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Park Queue TimesPQT

Dollywood
vs
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

On a typical day Six Flags Discovery Kingdom queues less: about 15 minutes a ride against 20 at Dollywood, a difference of roughly 5 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.

Dollywood and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDollywoodUnited StatesSix Flags Discovery KingdomUnited States
Average wait per ride 20 min15 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 33 (best of the two)17
Longest typical queue Smoky Mountain River Rampage60 minTHE JOKER33 min
Shortest typical queue Piggy Parade5 minAcme Fun Factory1 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running91% (best of the two)87%

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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom compared on live queue times
Right nowDollywoodUnited StatesSix Flags Discovery KingdomUnited 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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom queues less: about 15 minutes a ride against 20 at Dollywood, a difference of roughly 5 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 will accept a longer queue - 20 minutes a ride here against 15 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - for what Dollywood has that Six Flags Discovery Kingdom does not
  • You want more to do: 33 rides here have recorded wait data against 17 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Dollywood's rides run 91% of opening hours against 87% at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
  • Smoky Mountain River Rampage is on your list - it is Dollywood's longest typical queue at about 60 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Dollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags Discovery Kingdom if…

  • You want shorter queues: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom averages 15 minutes a ride against 20 at Dollywood
  • THE JOKER is on your list - it is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 33 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Discovery Kingdom'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

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom sits in Vallejo, California, on San Francisco Bay's northern edge. The park combines a theme park with a marine-animal section, running coasters like Medusa (the West Coast's first floorless), Kong (an inverted coaster), Superman: Ultimate Flight, Joker 4-D Free Fly Coaster, and the newer DC Stunt Coaster. Dolphin, sea lion and bird shows run throughout the day.

Bay Area weekend visits, California school holidays, and the Fright Fest event drive Discovery Kingdom's peak crowds. Weekdays in April, September and October are dramatically quieter, with queue times on most rides staying short. Check live wait times for Medusa and Superman on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits. The bayside setting makes for pleasant walking even on quieter days.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom live queue times

05 · Questions

Dollywood or Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

Which is better, Dollywood or Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

If you are judging on queues, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: it averages about 15 minutes a ride on a typical day against 20 at Dollywood, roughly 5 minutes back on every queue you join. Dollywood has 33 rides with recorded waits against 17 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Dollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 91% of opening hours against 87%.

Which has shorter queues, Dollywood or Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, by about 5 minutes a ride. On a typical day Six Flags Discovery Kingdom averages 15 minutes against 20 at Dollywood. 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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dollywood and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for the full ride lists.

Is Dollywood bigger than Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

By rides we track waits for, Dollywood is the bigger day out: 33 rides against 17. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 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 calendarSix Flags Discovery Kingdom calendar