Dollywood versus Silver Dollar City

themeparkguy · January 12, 2009, 11:03:19 AM

I know that Dollywood boasts greater attendance on average than the City- Does anyone have attendance comparison figures for this year or past years?

jmc75 · March 11, 2012, 07:45:56 PM

I saw that Dollywood beat out SDC for the best Christmas theme for the Golden ticket 2011. Now I have never been to Dollywood to see their christmas but is it actually better.

Destination SDC · March 11, 2012, 08:24:57 PM

My personal opinion is that SDC is much better! We went to both Dollywood and SDC at Christmas time back in 2006 (We've also been to Dollywood a few other times too). While we enjoyed Dollywood and the shows were very good, it just didn't compare to SDC. At Dollywood they only did the Trees 2 times a night and they just didn't have the "magic" of the 5 story tree. The train ride at Dollywood is just a train ride - no show to go with it. We did enjoy "Babes in Toyland" and the Nativity at Dollywood was really good. But at SDC you just feel Christmas so much more. The atmosphere at SDC is very special. I also felt that the "citizens" at SDC make you feel like family and that you are welcomed there. I'm not against Dollywood at all, it was really nice there. But my family and I enjoy SDC a lot more. It's home to us.

shavethewhales · March 11, 2012, 08:27:15 PM

^^From what I've heard DW's Christmas event is at least on par if not truly better than SDC's. It's not the same by any means, but they have an identical parade, a synchronized light show (with a much smaller central tree), and a lot of the same Christmas shows and activities as SDC. They also have one or two Christmas shows unique to Dollywood.

There's no reason to debate their recognition for the Christmas event, but I will say again that the Golden Tickets are heavily biased, and parks like SDC that are more out of the way are continually passed over for perennial favorites. At least when DW wins an award like this, it's almost like SDC has won as well since the two parks share so much of the same seasonal activities and management styles.

As for attendance, no numbers have been released to the public for some time now that I have seen. SDC is a private company, so they are not obligated to release that information and tend to keep it somewhat guarded. I do know that DW's attendance has been skyrocketing in recent years and SDC's has been somewhat flat, though far better than projected. I would estimate that DW gets another half million visitors more than SDC, so SDC probably gets around 2.1-2.4 million per year and DW might get 2.6-2.9 million roughly. DW is in a MUCH better area of the country for growth. I have heard that SDC makes more money per head though.

mhguy77 · March 11, 2012, 09:27:18 PM

I was in Dollywood the past 2 years. As a lifelong SDC fan it was very interesting to see the differences.
Dollywood has Craftsman's valley and that is the only area that is truly inspired by SDC. The county Fair where the kids rides were was nice but defiantly not as well done as SDC. There is a 50's section and I felt it was out of place and a little cheap. Dollywood is better funded than SDC that is obvious right off the bat. Its an interesting place to go but I found myself tiring quickly of it. I will say that they have larger rides and more of them.
SDC is consistent with the theme and Dollywood is choppy. There however is no comparison between White Water and Dolly's splash country, we are really getting the short end of the stick there. I hope to go back to Dollywood but its not as repeatable as SDC.

dwfan · March 12, 2012, 03:10:10 PM

I have to agree about DSC and WW. Why exactly does WW have a island kind of theme. DSC has a smoky mountain theme and I think that an Ozark Mountain theme would work more nicely for WW than an island theme. Also, DSC places in the top 10 when it comes to yearly waterpark attendance across the country. I've never heard the numbers for WW though.

Junior · March 12, 2012, 05:11:10 PM

When Whitewater opened in 1980 it did have an Ozark Mountain Theme. The slogan was "All the fun of the old swimmin' hole." The park mascot was a beaver, "Wally Whitewater." A guy dressed in a big ole Wally Whitewater costume walked around the park for photo ops. The old lazy river was on a hill, and it was called, I think, "mountain streams" so something like that. The main buildilng where the shops and changing rooms are was a rustic looking SDC type structure. So, at some point, I don't know when, they changed the theme to "the beach within reach." Whitewater is the oldest operating water park in Missouri. The first. So a bunch of changes have been made there over the years, and waxing a bit nostalgic here, I enjoyed being among the first to enjoy the park back in the old days. My high school class (Branson) was invited to have a party there in early May prior to our graduation, and the Reeds Spring High School kids were there, too. It was a great day and I still have the Whitewater frizbee with the Wally Whitewater logo on it in my collection of SDC related stuff.

chittlins · March 14, 2012, 08:40:42 AM

I haven't been to Dollywood since was also named Silver Dollar City

Ozark Outlaw · March 14, 2012, 11:09:46 AM

I have never had the opportunity to visit Dollywood in person so my opinion is completely void. Still, after experiencing it through pictures, and YouTube videos, Dollywood never seemed to have the same magic as Silver Dollar City. It always felt like there was a void there. It seems to be a great amusement park, and a wonderful way to spend a day. But, I'm still partial to the heart that makes up Silver Dollar City.

tiffanylynnt · March 14, 2012, 02:11:20 PM

Dolly Parton is one of my favorite people (singer/actress/all around person), so that is why I wanted to go to Dollywood. It wasn't until I picked up a TN travel guide at a rest area that I knew it wasn't always called Dollywood. So the original name wasn't the reason I went.

I copy and pasted this from one of my posts about Dollywood:

I have been to DW, but the first time I was there, it rained all day, and the second time I was there, it was almost 100 degrees outside, so it was really hard to enjoy it. The only place at DW that really reminded me of SDC was Craftsman's Valley, and there was another section of the park called Jukebox Junction that reminded me of Celebration City. There were places at DW we didn't go to because of the weather. But whatever restaurant we went to the second time we visited DW, I felt like I was at SDC. I can't remember which restaurant it was.