In January 2016, while a prototype for a new spinning roller coaster concept was being made by Mack Rides, Jane Cooper, chief operating officer and president of Herschend Family Entertainment, and Brad Thomas, president of attractions for Silver Dollar City, went to test it at Europa-Park where it was featured on the roller coaster Blue Fire.

[4][5] During one of the several trips in June 2016, the name of the attraction was conceived from Cooper and Thomas' observation of the roller coaster's train design frame.

[4][5] Silver Dollar City announced "Time Traveler" on August 16, 2017,[7][8] which upon completion would be the tallest, fastest and longest spinning roller coaster in the world.

[16][17] In February 2018, Silver Dollar City announced that the roller coaster would open coinciding with the park's seasonal operations.

[29][30] The roller coaster is themed to the narrative of the fictional character, Charles Henry, and his recent acquisition of the family clockmaker business.

[32][34] Located in the Valley Road section of the park, the main street was reconfigured to construct new buildings for the area, which included restaurants.

[32] The station of the roller coaster consists of a three-story building that displays the narrative of Charles Henry and his clock factory.

The first story of the queue building consists of the factory's storage area, with information asking guests to become volunteer employees of the business.

Descending the 90 foot (27 m) drop at its maximum speed of 50.3 miles per hour (81.0 km/h), the trains enter a dive loop, head upwards into a left banked turn and then a right-banked U-turn.

Next, the trains enter the first linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch section where they stop momentarily before accelerating to 47 miles per hour (76 km/h) in 3 seconds.

Immediately after, the trains follow upwards into a left-banked turn and subsequently head downward into a right-banked curve where it transitions into a zero-gravity roll.

[36] Unlike conventional roller coasters, Time Traveler doesn't have a lift hill because it enters the course's layout after the initial drop out of the station because of the mountainous terrain.

The lap bar restraints automatically lower on each train and are locked into place by hydraulic cylinders, which are checked by ride attendants and operators.

Steel bristles are additionally located near each of the car's wheels to release electric charges a train may produce and hinder electronics on them.

[31] Guests from the American Coaster Enthusiast (ACE) conference hosted at the park remarked positively of its spinning mechanics, theming, and ride vehicle design.