Magic Kingdom
vs
Silver Dollar City

On a typical day Silver Dollar City queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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.

Magic Kingdom and Silver Dollar City compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Magic KingdomUnited States	Silver Dollar CityUnited States
Average wait per ride	25 min	22 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits	23	28 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	TRON Lightcycle / Run68 min	Hugo & Mary's Carousel95 min
Shortest typical queue	Prince Charming Regal Carrousel7 min	Fireman's Flyers9 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	92%	93% (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.

Magic Kingdom and Silver Dollar City compared on live queue times
Right now	Magic KingdomUnited States	Silver Dollar CityUnited 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 Silver Dollar City queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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 Magic Kingdom if…

You will accept a longer queue - 25 minutes a ride here against 22 at Silver Dollar City - for what Magic Kingdom has that Silver Dollar City does not
TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 68 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Magic Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Silver Dollar City if…

You want shorter queues: Silver Dollar City averages 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom
You want more to do: 28 rides here have recorded wait data against 23 at Magic Kingdom
Hugo & Mary's Carousel is on your list - it is Silver Dollar City's longest typical queue at about 95 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Silver Dollar City's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the original Florida Disney park, opened in 1971, and still the most-visited theme park in the world. The classic line-up is iconic: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Cinderella Castle anchors the central hub with nightly fireworks.

Magic Kingdom is busy almost every day of the year, with peak crowds during US school holidays, the December holidays, and special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Mid-January through early February is the quietest period. Check live wait times across Disney's free Lightning Lane system, and use our crowd calendar to plan your visit around Disney's Extended Evening Hours and holiday patterns.

Magic Kingdom live queue times

Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City is a 1880s-themed park in Branson, Missouri, sitting above the famous Marvel Cave. It mixes a traditional craftsmen village with a strong modern coaster line-up: Outlaw Run (one of the world's best wooden coasters), Time Traveler (a record-breaking spinning coaster), Powder Keg, and the newer Wildfire and Mystic River Falls. Live music and period crafts are core to the park's identity.

Silver Dollar City's peak periods are the US summer break, the extremely popular Pumpkin Nights and Old Time Christmas events, and weekend visits from Branson tourists. Weekdays in May, September and early December stay calmer. Check live queue times for Time Traveler and Outlaw Run first thing, and use our crowd calendar to plan around peak event weekends.

Silver Dollar City live queue times

05 · Questions

Magic Kingdom or Silver Dollar City?

Which is better, Magic Kingdom or Silver Dollar City?

If you are judging on queues, Silver Dollar City: it averages about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day against 25 at Magic Kingdom, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Magic Kingdom has 23 rides with recorded waits against 28 at Silver Dollar City.

Which has shorter queues, Magic Kingdom or Silver Dollar City?

Silver Dollar City, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Silver Dollar City averages 22 minutes against 25 at Magic Kingdom. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Magic Kingdom best time to visit and Silver Dollar City best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Magic Kingdom and Silver Dollar City 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 Magic Kingdom and Silver Dollar City for the full ride lists.

Is Magic Kingdom bigger than Silver Dollar City?

By rides we track waits for, Silver Dollar City is the bigger day out: 28 rides against 23. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Silver Dollar City 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.

Magic Kingdom calendar Silver Dollar City calendar Compare other parks