The truly most important difference between Lightning Rod and Outlaw Run: only one of them is consistently and reliably open. A moment of silence for all the people who’ve waited in Lightning Rod’s long queue only to be turned away when the coaster breaks down.
I went to Dollywood for a band trip, and it was working fine while we were getting ready to enter. As soon as we entered, it broke down. It stayed like this UNTIL WE LEFT. We saw it working after we left so yeah
Lol I went to dollywood last year for the first time and It was closed all morning and I deadass sat there for 3 hrs at the entrance so Id be first on and not have to deal with that
As someone that went to School, Tennessee is definitely in the South specifically it's a Southeastern State. A Texan should know better and no one outside of Michigan cares about a Michiganer's opinion. Geography was a pretty easy subject.
@@SleepDeprevationAs a Georgian, they’re the uppermost of the South. Kentucky has a bunch of hillbillies/rednecks but they’re too far north. Also, Tennessee is way farther East than South.
Cool video I prefer Dollywood myself. Couple notes, Tennessee is definitely the south and when you went to DWood my guess is you didn't venture into Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg at all because it's easily as populated as Branson and probably more so. The two together are actually quite large.
I grew up going to SDC, I can't wait to check out Dollywood soon. The weather issue with the cave can be for two factors, excessive rain is a concern (the massive stair case entrance to the main cavern can become extra slippery) but the main reason they close it down for weather is that they can't safely operate the cable car that returns you back up the hill at the end of the tour.
Coasttoons is from the east coast. He probably thinks that TN and MO are both “flyover country” and he thinks it’s more polite to say “Midwest” instead.
I think you missed the main parkway in Pigeon Forge. That is understandable given that Dollywood is not on the parkway. But Pigeon Forge has a TON of stuff to do. There are shops, museums, dinner shows, FECs including more mini golf and go-karts than you could possibly imagine, Anakeesta, Ober Gatlinburg, the Aquarium and Space Needle Plus, it's 5 minutes to Gatlinburg. Between the two areas I think Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg actually has more going on than Branson, though Branson is also quite fun. Plus, you are 45 minutes from Knoxville. So I think the location point solidly goes to Dollywood.
I would definitely say that both parks are in the south not midwest (especially dollywood). But still great comparison, I’m biased towards dollywood so its them for me.
Depending where you are in Missouri, it could go either way I’d say. I think some places are so close to different regions, they straddle the “borders”. Like, I lived in Southern Maryland, and also in Washington DC, and people don’t realize those are/were considered the South! I mean, it’s the northern most top of the South, but it was considered the South, not just the “East Coast.” Although it is, obviously, the East Coast, too. The ”Eastern Seaboard” though, that would def be Pennsylvania, Delaware and north.
I've been lucky enough to spend a good amount of time at both of these parks... despite Dollywood being my home park, I do prefer SDC slightly. Can't go wrong with either though, amazing places fr
Both are amazing and are both worthy of the countless accolades. Dollywood is my home park, and I couldn’t be happier. Would rather go there than Disney any day
Better rides! And easier to get in and out. Seriously. I feel like with any Disney park these days, it’s basically not allowed to ride anything. Lol. You have to wait for hours and then it’s over in seconds. Or you must reserve a spot. Or do something electronic. Then miss your chance to ride. So… it’s, more or less, not really encouraged… they just want numbers and bodies to fill their parks!
I went to college near SDC and Branson, Missouri, and had a season pass the whole time I was there so I can answer your implied question on the weather: Marvel Cave closes for weather because of flash flood risk. That part of the Ozarks can go from blue skies to torrential downpours dropping multiple inches of rain and back to blue skies in like 45 minutes. That much water has to go *somewhere* and a big hole in the ground is where a lot of it goes, and you don't want to be down there when it happens. They keep tabs on weather systems and they have a threshold where if a system that has potential to flood the cave gets close enough they'll close it for safety reasons to not trap people down there.
And the risk of lightning strikes and power failures. Imagine getting to "walk" back up the cave tour to get out during a storm when the power goes out? GO BOBCATS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 🤣 Fun fact. C of O has never lost a Homecoming football game. 116 years and counting.
I’ve been to both, and SDC actually takes it fairly handily for me. The atmosphere there is just flat-out unbeatable (and I probably have some bias from the memories I’ve made there in particular). I love both parks though, they are by far my top two favorites I’ve been to! I’m going to Cedar Point next summer though, so that could change…
Went to Dollywood for the first time last year for the Smoky Mountain Christmas event. It was chilly and rainy, and despite that possibly the most fun, feel-good time I've had at a theme park since being an 80s kid at Disney World. The lights were fantastic, the attention to detail and theming is incredible, the food was amazing...I felt like a kid again taking the steam train through the hills after dark and singing Christmas carols with all the bundled up people on the train. Even the shows were really high quality and a wonderful mood, and I'm not usually someone who spends time on those when there are coasters to ride. Speaking of which, every single coaster in Dollywood is a good coaster. There's no trash or "skip" rides. Every one is worth riding. Even the "family" coaster is IMO the top of its class. Dollywood knocks it out of the park in atmosphere, mood, rides, food and theming. I can't wait to go back.
