As the Northwest's largest amusement destination, Silverwood theme park has been thrilling and entertaining visitors from all over the world for generations.
The History of Silverwood Theme Park
Silverwood began when Gary Norton, a founder of a local corporation, purchased a private airport in the early 1980s. He bought this air strip so he would have a place to store his collection of classic planes, as he had long had a passion for air travel and vintage aircraft in particular. When he won a 1915 steam engine at a prolific auction in 1986, he began to dream of having an amusement park that was transportation themed - he wanted the public to discover the joy and thrill of rare, antique planes, trains and cars - just as he enjoyed collecting and enjoying.
He named the park Silverwood to honor the Idaho region's mining and lumber legacy. The park enjoyed its opening day in June of 1988. Thrill rides were quickly added in consecutive years, and roller coaster enthusiasts in particular began to seek the thrills of Silverwood in the late 1990s.
2003 brought the opening season of Boulder Beach water park, which has also met great success with its terrifying flumes and fun family slides. The theme park celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2008, and the park is continuing to grow and expand with each season.
Basic Information
Today, Silverwood theme park is open for operation every May through September, and also on the weekends in October for a special spooky experience. The water park, Boulder Beach, is open May through September. You can find the most updated schedule here.
Silverwood's admission prices are some of the lowest in the theme park arena, with an adult paying a little over $40 for one day admission. They also offer half price rates for visitors coming to the park after 5pm. Ticket prices include both the original theme park and the water park, making it a great, full day that far exceeds expectations of what the ticket price suggests.
Relaxing in Luxury
If you love Boulder Beach, come back and book your own private cabana. This provides you with a shaded place to relax with friends and family, a locker for your personal items, rental mats and towels, and a personal refrigerator. When you plan a family reunion or birthday party, consider this option, with online booking available through their official website.
Outside of affordable admission and fun for the entire family, Silverwood offers some special events and deals throughout the season.
- Physics & Science Days are held in mid-May, and include academic competitions and a day of fun at the park. School Art in the Park is an early June event, where schools display their art projects and sidewalk art creations, all competing for prizes.
- In June, a Christian weekend also provides a 2 for 1 ticket price, and dads are free on Father's Day weekend.
- Springtime also brings discount days that celebrate the opening of various rides throughout the park - for example, May 1st and 2nd is $19.88 admission to commemorate the park's 1988 opening. Their famous ride, known as Tremors, celebrates an anniversary on the weekend of May 22-23, and since it opened in 1999, the ticket price for that weekend is - you guessed it! - $19.99.
- The summer season brings a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza, free admission days for Toyota drivers, and the Spokane to Sandpoint Scenic Relay Race every August.
- Finally, in the fall, you can enjoy a classic car show Labor Day weekend, community appreciation weekends where donating canned food will get you a half price admission, and grandparents can enjoy free discount days.
As you can see, there is always something exciting going on at Silverwood, and so when you find yourself in the Northwest, be sure to pay the park a visit!
