Cedar Point
vs
Dollywood

On a typical day Dollywood queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 19 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 6 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.

Cedar Point and Dollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Cedar PointUnited States	DollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	19 min	13 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits	21	31 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Maverick55 min	NightFlight Expedition79 min
Shortest typical queue	Power Tower Shot5 min	Lucky Ducky5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	83%	90% (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.

Cedar Point and Dollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Cedar PointUnited States	DollywoodUnited 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 Dollywood queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 19 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 6 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 Cedar Point if…

You will accept a longer queue - 19 minutes a ride here against 13 at Dollywood - for what Cedar Point has that Dollywood does not
Maverick is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 55 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Cedar Point's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Dollywood if…

You want shorter queues: Dollywood averages 13 minutes a ride against 19 at Cedar Point
You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Cedar Point
You would rather not find rides shut: Dollywood's rides run 90% of opening hours against 83% at Cedar Point
NightFlight Expedition is on your list - it is Dollywood's longest typical queue at about 79 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Dollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a legendary coaster park on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it's one of the oldest operating amusement parks in North America and consistently rated as one of the world's best coaster parks. The line-up is staggering: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Top Thrill 2, and many more across the park's 364 acres.

Cedar Point's season runs May to early November, with US summer school holidays, HalloWeekends and weekend days driving the biggest crowds. Midweek days in May, September and early October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Steel Vengeance and Maverick immediately on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date for marathon coaster days.

Cedar Point live queue times

Dollywood

Dollywood is Dolly Parton's theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, tucked into the Smoky Mountain foothills. It's a large park with a strong coaster line-up: Lightning Rod (a wooden-launched coaster, since converted to a steel track), Wild Eagle (the first wing coaster in the USA), Thunderhead (a GCI wooden coaster), and Mystery Mine. Southern-style food, craftsmen and live country music are integral to the park's character.

Dollywood's season runs March to early January, with peak crowds during the Smoky Mountain Christmas event and US summer school holidays. Weekdays in spring and autumn stay far calmer. Check live queue times for Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date - the mountain weather also affects ride availability day to day.

Dollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Cedar Point or Dollywood?

Which is better, Cedar Point or Dollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Dollywood: it averages about 13 minutes a ride on a typical day against 19 at Cedar Point, roughly 6 minutes back on every queue you join. Cedar Point has 21 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Dollywood. Dollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 83%.

Which has shorter queues, Cedar Point or Dollywood?

Dollywood, by about 6 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dollywood averages 13 minutes against 19 at Cedar Point. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Cedar Point best time to visit and Dollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Cedar Point and Dollywood 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 Cedar Point and Dollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Cedar Point bigger than Dollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Dollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 21. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Dollywood 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.

Cedar Point calendar Dollywood calendar Compare other parks