Honestly I agree with most of this but I do think Silver Dollar City should have the best location. Branson isn’t big but it’s one of the biggest tourist towns in the country. And it has a ton of nice hotels and places to go in Branson. And personally I like the view at the top of coasters like outlaw run better than what I’ve seen from Dollywood. This is just my opinion but the fact that Silver Dollar City was just recently voted best theme park of the country that kind of justified my opinion.
I asked myself the same question and couldn't decide. Dollywood as more rides with a better variety, but the 5 main coasters at Silver Dollar city are more solid and more unique, where as Dollywood a bit more average. I personally don't like mystery mine, and last time I went Thunderhead was quite rough. So with the re-tracking and big bear opening maybe I will will put Dollywood ahead. I always have a fun day at both, and food is typical great as well. I believe everyone should eventually get to both, they are different enough to warrant even if you aren't going for the rides. To me Pigeon Forge and Branson feel very similar, but Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg wins for more Alpine Coasters :) Also the Smokie Mountains is more scenic than the Ozarks but I haven't done all the national parks at both so could just be where I have been.
Sorry Silver Dollar City can tell this video is biased towards Dollywood. The Food, festivals, and Mystic River should of gave Silver points. And sorry it should of got the point for being around Branson. All the things you can do in Branson. So dont agree with this video but good video otherwise.
We’ve been to both parks as SDC is our home park! We absolutely Time Traveler! Hands down, the best coaster there. The cave closes for bad weather because of flooding. You definitely don’t wanna be down there when that happens. :) great video!
I had this same idea of a video. I’m currently right next to Dollywood for a ton of visit time, but I’m also going to SDC next month and was thinking about making a video comparing the two parks.
I’m going to Silver Dollar City later this week. I previously went to Dollywood during spring break. I would have to disagree that Dollywood is away from civilization when Pigeon Forge is on top of it with Gatlinburg next door. Branson has a similar look and style compared to pigeon forge but on a smaller scale. Also both parks are more closer to the south than the Midwest.
I also went to both recently, and SDC won out for me. I put a lot more weight in there being no one there. Dollywood was so packed and I went on a monday, and SDC was a ghosttown on a Sunday. Also, Cave tour was sick and def a point for SDC. Also SDC had better tree coverage Dollywood has chopped all theirs down. Also Lrod was closded for me so yknow.
Im an SDC frequent flyer... I've come across many who prefer SDC over Dollywood, purely for the atmosphere. The frequent fliers generally dislike more press for their park as it brings in more crowds to their hidden gem 😄
I personally think that time traveler would be the headliner because as u said “outlaw run never has a line” so it should prob be time traveler vs lighting rod.
We love wildfire vs. wildcat Powder keg is an S&S launch coaster with premier rides track from the liquid coaster. The reason why marvel cave closes in any form of weather is because the cave floods with any amount of rain. As an employee at Silver Dollar City, I feel like this ranking was pretty fair. Honestly, I think it would be a tie 8 to 8 an extra point for the cave.
I personally have never been to Dollywood, and my only complaint for the review would be zero comments on the original rides like flooded mine and fire in the hole, and nothing said about dollywood’s copies
Marvel Cave closing for "bad weather" - 3" of rain (yes, just 3") will flood the deepest portion, as well as additional junctions and areas above it within moments. Trust me, going through after the flood waters cleared the cave, gives you a sense of how dangerous that place could be, with only a small amount of rain.
There are a LOT of things in this video that reveal a lack of familiarity with not just the parks themselves, but the areas in which they reside. Geographical knowledge, for one. Tenessee and Alabama are DEFINITELY Southern, not Midwestern. Missouri is sometimes considered part of the Midwest, but the part of the state where SDC is definitely has a Southern feel to it (makes sense, since it's ~10 minutes from Arkansas). Although there are a few things that overlap, the Midwest and South are VERY different from each other. I'd go so far as to say that confusing the Midwest and the South can only really happen if you haven't spent much time in either of them. You are the first person I've ever heard of to try and claim that Tennessee and Alabama are Midwestern, and you're clearly not from the area. Congrats. There's more ignorance outside of the parks too. Pigeon Forge/Gaitlinburg are MUCH larger than Branson and have more options in all respects. Additionally, Branson is more than just Downtown Branson (as you pinpointed on the map and seemed to imply that that's all Branson was); it's the entire stretch of land from Downtown Branson to roughly the Butterfly Palace. There's a huge touristy road with a bunch of attractions on it, surprised you missed it. Then again, it might explain why that you're talking about Dollywood as if it's is in the middle of nowhere but SDC isn't when there's a solid 10 minute drive from the main touristy Branson corridor to the park, and Dollywood is somewhat less removed from the tourist drag. Neither is right on the main strip of attractions, but Dollywood is ultimately closer to Pigeon Forge than SDC is to Branson. Seems like somehow you missed two gigantic stretches of tourist traps and thus came away with fundamentally incorrect knowledge of both areas. Among other puzzling choices: lot of the matchups that don't make sense, so why make them? Labeling Wild Eagle as Wildcat? Why are you throwing in Marvel Cave with the shows? If it must be compared with something, why not compare it with the Dolly stuff, as that is what truly makes Dollywood unique from other parks? Surely you visited that and didn't just ignore it in favor of more rerides on the coasters, right? Really, this video mostly betrays a lack of basic knowledge on a number of different areas associated with these parks.
