Skip to main content
Park Queue TimesPQT

Dollywood
vs
Kings Dominion

On a typical day Dollywood queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 17 at Kings Dominion, a difference of roughly 6 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right nowCompare 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.

Dollywood and Kings Dominion compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDollywoodUnited StatesKings DominionUnited States
Average wait per ride 11 min (best of the two)17 min
Rides with recorded waits 31 (best of the two)24
Longest typical queue NightFlight Expedition63 minRapterra35 min
Shortest typical queue Village Carousel5 minCarousel4 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running92% (best of the two)76%

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.

Dollywood and Kings Dominion compared on live queue times
Right nowDollywoodUnited StatesKings DominionUnited 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 11 minutes a ride against 17 at Kings Dominion, 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 Dollywood if…

  • You want shorter queues: Dollywood averages 11 minutes a ride against 17 at Kings Dominion
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 24 at Kings Dominion
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Dollywood's rides run 92% of opening hours against 76% at Kings Dominion
  • NightFlight Expedition is on your list - it is Dollywood's longest typical queue at about 63 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Dollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kings Dominion if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 17 minutes a ride here against 11 at Dollywood - for what Kings Dominion has that Dollywood does not
  • Rapterra is on your list - it is Kings Dominion's longest typical queue at about 35 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Dominion's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion sits in Doswell, Virginia, about 25 minutes north of Richmond. The park has one of the strongest regional coaster line-ups on the US East Coast: Intimidator 305 (a 305-foot giga coaster), Twisted Timbers (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Apple Zapple, Dominator (a 215-foot floorless coaster), and Racer 75. A Soak City water park is included with admission during summer.

Virginia summer school breaks, weekend visits from the DC / Richmond area, and the Halloween Haunt drive Kings Dominion's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically calmer. Check live queue times for Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers first thing on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits.

Kings Dominion live queue times

05 · Questions

Dollywood or Kings Dominion?

Which is better, Dollywood or Kings Dominion?

If you are judging on queues, Dollywood: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 17 at Kings Dominion, roughly 6 minutes back on every queue you join. Dollywood has 31 rides with recorded waits against 24 at Kings Dominion. Dollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 76%.

Which has shorter queues, Dollywood or Kings Dominion?

Dollywood, by about 6 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dollywood averages 11 minutes against 17 at Kings Dominion. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Dollywood best time to visit and Kings Dominion best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dollywood and Kings Dominion 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 Dollywood and Kings Dominion for the full ride lists.

Is Dollywood bigger than Kings Dominion?

By rides we track waits for, Dollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 24. 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.

Dollywood calendarKings Dominion calendarCompare other parks