Northern Idaho - Silverwood Theme Park

A month ago my sisters and I took a whirlwind trip to Spokane and Athol (though we kept saying Coeur D'Alene). That trip will comprise the next few posts. The first leg was Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.

It would not be fair to write a review based mainly on ways in which they are or are not like Disneyland, but it is hard not to draw some comparisons. I will try and focus on what is unique about them.

One thing I was really impressed by was the variety of midway games available.

They also had some pretty cute prizes.

The landscaping was also good, with lots of flowers everywhere.

The rides are for the most part like your average carnival rides, though it is possible to have more confidence in them knowing that they are not taken apart, moved to another town, and then reassembled every week.

Some rides are clearly designed more for kids - like at Garfield's Summer Camp - and some are less obviously so.

For example, an adult can ride the Elephant Ride and getting in isn't a problem and the restraints aren't a problem, but more leg room would have been lovely.

You might expect that one to be more adult-friendly, because it is in Coaster Alley, the place with lots of rides that are clearly not just for little kids, even if they are not specifically roller coasters. Of course, the Elephant Ride is on the edge of Coaster Alley.

We were keeping a pretty tight schedule and did not really go on a lot of rides, but there was plenty of atmosphere and fun things to look at.

Although the towers and flowers can remind one of a storybook Europe, the park is very much in touch with its Northwest roots.

We did not explore the water park side of Silverwood. We have heard good things, but that's not what we were there for.

Actually, a lot of our purpose in going was Garfield, but I will focus on that next week.

I did really like the carousel.

That was not just for the ride, but for the art.

Ultimately, it is a fun place. There are bigger parks, and there are parks with more accessible rides, but I was pleased to see a 10-page accessibility guide on the web site: 

http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/park/accessibility-guide.pdf

I looked for it after seeing the staircase, though there is also a ramp.

The stairs are at the end of a tunnel that goes below the road separating the theme park from the RV ground.

I am told that this is a huge factor for people who visit the park, with a lot of their traffic being families with RVs. That was probably how my parents and sisters ended up there twenty years ago.

Ten years ago they went back with a friend. Last month they went with me.  Neither of those trips involved RVs though. Those are kind of like water parks for us. It's great if you want them, but not our thing.

https://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/