Personally never been to Dollywood and I am a hardcore silver dollar city fan, and I’m glad you were uh… passionate😂 enough to highlight some of these issues because I was thinking much of the same things but did not see many people address it lol. I guess there really isn’t much of a way to prove that he actually did thoroughly review the parks himself…
I don't know why but Silver Dollar City is just way more fun for me, I feel like dollywood has 2 incredible rides and then just falls off a cliff (L-rod, thunderhead) while silver dollar city has a billion incredible rides (Outlaw Run, Time Traveler, Powder Keg, Wildfire, soon the new fire in the hole, Mystic River Falls, etc)
Tennessee is for sure not Midwest, it's southern. Also, Thunderhead is WAY beyond average. I would even go on record as saying it's a better ride than Lightning Rod! Dollywood is so not in the middle of nowhere either. The towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are major tourist draws and have tons of attractions. I'm starting to wonder did you even visit Dollywood? lol
Like the video but you said Dollywood is in the middle of nowhere and it's in a family destination town, it sets in Pigeon Forge which is right next to Gatlinburg, so I would definitely say they are in an area that have plenty of places besides dollywood to have a good time, little bit of everything, off roading, horse backing, whitewater rafting, loads of shopping, moonshine tasting, go karts, mountain Coasters and the wax museum to name some off the top of my head, like I said, plenty to do around Dollywood!!
I'm from FL and I went to both this year and I think it depends on when you go. SDC was good no lines at all the longest line was to get food. However, Dollywood had mad crazy lines had to do the quick que that was an extra 200 for my son and I but I did go when Big Bear first opened so that had a lot to do with it. But I like visiting both the nod for me would be Dollywood for having more rides
Wait did you call Alabama in the midwest wtf? There's only 9 states in the Midwest: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky
I feel like wait time is a big thing. Like SDC had barely any wait time while Dollywood not so much. Also he didn’t talk about that beautiful land at SDC especially on wildfire.
The company does own KK now too. Herschend Family Entertainment owns lots of other attractions which operate outside the realm of old timey 1800s mountain village themed amusement parks. For example - The Harlem Globetrotters.
Personally I like Dollywood because it feels like a more complete experience w the water park and the multiple hotels they have there onsite but they both look amazing. Pigeon forge is actually rather crowded as well as the surrounding area with Sevierville and gatlinburg. You just don’t see it unless you drive ab 5 miles away from the park
Pretty sure the cave tour was closed for bad weather because it's pretty easy for caves to flood when it rains, and you're in for a very very bad time if you're in a cave when it floods.
Your videos are always so entertaining. Sometimes they make me wonder if you have ever actually set foot inside the parks. The smiley faces showing us where the parks are not even remotely located was fun. Both parks are located next to tourist towns which are not exactly "cities". Both parks are located near nation park forests. Silver Dollar City's cinnamon bread is O.G.. Still waiting for Dollywood to send SDC a thank you card. The Marvel Cave uses an electric powered tram to haul you up from the cave's exit after you have traveled all that distance down. When thunderstorms get too close to the park, the cave has to shut down for safety reasons. Lightning loves metal, water, and electrical sources. And if the power went out, can't have people in a cave with no lights fumbling around looking for an exit which can't take them anywhere because the trams can't run. Silver Dollar City has better shows since Branson is the live show capital of the world with people holding resumes from Broadway, Hollywood, and Nashville to their credits. This talent pool makes its way into the park so the shows at SDC are typically better than the shows at Dollywood. Outlaw Run is better than Lightning Rod because Lightning Rod would have to be open for more than five minutes in order to compete.😎😎😎
Been to SDC 12 times never really had a bad day because they have great values there and treat their guests right and even on a cold or wet day they will do shows and give you free tickets or discounted season pass.
Um Branson has Tablerock Lake which there’s a marina literally on the road to Silver Dollar City. Not sure if you actually researched the surrounding areas very well.
I can finally say I’ve been to both I can tell you I actually prefer Branson/Silver Dollar City over Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg/Dollywood yes they are both scenic areas and both parks are nice both areas are nice but the Smokies are getting way overbuilt for my taste. I believe there is simply more country feel at Silver Dollar City and it’s just more simple and more old fashioned Branson it has its own campground and it’s more in the woods is smaller than Pigeon Forge I think and feels just feels smaller.
Both are similar, and target a family audience, but I feel Dollywood is more comparable to Disney World while SDC more to Islands of Adventure. Dolly targets a younger audience while SDC older kids. You don't exactly take 5 year olds into real caves. Dolly though being the true flagship park still gets a lot of thrill rides on top of the family attractions.
I took my young kids into the caves... (3-8yrs) They did really well. Some people take babies in carriers, but I'm not brave enough to attempt that potential disaster. SDC has quite a few kid rides. We spend most of our trips in the kid areas. I will say there is a big jump between kid rides and big rides though, although there are some in between rides if you like going in circles. My oldest is not exactly ready for time traveler and powder keg.
My first visit to Marvel Cave at Silve Dollar City I was five years old and we still have the group tour photo. HAHAHA Dolly is the true flagship park? That's cute.
Dollywood is not in the middle of nowhere and the county it is in has 100000 people as opposed to 56000 where sdc is located. Also, Dollywood is as close to Knoxville as sdc is to Springfield. The Knoxville metro is twice as big as Springfield’s.
