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Park Queue TimesPQT

Silver Dollar City
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Silver Dollar City queues less: about 21 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

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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.

Silver Dollar City and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySilver Dollar CityUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 21 min (best of the two)24 min
Rides with recorded waits 2731 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Elephant March47 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue Mighty Galleon6 minKill-Ceanera - Express5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running92% (best of the two)36%

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.

Silver Dollar City and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowSilver Dollar CityUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited 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 21 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, 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 Silver Dollar City if…

  • You want shorter queues: Silver Dollar City averages 21 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Silver Dollar City's rides run 92% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Elephant March is on your list - it is Silver Dollar City's longest typical queue at about 47 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Silver Dollar City's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 24 minutes a ride here against 21 at Silver Dollar City - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Silver Dollar City does not
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 27 at Silver Dollar City
  • Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 57 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Studios Hollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Silver Dollar City or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Silver Dollar City or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Silver Dollar City: it averages about 21 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Silver Dollar City has 27 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Silver Dollar City also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 36%.

Which has shorter queues, Silver Dollar City or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Silver Dollar City, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Silver Dollar City averages 21 minutes against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Silver Dollar City best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Silver Dollar City and Universal Studios Hollywood 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 Silver Dollar City and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Silver Dollar City bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 27. 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.

Silver Dollar City calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks