Kennywood
vs
Kings Island

On a typical day Kennywood queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 10 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.

Kennywood and Kings Island compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	KennywoodUnited States	Kings IslandUnited States
Average wait per ride	22 min (best of the two)	32 min
Rides with recorded waits	11	24 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Exterminator52 min	Flight of Fear69 min
Shortest typical queue	SwingShot5 min	The Racer (Red)14 min

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.

Kennywood and Kings Island compared on live queue times
Right now	KennywoodUnited States	Kings IslandUnited 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 Kennywood queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 10 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 Kennywood if…

You want shorter queues: Kennywood averages 22 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island
Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 52 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Kennywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kings Island if…

You will accept a longer queue - 32 minutes a ride here against 22 at Kennywood - for what Kings Island has that Kennywood does not
You want more to do: 24 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Kennywood
Flight of Fear is on your list - it is Kings Island's longest typical queue at about 69 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Kings Island's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Kings Island

Kings Island is a huge theme park in Mason, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. It's one of the Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) parks and runs a strong coaster line-up: The Beast (the world's longest wooden coaster, opened 1979), Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, Orion (a giga coaster), Banshee (the world's longest inverted coaster), and Racer. A full water park operates on the same site during summer.

The Ohio summer school break and Halloween Haunt event drive Kings Island's busiest periods, with weekend queue times on Orion and The Beast often exceeding 90 minutes. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit if you want to ride everything in a day.

Kings Island live queue times

05 · Questions

Kennywood or Kings Island?

Which is better, Kennywood or Kings Island?

If you are judging on queues, Kennywood: it averages about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day against 32 at Kings Island, roughly 10 minutes back on every queue you join. Kennywood has 11 rides with recorded waits against 24 at Kings Island.

Which has shorter queues, Kennywood or Kings Island?

Kennywood, by about 10 minutes a ride. On a typical day Kennywood averages 22 minutes against 32 at Kings Island. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kennywood best time to visit and Kings Island best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Kennywood and Kings Island 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 Kennywood and Kings Island for the full ride lists.

Is Kennywood bigger than Kings Island?

By rides we track waits for, Kings Island is the bigger day out: 24 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 Kennywood 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.

Kennywood calendar Kings Island calendar Compare other parks