I have been to both. I prefer Dollywood to SDC. But when I went to SDC it was during Covid so I couldn’t get the full experience during Christmas to. Also Herchand other parks are nice like Kentucky kingdom and wild adventures
Dollywood is great but I prefer SDC over all parks in the US. It just has a charm about it you don't get anywhere else. Outlaw Run at night is one of the best rides on Earth. I used to slightly prefer Lightning Rod over Outlaw Run but LR has lost a lot of its intensity over the years. The quad down went from the best element of all coasters to just pretty good. It is much slower through the elements than it used to be.
You are very incorrect about Dollywood being in the middle of nowhere. Knoxville is about a 20 minute drive and is one of my favorite small cities in the US.
Dollywood is my home park, I have been to both but even without bias I think Dollywood takes the cake and with the matchup of Mystery mine and Lighting rod VS. Outlaw run and Time Traveler I think Dollywood wins because I don't enjoy MACK Spinners more than other people but it is close even with my dislike for spinners
IMO it's not and Dollywood is my home park. Everything at SDC is on par or BETTER than Dollywood. Plus the cave is absolutely amazing and a must do if you visit SDC
Table Rock Lake??!! come on, we're down at Silver Dollar City because of the lake, and the strip in Branson with other coasters, ziplines, go carts, aquariums, shows, etc. Silver Dollar City has the better setting, by far. Also Springfield is 30 minutes from Branson with about 300K people.
I am really struggling to believe this guy drove through Branson after his description of it being just a small city. Branson is packed to the gills with shows and attractions. How on earth do you do a serious review and act like Branson is just some regular old town? "Las Vegas is a mid sized city so there is civilization there." *Ends description*
The truly most important difference between Lightning Rod and Outlaw Run: only one of them is consistently and reliably open.
A moment of silence for all the people who’ve waited in Lightning Rod’s long queue only to be turned away when the coaster breaks down.
I went to Dollywood for a band trip, and it was working fine while we were getting ready to enter. As soon as we entered, it broke down. It stayed like this UNTIL WE LEFT. We saw it working after we left so yeah
Lol I went to dollywood last year for the first time and It was closed all morning and I deadass sat there for 3 hrs at the entrance so Id be first on and not have to deal with that
that happened to me on outlaw run
As someone from Tennessee I am offended that you called us "Midwest" we are southern not Midwestern
As a Texan yall are classified as midwest
As a Michigander I don’t really care
As someone that went to School, Tennessee is definitely in the South specifically it's a Southeastern State. A Texan should know better and no one outside of Michigan cares about a Michiganer's opinion. Geography was a pretty easy subject.
@@SleepDeprevationAs a Georgian, they’re the uppermost of the South. Kentucky has a bunch of hillbillies/rednecks but they’re too far north. Also, Tennessee is way farther East than South.
western is california and oregon be so fr
Cool video I prefer Dollywood myself. Couple notes, Tennessee is definitely the south and when you went to DWood my guess is you didn't venture into Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg at all because it's easily as populated as Branson and probably more so. The two together are actually quite large.
And what about Knoxville? It’s 30 miles away (2 hours of traffic)
I grew up going to SDC, I can't wait to check out Dollywood soon. The weather issue with the cave can be for two factors, excessive rain is a concern (the massive stair case entrance to the main cavern can become extra slippery) but the main reason they close it down for weather is that they can't safely operate the cable car that returns you back up the hill at the end of the tour.
If there is lightning within 25 miles of park they can't do it for safety reasons.
The main reason they close the cave tours or run half tours is due to cave flooding.
Tennessee is not in the midwest😭
Coasttoons is from the east coast. He probably thinks that TN and MO are both “flyover country” and he thinks it’s more polite to say “Midwest” instead.
Tennessee is southern. Missouri is more debatable though I would class Branson as southern
I think you missed the main parkway in Pigeon Forge. That is understandable given that Dollywood is not on the parkway. But Pigeon Forge has a TON of stuff to do. There are shops, museums, dinner shows, FECs including more mini golf and go-karts than you could possibly imagine, Anakeesta, Ober Gatlinburg, the Aquarium and Space Needle Plus, it's 5 minutes to Gatlinburg. Between the two areas I think Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg actually has more going on than Branson, though Branson is also quite fun. Plus, you are 45 minutes from Knoxville. So I think the location point solidly goes to Dollywood.
babe wake up coastoons uploaded
Wait coaster enthusiasts can have girlfriends?
@@MaxThrillslmfao yo
@@MaxThrills bro I was thinking the exact same thing like common like you can’t be a coaster thusie and a have gf that’s the trade off
@@kingbeluga3064 fr it’s all part of the deal 💀unless you’re EXTREMELY lucky
True lol
I would definitely say that both parks are in the south not midwest (especially dollywood). But still great comparison, I’m biased towards dollywood so its them for me.
Depending where you are in Missouri, it could go either way I’d say. I think some places are so close to different regions, they straddle the “borders”. Like, I lived in Southern Maryland, and also in Washington DC, and people don’t realize those are/were considered the South! I mean, it’s the northern most top of the South, but it was considered the South, not just the “East Coast.” Although it is, obviously, the East Coast, too. The ”Eastern Seaboard” though, that would def be Pennsylvania, Delaware and north.
