If you'd been here on a day like this, you'd have cleared the park before lunch.
May 20, 2026 hit a 2/10, one of the quietest days we've recorded at Dollywood this season. Crowds bounced between a 1 and a 4, settling around a 2 for most of the day.
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2
/10 Quiet
AVG WAIT16m
PEAK60m
RIDES OPEN14/14
WEATHER83° Drizzle
Tap to enlarge
The day, hour by hour.
11 AM to 8 PM · crowd level 1–10
3
11 AM
3
12 PM
2
1 PM
2
2 PM
1
3 PM
2
4 PM
2
5 PM
4
7 PM
4
8 PM
11 AM to 10 AM
Rope-drop the headliner anyway
Lightning Rod held strong all day. The first hour was the only time it ran shortest.
11 AM to 1 PM
Eat early, ride during lunch
Crowds dipped to their low around 2 PM. Tennessee Tornado + Mystery Mine walked on.
2 PM to 6 PM
Knock out the rest of your list
The quietest stretch of the day starts around 2 PM. Lightning Rod fell to its low for the day.
8 PM to 8 PM
Last lap and re-rides
A small closing-hour bump is normal. Re-ride Lightning Rod now with a fresh queue.
Every ride, by average wait.
15 rides · avg wait shown
Smoky Mountain River Rampage
27m avg
peak 35m · 65% uptime
Lightning Rod
23m avg
peak 60m · 70% uptime
FireChaser Express
23m avg
peak 45m · 58% uptime
Dragonflier
19m avg
peak 50m · 65% uptime
Tennessee Tornado
16m avg
peak 30m · 60% uptime
Mystery Mine
15m avg
peak 25m · 69% uptime
Thunderhead
13m avg
peak 60m · 79% uptime
Daredevil Falls
11m avg
peak 25m · 28% uptime
Big Bear Mountain
10m avg
peak 25m · 71% uptime
Wild Eagle
9m avg
peak 20m · 72% uptime
Blazing Fury
7m avg
peak 10m · 49% uptime
Whistle Punk Chaser®
6m avg
peak 10m · 11% uptime
Barnstormer
5m avg
peak 5m · 6% uptime
Drop Line
5m avg
peak 5m · 7% uptime
The Waltzing Swinger
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Weather that day: 🌦️ Drizzle, high 83°F, low 61°F, rain for 9h.
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Days like this are why people swear by going off-peak. Ride Ready spots them in advance, then turns the forecast into real-time recommendations the moment you walk through the gate.
