Idaho, that makes the park one of the region’s biggest seasonal employers and a steady source of summer wages for students, service workers and families looking for extra income. The park will run weekends until Boulder Beach opens, then move into seven-day-a-week service, bringing a larger wave of visitors into local restaurants, gas stations, hotels and retail shops.
The park is not unveiling a headline-grabbing new ride this year, but it is not standing still. The historic Engine No. 7 train ride has changes planned, David DaVinci’s Vegas-style magic show is returning, and ParrotFX is set to come back in early June. Carter said this year’s theme, “Real memories. Real connections.,” is meant to emphasize what keeps Silverwood’s draw steady: families and friends building the same sort of summer traditions that have made the park a familiar regional landmark for nearly four decades.
For households weighing where to spend their entertainment dollars, the opening-day pricing made the pitch plain. Silverwood kept the familiar attractions in place, added the symbolism of anniversary pricing and used the ownership change to reassure guests rather than reinvent the park. In a summer economy shaped by cautious spending and competition for leisure dollars, that combination gives Kootenai County one of its most recognizable businesses a familiar edge heading into the season.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