Missouri is NOT the South.
@@BackSeatJunkieyeah it is. Branson is less than 30 miles from the southern border of the state knucklehead. It’s below the mason dixon line.
Great video!
I love wildcat at Dollywood, it's such a great B&M wing coaster! 3:35
Yeah same, Dollywood has some really good new rides this year ngl
Lol I was wondering if I was the only one who caught tgat
I doubt this guy has been to Dollywood
@Chris Hodges No, I haven't. It looks like a great park, and I'd love to go but it's quite far for me
@@NL2.JC023 Then how do you know if it's a great B&M wing coaster
I've been lucky enough to spend a good amount of time at both of these parks... despite Dollywood being my home park, I do prefer SDC slightly. Can't go wrong with either though, amazing places fr
Both are amazing and are both worthy of the countless accolades. Dollywood is my home park, and I couldn’t be happier.
Would rather go there than Disney any day
Better rides! And easier to get in and out. Seriously. I feel like with any Disney park these days, it’s basically not allowed to ride anything. Lol. You have to wait for hours and then it’s over in seconds. Or you must reserve a spot. Or do something electronic. Then miss your chance to ride. So… it’s, more or less, not really encouraged… they just want numbers and bodies to fill their parks!
3:34 ah yes my favorite wing coaster, wildcat
I went to college near SDC and Branson, Missouri, and had a season pass the whole time I was there so I can answer your implied question on the weather: Marvel Cave closes for weather because of flash flood risk. That part of the Ozarks can go from blue skies to torrential downpours dropping multiple inches of rain and back to blue skies in like 45 minutes. That much water has to go *somewhere* and a big hole in the ground is where a lot of it goes, and you don't want to be down there when it happens. They keep tabs on weather systems and they have a threshold where if a system that has potential to flood the cave gets close enough they'll close it for safety reasons to not trap people down there.
And the risk of lightning strikes and power failures. Imagine getting to "walk" back up the cave tour to get out during a storm when the power goes out?
GO BOBCATS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 🤣 Fun fact. C of O has never lost a Homecoming football game. 116 years and counting.
I’ve been to both, and SDC actually takes it fairly handily for me. The atmosphere there is just flat-out unbeatable (and I probably have some bias from the memories I’ve made there in particular). I love both parks though, they are by far my top two favorites I’ve been to! I’m going to Cedar Point next summer though, so that could change…
100% agree. I just visited SDC and it's now my number one park. It's a big park that has the feel of a small park
Went to Dollywood for the first time last year for the Smoky Mountain Christmas event. It was chilly and rainy, and despite that possibly the most fun, feel-good time I've had at a theme park since being an 80s kid at Disney World. The lights were fantastic, the attention to detail and theming is incredible, the food was amazing...I felt like a kid again taking the steam train through the hills after dark and singing Christmas carols with all the bundled up people on the train. Even the shows were really high quality and a wonderful mood, and I'm not usually someone who spends time on those when there are coasters to ride. Speaking of which, every single coaster in Dollywood is a good coaster. There's no trash or "skip" rides. Every one is worth riding. Even the "family" coaster is IMO the top of its class.
Dollywood knocks it out of the park in atmosphere, mood, rides, food and theming. I can't wait to go back.
Bro i tried to go to silver dollar city i only went to the water park lol also the shows in branson are fire 🔥🔥🔥🔥
“outlaw run never has a line”
i was there in 2021 and i had a line out the entry the entire day loll. at least i had trailblazer haha
It's fairly common on a busy Saturday to have a 40-55min + wait. I didn't ride it during those times, but I've seen it.
Honestly I agree with most of this but I do think Silver Dollar City should have the best location. Branson isn’t big but it’s one of the biggest tourist towns in the country. And it has a ton of nice hotels and places to go in Branson. And personally I like the view at the top of coasters like outlaw run better than what I’ve seen from Dollywood. This is just my opinion but the fact that Silver Dollar City was just recently voted best theme park of the country that kind of justified my opinion.
Bro does not know where the Midwest is 😭
I asked myself the same question and couldn't decide. Dollywood as more rides with a better variety, but the 5 main coasters at Silver Dollar city are more solid and more unique, where as Dollywood a bit more average. I personally don't like mystery mine, and last time I went Thunderhead was quite rough. So with the re-tracking and big bear opening maybe I will will put Dollywood ahead. I always have a fun day at both, and food is typical great as well. I believe everyone should eventually get to both, they are different enough to warrant even if you aren't going for the rides. To me Pigeon Forge and Branson feel very similar, but Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg wins for more Alpine Coasters :) Also the Smokie Mountains is more scenic than the Ozarks but I haven't done all the national parks at both so could just be where I have been.
Thunderhead is great now, they just got done with a two year retracking project
Sorry Silver Dollar City can tell this video is biased towards Dollywood. The Food, festivals, and Mystic River should of gave Silver points. And sorry it should of got the point for being around Branson. All the things you can do in Branson. So dont agree with this video but good video otherwise.
I think Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have more to do than Branson Missouri
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv True, but he didn't seem to have noticed ANY of the touristy things to do near either park.
I don't believe the man went to Branson at all
This dude is clueless. SDC has a far more consistent theme than DW. Apparently, USA Today agreed when it named SDC Best in country…
We’ve been to both parks as SDC is our home park!
