We had been wanting to head east to go to Silverwood for a few years, so we finally made it this week. All in all, it was a fun time. We've taken our boys to DisneyLand before, and I'd say Silverwood is good but nothing like a Disney experience. It's more Country style, more laid back, and fewer rides\attractions\shows of course.

We bought the two day passes for Silverwood and Boulder Beach. I think the discount rate was about $65 each). We went on Monday and Tuesday, and the crowds were light. I've heard that weekends are pretty heavy. If we go again, I think that we'd all agree to just do a single day unless we go with another family.

We got into the park early on the first day and immediately got onto the bigger roller coasters with prety much no wait time (about an hour or so later we noticed that the lines were easily 30-40 minutes longer especially on the bigger coasters). We did some more rides, ate lunch, rode the train, saw a good magic show, and then headed over to the water park. Honestly, our kids had a blast in the wave pools and on the slides (some slides had somewhat long waits, but nothing too terrible). The second day our kids asked to spend more time in the water park, so we went there after riding a few rides in the morning and spent almost the whole day swimming, riding inner tubes on the lazy river, and going on the water slides. We went back around 5pm and had a good BBQ Dinner (all you can eat buffet with burgers, hotdogs, chicken, and BBQ ribs). After that we rode some more rides and grabbed a few snacks to end the day.

Another hint: since there was 5 of us, we splurged for a refillable soda cup. I think it was $8. You get all you can drink all day long at most of their food stands, plus the souvenir mug which we took back for the 2nd day.

Some of the negatives...
1. The admission prices and food prices were pretty steep for what you get, especially since you aren't allowed to bring your own food or drinks, although they were letting us in with water bottles because of the heat.
2. The rides at Silverwood are very fun, but with a few simple improvements this place could almost take it to the next level. My suggestions would be to add AT LEAST a 2nd car to each of the major rollercoasters so that loading\unloading could be sped up tremendously. The way it is now, it is very slow and inefficient. They also could use another attendant or two on the bigger rides to help move the people in and out quicker. Disney has perfected this aspect. They realize that slow lines make people ticked off, so they've figured out how to maximize the ride efficiency and they keep people occupied while in line with interesting features. At Silverwood, while you wait in line you get to look at the back panels of 6x4 plywood.
3. There is not a nice, large central area. You enter in the gate and either head left and walk a few blocks to get into the roller coaster area, or you head right and walk a few blocks to enter the water slides. There is a rinky-dink 'Main Street' area, but it's not fun to hang around. I'm comparing to Disney, of course, but most of the other Theme Parks I've gone to have something more fun and interesting at the central area.

So I do recommend Silverwood as a fun place to take the kids, but would caution you to go mid-week, get into the park early to hit the big rides, and be prepared to spend some money.

My family and I are theme park junkies and decided th visit Silverwood this summer. I went to costco for my tickets. You'll save almost 10 dollars per ticket that way. We stayed in Spokane and it was about a 45 minute drive from our hotel to the theme park. It was a tuesday so the park wasn't super crowded and the lines for everything moved pretty fast. What I was most impressed with was the prices of food inside the park! Cotton candy was $2 as was kettle corn and numerous other snacks. I have 4 kids and any company that will put families in front of the almighty dollar deserves my business. It was so nice to be able to say "yes" when my kids asked for things. Our family of 6 ate lunch in the park and had drinks and snacks all day and I only spent $65.

Located near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho just outside Spokane, Washington, Silverwood Theme park is a true gem. It is a rarity of a regional theme park that has as much to offer as many of the more well know locales in California and the east coast.

The park was started out simply as a main street attraction that featured a very popular train ride on a historic engine that the owner of the park obtained when he outbid the Disney Corporation. Over the years the park has made the most of the 600+ acres it owns, and has currently developed over 200 acres to include 65 rides and attractions. The park offers something for everyone from the youngest riders to the more seasoned thrill seekers.

When guests first enter, they are presented with the amazing detail and architectural accuracy of a main street that offers everything from a coffee house in a built-to-scale Victorian style home to an old West saloon and theater which offers a glimpse of the past, as well as some great food and souvenirs at prices which are lower than one would expect to find at most theme parks.

The park offers a selection of rides for children and they vary from a carousel and mini coaster to a Ferris wheel and flying rides such as copters and planes.

