Skip to main content
Park Queue TimesPQT

Adventureland
vs
Kennywood

On a typical day Kennywood queues less: about 18 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland, a difference of roughly 11 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now

01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Adventureland and Kennywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyAdventurelandUnited StatesKennywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 29 min18 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 611 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Phoenix36 minExterminator46 min
Shortest typical queue Storm Chaser18 minSpinvasion8 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is runningNot recorded86%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Adventureland and Kennywood compared on live queue times
Right nowAdventurelandUnited StatesKennywoodUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Kennywood queues less: about 18 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland, a difference of roughly 11 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Adventureland if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 29 minutes a ride here against 18 at Kennywood - for what Adventureland has that Kennywood does not
  • Phoenix is on your list - it is Adventureland's longest typical queue at about 36 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Adventureland's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kennywood if…

  • You want shorter queues: Kennywood averages 18 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland
  • You want more to do: 11 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Adventureland
  • Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 46 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kennywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Adventureland

Adventureland in Altoona, just outside Des Moines, has been open since 1974 and is Iowa's largest amusement park. Monster is the steel coaster with the beyond-vertical drop, Outlaw and Tornado are the wooden coasters, and Phoenix, Storm Chaser and Draken Falls add more variety, with a large section of family rides. In the autumn it runs Halloween haunts on select dates.

Summer weekends and the weeks around the Fourth of July are the busiest. Weekdays early and late in the season are usually much quieter. Check the live queue times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a good day.

Adventureland live queue times

Kennywood

Kennywood is a historic traditional amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. It has been running since 1898 and is a US National Historic Landmark - home to three classic wooden coasters (Thunderbolt, Jack Rabbit, Racer) alongside modern additions like Phantom's Revenge (a steel coaster known for a near-400 ft second drop) and Steel Curtain (part of a Steelers-themed area).

Kennywood's season runs roughly May to October, with peak crowds concentrated on summer weekends, July 4th, and during the Phantom Fright Nights event. Weekdays in June and September stay noticeably calmer. Check live queue times before committing to Phantom's Revenge or Steel Curtain, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter day if you want plenty of re-rides.

Kennywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Adventureland or Kennywood?

Which is better, Adventureland or Kennywood?

If you are judging on queues, Kennywood: it averages about 18 minutes a ride on a typical day against 29 at Adventureland, roughly 11 minutes back on every queue you join. Adventureland has 6 rides with recorded waits against 11 at Kennywood.

Which has shorter queues, Adventureland or Kennywood?

Kennywood, by about 11 minutes a ride. On a typical day Kennywood averages 18 minutes against 29 at Adventureland. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Adventureland best time to visit and Kennywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Adventureland and Kennywood in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Adventureland and Kennywood for the full ride lists.

Is Adventureland bigger than Kennywood?

By rides we track waits for, Kennywood is the bigger day out: 11 rides against 6. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Kennywood is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Kennywood calendar