We absolutely Time Traveler! Hands down, the best coaster there.
The cave closes for bad weather because of flooding. You definitely don’t wanna be down there when that happens. :)
great video!
I had this same idea of a video. I’m currently right next to Dollywood for a ton of visit time, but I’m also going to SDC next month and was thinking about making a video comparing the two parks.
I’m going to Silver Dollar City later this week. I previously went to Dollywood during spring break. I would have to disagree that Dollywood is away from civilization when Pigeon Forge is on top of it with Gatlinburg next door. Branson has a similar look and style compared to pigeon forge but on a smaller scale. Also both parks are more closer to the south than the Midwest.
Clearly you don't know what the Midwest is lmao. Missouri is borderline, but Tenessee isn't even close.
For real. Branson is infinitely more like a city in Tennessee than anything in Wisconsin
I also went to both recently, and SDC won out for me. I put a lot more weight in there being no one there. Dollywood was so packed and I went on a monday, and SDC was a ghosttown on a Sunday. Also, Cave tour was sick and def a point for SDC. Also SDC had better tree coverage Dollywood has chopped all theirs down. Also Lrod was closded for me so yknow.
I've been to both and prefer SDC over Dollywood. Both are fantastic parks and you can't go wrong with either of them!
Im an SDC frequent flyer... I've come across many who prefer SDC over Dollywood, purely for the atmosphere. The frequent fliers generally dislike more press for their park as it brings in more crowds to their hidden gem 😄
I've only been to silver dollar city but I hear a lot of good things about Dollywood but I enjoy silver dollar city dark ride fire in the hole
As someone who’s home park has been Dollywood since birth and has grown up with it, it’s hard for me to pick anything else than Dollywood 😭
how i feel with cedar point i went to dollywood last week
I personally think that time traveler would be the headliner because as u said “outlaw run never has a line” so it should prob be time traveler vs lighting rod.
I was looking for a Dollywood video on this channel but I didn’t expect to see my two favorite childhood theme parks
Also thunderhead is now the best gci hands down since the partial retrack/new wood
If not, top 3
We love wildfire vs. wildcat
Powder keg is an S&S launch coaster with premier rides track from the liquid coaster. The reason why marvel cave closes in any form of weather is because the cave floods with any amount of rain. As an employee at Silver Dollar City, I feel like this ranking was pretty fair. Honestly, I think it would be a tie 8 to 8 an extra point for the cave.
Also Outlaw Run is actually consistently open lol
I personally have never been to Dollywood, and my only complaint for the review would be zero comments on the original rides like flooded mine and fire in the hole, and nothing said about dollywood’s copies
@@haydehooDollywood doesn't have the Flooded Mine anymore sadly.
You should make more head to head park vids, even though I haven't even been close to any of these parks this vid was really fun to watch.
@Coastoons you absolutely NEED to make a video about dragster getting “reimagined”
Marvel Cave closing for "bad weather" - 3" of rain (yes, just 3") will flood the deepest portion, as well as additional junctions and areas above it within moments.
Trust me, going through after the flood waters cleared the cave, gives you a sense of how dangerous that place could be, with only a small amount of rain.
Lol I just realized that at 3:34 you wrote wild cat instead of wild eagle... lol
There are a LOT of things in this video that reveal a lack of familiarity with not just the parks themselves, but the areas in which they reside.
Geographical knowledge, for one. Tenessee and Alabama are DEFINITELY Southern, not Midwestern. Missouri is sometimes considered part of the Midwest, but the part of the state where SDC is definitely has a Southern feel to it (makes sense, since it's ~10 minutes from Arkansas). Although there are a few things that overlap, the Midwest and South are VERY different from each other. I'd go so far as to say that confusing the Midwest and the South can only really happen if you haven't spent much time in either of them. You are the first person I've ever heard of to try and claim that Tennessee and Alabama are Midwestern, and you're clearly not from the area. Congrats.
There's more ignorance outside of the parks too. Pigeon Forge/Gaitlinburg are MUCH larger than Branson and have more options in all respects. Additionally, Branson is more than just Downtown Branson (as you pinpointed on the map and seemed to imply that that's all Branson was); it's the entire stretch of land from Downtown Branson to roughly the Butterfly Palace. There's a huge touristy road with a bunch of attractions on it, surprised you missed it. Then again, it might explain why that you're talking about Dollywood as if it's is in the middle of nowhere but SDC isn't when there's a solid 10 minute drive from the main touristy Branson corridor to the park, and Dollywood is somewhat less removed from the tourist drag. Neither is right on the main strip of attractions, but Dollywood is ultimately closer to Pigeon Forge than SDC is to Branson. Seems like somehow you missed two gigantic stretches of tourist traps and thus came away with fundamentally incorrect knowledge of both areas.
Among other puzzling choices: lot of the matchups that don't make sense, so why make them? Labeling Wild Eagle as Wildcat?
Why are you throwing in Marvel Cave with the shows? If it must be compared with something, why not compare it with the Dolly stuff, as that is what truly makes Dollywood unique from other parks? Surely you visited that and didn't just ignore it in favor of more rerides on the coasters, right?
Really, this video mostly betrays a lack of basic knowledge on a number of different areas associated with these parks.
