Busch Gardens Tampa
vs
Kennywood

On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 36 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 14 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

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.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Kennywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Busch Gardens TampaUnited States	KennywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	22 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	11	12 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Cheetah Hunt47 min	Exterminator74 min
Shortest typical queue	Air Grover6 min	Aero 3608 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	61%	81% (best of the two)

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.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Kennywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Busch Gardens TampaUnited States	KennywoodUnited 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 Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 36 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 14 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 Busch Gardens Tampa if…

You want shorter queues: Busch Gardens Tampa averages 22 minutes a ride against 36 at Kennywood
Cheetah Hunt is on your list - it is Busch Gardens Tampa's longest typical queue at about 47 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Busch Gardens Tampa's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kennywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 22 at Busch Gardens Tampa - for what Kennywood has that Busch Gardens Tampa does not
You want more to do: 12 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa
You would rather not find rides shut: Kennywood's rides run 81% of opening hours against 61% at Busch Gardens Tampa
Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 74 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.

Busch Gardens Tampa

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines a full theme park with a 300-acre zoo, making it one of the largest combined attractions in the US. The coaster line-up is exceptional: Iron Gwazi (one of the world's top-rated roller coasters), SheiKra (a 200-foot dive coaster), Kumba, Montu (an inverted coaster), Cobra's Curse spinning coaster, and the classic Python. African animal exhibits include rhinos, giraffes and tigers.

Florida summer heat drives queue times into early mornings, while Howl-O-Scream, Christmas Town and US school holidays are the busiest periods. Weekdays in September, October and January stay dramatically calmer. Check live wait times for Iron Gwazi and SheiKra the moment you arrive, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for marathon coaster days.

Busch Gardens Tampa 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

Busch Gardens Tampa or Kennywood?

Which is better, Busch Gardens Tampa or Kennywood?

If you are judging on queues, Busch Gardens Tampa: it averages about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Kennywood, roughly 14 minutes back on every queue you join. Busch Gardens Tampa has 11 rides with recorded waits against 12 at Kennywood. Kennywood also runs its rides more reliably - 81% of opening hours against 61%.

Which has shorter queues, Busch Gardens Tampa or Kennywood?

Busch Gardens Tampa, by about 14 minutes a ride. On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa averages 22 minutes against 36 at Kennywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Busch Gardens Tampa best time to visit and Kennywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Busch Gardens Tampa 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 Busch Gardens Tampa and Kennywood for the full ride lists.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa bigger than Kennywood?

By rides we track waits for, Kennywood is the bigger day out: 12 rides against 11. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Busch Gardens Tampa 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.

Busch Gardens Tampa calendar Kennywood calendar Compare other parks