Dollywood
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

On a typical day Dollywood queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 22 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, a difference of roughly 9 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.

Dollywood and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	DollywoodUnited States	Universal Islands Of AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride	13 min (best of the two)	22 min
Rides with recorded waits	31 (best of the two)	18
Longest typical queue	NightFlight Expedition79 min	Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™64 min
Shortest typical queue	Lucky Ducky5 min	Storm Force Accelatron®5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	90% (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 Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right now	DollywoodUnited States	Universal Islands Of AdventureUnited 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 22 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, a difference of roughly 9 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 13 minutes a ride against 22 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
You would rather not find rides shut: Dollywood's rides run 90% of opening hours against 87% at Universal Islands Of Adventure
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

Pick Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

You will accept a longer queue - 22 minutes a ride here against 13 at Dollywood - for what Universal Islands Of Adventure has that Dollywood does not
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ is on your list - it is Universal Islands Of Adventure's longest typical queue at about 64 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Universal Islands Of Adventure'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

Universal Islands Of Adventure

Universal's Islands of Adventure is widely regarded as one of the best theme parks in the world. Its line-up blends record-breaking coasters with detailed themed lands: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, VelociCoaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Pteranodon Flyers, and the classic Jurassic Park River Adventure. The Wizarding World's Hogsmeade is the park's most iconic area.

Like its sister Studios park, Islands of Adventure stays busy year-round, with Hagrid's and VelociCoaster consistently posting the longest queues. Peak periods are US school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas. Check live wait times immediately on arrival and head to Hagrid's first. Use our crowd calendar to pick the quietest possible date for your trip.

Universal Islands Of Adventure live queue times

05 · Questions

Dollywood or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, Dollywood or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Dollywood: it averages about 13 minutes a ride on a typical day against 22 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, roughly 9 minutes back on every queue you join. Dollywood has 31 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. Dollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 87%.

Which has shorter queues, Dollywood or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Dollywood, by about 9 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dollywood averages 13 minutes against 22 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dollywood and Universal Islands Of Adventure 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure for the full ride lists.

Is Dollywood bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Dollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 18. 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 calendar Universal Islands Of Adventure calendar Compare other parks