Personally never been to Dollywood and I am a hardcore silver dollar city fan, and I’m glad you were uh… passionate😂 enough to highlight some of these issues because I was thinking much of the same things but did not see many people address it lol. I guess there really isn’t much of a way to prove that he actually did thoroughly review the parks himself…
whispers.......most of coastoons' videos appear to be that way as if he has never been there
@@BackSeatJunkie oh lol that’s cringe
bro could literally just say that it’s based off of research he did and make the exact same video without lying
Coastoons go to Holiday World! The Voyage is my number 1 coaster by a landslide and I’ve been to some really good parks like Universal.
4:29 premier launch? Thought it was an S&S air launch.
@coastoons
The correlation is that caves are a rock fishbowl with no lid. You don't want to be inside a cave during a rainstorm.
SDC is #1 according to USA today readers
I don't know why but Silver Dollar City is just way more fun for me, I feel like dollywood has 2 incredible rides and then just falls off a cliff (L-rod, thunderhead) while silver dollar city has a billion incredible rides (Outlaw Run, Time Traveler, Powder Keg, Wildfire, soon the new fire in the hole, Mystic River Falls, etc)
3:35 wildcat
Both are amazing!
Tennessee is not in the midwest 😂
I refuse to be categorized as such.
Definitely the south, it’s very clear on a map😂
People from the Midwest do not want Tennessee categorized as such either. 😎😎😎
So excited when I saw the notification! Great vid :)
Tennessee is for sure not Midwest, it's southern. Also, Thunderhead is WAY beyond average. I would even go on record as saying it's a better ride than Lightning Rod! Dollywood is so not in the middle of nowhere either. The towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are major tourist draws and have tons of attractions. I'm starting to wonder did you even visit Dollywood? lol
Like the video but you said Dollywood is in the middle of nowhere and it's in a family destination town, it sets in Pigeon Forge which is right next to Gatlinburg, so I would definitely say they are in an area that have plenty of places besides dollywood to have a good time, little bit of everything, off roading, horse backing, whitewater rafting, loads of shopping, moonshine tasting, go karts, mountain Coasters and the wax museum to name some off the top of my head, like I said, plenty to do around Dollywood!!
Honestly I think Wildcat at Dollywood is a great ride.
🤨🤔🤨
7:38 It closes because the cave can and will flood
Something I am embarrassed that I learned from this video…Missouri and Tennessee are bordering states
Tennessee and Missouri also tie for boarding the most states: 8
As long as you know that Dollywood is not located in the western third of Tennessee, you're doing better than coastoons.
I'm from FL and I went to both this year and I think it depends on when you go. SDC was good no lines at all the longest line was to get food. However, Dollywood had mad crazy lines had to do the quick que that was an extra 200 for my son and I but I did go when Big Bear first opened so that had a lot to do with it. But I like visiting both the nod for me would be Dollywood for having more rides
For the 'wild' matchup you put wildcat instead of wild eagle
Herchend has BALLS and thank goodness you went to both
Bro this should not even be close silver dollar city is way better
as a huge playboi carti fan I appreciated 5:30
Wait did you call Alabama in the midwest wtf? There's only 9 states in the Midwest: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky
Kentucky is southern
I been to both. Dollywood is a little better, in my opinion, but Silver Dollar has the best food.
The Marvel Cave is awesome! Been to SDC a dozen times and haven’t made it to Dollywood YET.
My guy did not just call crinkle cut fries “the fries with the ridges” 💀
I feel like wait time is a big thing. Like SDC had barely any wait time while Dollywood not so much. Also he didn’t talk about that beautiful land at SDC especially on wildfire.
neither of these are mid west just high south
Pretty sure they own Kentucky Kingdom now as well, which seems a little off brand for them, but hopefully they show it some much needed love! 🤘
The company does own KK now too. Herschend Family Entertainment owns lots of other attractions which operate outside the realm of old timey 1800s mountain village themed amusement parks. For example - The Harlem Globetrotters.
I love both probably equal , with only SDC being slightly better mostly bc it’s my home park.
Personally I like Dollywood because it feels like a more complete experience w the water park and the multiple hotels they have there onsite but they both look amazing. Pigeon forge is actually rather crowded as well as the surrounding area with Sevierville and gatlinburg. You just don’t see it unless you drive ab 5 miles away from the park
Pretty sure the cave tour was closed for bad weather because it's pretty easy for caves to flood when it rains, and you're in for a very very bad time if you're in a cave when it floods.
Your videos are always so entertaining. Sometimes they make me wonder if you have ever actually set foot inside the parks.
The smiley faces showing us where the parks are not even remotely located was fun.
Both parks are located next to tourist towns which are not exactly "cities".
Both parks are located near nation park forests.
Silver Dollar City's cinnamon bread is O.G.. Still waiting for Dollywood to send SDC a thank you card.
The Marvel Cave uses an electric powered tram to haul you up from the cave's exit after you have traveled all that distance down. When thunderstorms get too close to the park, the cave has to shut down for safety reasons. Lightning loves metal, water, and electrical sources. And if the power went out, can't have people in a cave with no lights fumbling around looking for an exit which can't take them anywhere because the trams can't run.
Silver Dollar City has better shows since Branson is the live show capital of the world with people holding resumes from Broadway, Hollywood, and Nashville to their credits. This talent pool makes its way into the park so the shows at SDC are typically better than the shows at Dollywood.