The Country Carnival section of the park has some really enjoyable attractions for those seeking classics like Tilt a Whirl, Scrambler, Round Up, Paratrooper, and Ferris Wheels.

The bumper boats and Log Flume offer guests a chance to cool off as does the white water raft ride, Thunder Canyon. I have ridden many water rides in my life, but I have never been more soaked than the times I have ridden Thunder Canyon. If river itself was not enough, a well-timed water shot from a quest dropping a quarter into a soak cannon did the job.

During our time in the carnival zone, I enjoyed the Krazy Kars and had a great time chasing others around before slamming into them. The staff is friendly and very accomodating. Souvenir shops offering snacks, hats, sunscreen, shirts and bottled drinks quickly got our hands full, but the conveniently located and reasonably priced lockers near the gaming midway had more than enough room for all of our items with plenty to spare.

For guests wanting big thrills, the park offers some of the best thrill rides anywhere in Coaster Alley which is highlighted by the brand new coaster Aftershock which offers speeds of over 65 mph, a 177 feet drop and a dizzying cobra loop. Fans of wooden coasters will enjoy the out and back classic Timber Terror and the amazing Tremors which has been voted one of the ten best coasters in America, which is amazing considering the ride is just now celebrating its tenth year.The Timber Tremor drops riders over 100 ft at a speed of 60 miles an hour and features four underground tunnels. The classic Corkscrew, which was purchased and shipped from Knotts Berry Farm, and the thrilling Panic Plunge round out this very impressive section of rides.

The park is immaculate and the staff is very friendly and helpful. My wife and mother were amazed at the landscaping and beautiful flowers. The abundance of picnic and seating areas offer a very scenic locale to enjoy a meal or a much needed break from the excitement.

After going through the park, we took the train tour, and our guide, Steamer, offered up great points of interest and history of the park, which included a herd of buffalo and a train robbery where all money raised benefits a local charity.The park features several live shows including an illusionist and an ice skating show. During out lunch on Main Street we enjoyed a performer who impersonated a series of country artists like Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and Shania Twain.

While this would be plenty for most parks, Silverwood has a water park named Boulder Beach available for guests and admission is included in the ticket price.Upon entering Boulder Beach, my wife commented that she would never look at our local water park the same way again after seeing this spectacular park.

From the numerous slides and two wave pools to the ability to rent a private cabana for the day, the park offers everything you will need to stay cool. One wave pool had large undulating waves, while the other one featured roaring white caps that invited boogie board action. The lazy river ride Elkhorn Creek was one of my favorites as it featured a bar where you could float up to and order an array of tropical drinks.

If thrills are what you have in mind, then rest assured, the parks speed slides will more than meet your expectations.For guests with younger children, Boulder Beach also offers Polliwog Park a splash and play area as well as areas perfect for wading.

Not only is Silverwood Theme Park as must see attraction for guests in the area, it is a very good destination resort for those looking to spend some time in Eastern Washington and Idaho. My only regret was that we did not have more time to enjoy the park, but we had a wonderful time, and look forward to covering the park in future visits.

Discount tickets can be purchased at most Costco stores as well as discounted tickets for children and seniors.

We visited Silverwood theme park for the first time last week- Friday July 24th- and had a wonderful time. In contrast to some reviews from 2008, I was very impressed with the cleanliness and outstanding customer service of both parks. There were cleaning people everywhere you looked, the midway games personnel and ride operators were always saying "Have a nice day" or "enjoy your time here" as we walked past. When we did play the games, the personnel usually upgraded our prize or made it easier for my kids to win.

The food was well portioned and priced accordingly. If I had one thing to change about that, it would be to share meals because we ended up throwing quite a bit away.

The park itself is beautifully maintained with green grass and lovely flowers and trees. The water in the water park was sparkling clean and the locker rooms were surprisingly clean with the huge amount of traffic in and out of them.

I wish I had not bothered to rent tubes because they were provided free of charge for all the water slides and not allowed in the 2 huge wave pools. You only need tubes for the lazy river and we did not spend any time there anyway. If you do rent your own tubes, you can use an "express line" for the water slides, so that helped a bit.

The park was crowded on a sunny July Friday, but we found the wait in line for the water slides to be only about 20 minutes and about 30 minutes for the amusement park rides. We did not wait at all for admission tickets or to get a locker.

Overall, we were very impressed with Silverwood and I intend to recommend it to my friends and to return again next summer.