Outlaw Run is better than Lightning Rod because Lightning Rod would have to be open for more than five minutes in order to compete.😎😎😎
Been to SDC 12 times never really had a bad day because they have great values there and treat their guests right and even on a cold or wet day they will do shows and give you free tickets or discounted season pass.
Um Branson has Tablerock Lake which there’s a marina literally on the road to Silver Dollar City. Not sure if you actually researched the surrounding areas very well.
East Tennessee is absolutely not in the Midwest.
Its closer to the ocean than it is to the Midwest...
I can finally say I’ve been to both I can tell you I actually prefer Branson/Silver Dollar City over Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg/Dollywood yes they are both scenic areas and both parks are nice both areas are nice but the Smokies are getting way overbuilt for my taste. I believe there is simply more country feel at Silver Dollar City and it’s just more simple and more old fashioned Branson it has its own campground and it’s more in the woods is smaller than Pigeon Forge I think and feels just feels smaller.
You cant truly compare them if you skipped the cave . Its 500 ft not 300ft . It is truly amazing , and unlike any other cave tour in the lower 48.
Both are similar, and target a family audience, but I feel Dollywood is more comparable to Disney World while SDC more to Islands of Adventure.
Dolly targets a younger audience while SDC older kids. You don't exactly take 5 year olds into real caves.
Dolly though being the true flagship park still gets a lot of thrill rides on top of the family attractions.
I took my young kids into the caves... (3-8yrs) They did really well. Some people take babies in carriers, but I'm not brave enough to attempt that potential disaster. SDC has quite a few kid rides. We spend most of our trips in the kid areas. I will say there is a big jump between kid rides and big rides though, although there are some in between rides if you like going in circles. My oldest is not exactly ready for time traveler and powder keg.
My first visit to Marvel Cave at Silve Dollar City I was five years old and we still have the group tour photo. HAHAHA
Dolly is the true flagship park? That's cute.
Next comparison should be the Philadelphia showdown: SF Great Adventure vs HersheyPark
wish I could go to all these parks in the future
YEZZZZZZZZZ COASTOONS UPLOADD
Dollywood is not in the middle of nowhere and the county it is in has 100000 people as opposed to 56000 where sdc is located. Also, Dollywood is as close to Knoxville as sdc is to Springfield. The Knoxville metro is twice as big as Springfield’s.
I have been to both. I prefer Dollywood to SDC. But when I went to SDC it was during Covid so I couldn’t get the full experience during Christmas to. Also Herchand other parks are nice like Kentucky kingdom and wild adventures
We have been to both parks, we were impressed with both.
Dollywood is great but I prefer SDC over all parks in the US. It just has a charm about it you don't get anywhere else. Outlaw Run at night is one of the best rides on Earth. I used to slightly prefer Lightning Rod over Outlaw Run but LR has lost a lot of its intensity over the years. The quad down went from the best element of all coasters to just pretty good. It is much slower through the elements than it used to be.
The south, literally Alabama and Tennessee and Missouri:
Coastoons: is this the Midwest?
I love Dollywood, I went on rides like Big Bear Mountain and Bumper Cars
3:35 Wildcat?!
LOL. Its WILD EAGLE! Also it's named that because Dollywood has a bald eagle sanctuary on property
roller coaster go vroom vroom
Amen
Yeah the peanut brittle from SDC was fire
You are very incorrect about Dollywood being in the middle of nowhere. Knoxville is about a 20 minute drive and is one of my favorite small cities in the US.
bruh alabama is not the midwest, neither is tennesse. just saying, but still a great video
fire vid
*Powder Keg is an S&S launched coaster* 😁
never let facts get in the way of a YT video.
Dollywood is my home park, I have been to both but even without bias I think Dollywood takes the cake and with the matchup of Mystery mine and Lighting rod VS. Outlaw run and Time Traveler I think Dollywood wins because I don't enjoy MACK Spinners more than other people but it is close even with my dislike for spinners
Has anyone noticed how much deeper his voice is? Go back 1, 2 years and he sounds way different.
Yes a new vid
For wildfire vs wild eagle it actually says wildlife vs wildcat
Id like to think it’s Dollywood but I’ve never been to sdc so my opinion is based of sdc park reviews
IMO it's not and Dollywood is my home park. Everything at SDC is on par or BETTER than Dollywood. Plus the cave is absolutely amazing and a must do if you visit SDC
Table Rock Lake??!! come on, we're down at Silver Dollar City because of the lake, and the strip in Branson with other coasters, ziplines, go carts, aquariums, shows, etc. Silver Dollar City has the better setting, by far. Also Springfield is 30 minutes from Branson with about 300K people.
You missed a point for SDC. Parking is free. It’s $25 at Dollywood.
Tf you mean midwest?
I Dont Think Its Even A Competition SDC Is Way Better
I am really struggling to believe this guy drove through Branson after his description of it being just a small city. Branson is packed to the gills with shows and attractions. How on earth do you do a serious review and act like Branson is just some regular old town? "Las Vegas is a mid sized city so there is civilization there." *Ends description*
There's rumors he doesn't go to any of the places he makes videos about.
@@BackSeatJunkie the way he talks about Branson in this video would definitely be evidence in support of that