Branson and Pigeon Forge are indeed very similar to each other. I think Branson has a bit of a nicer feel to it, but it's also more modest.
The SDC is Disneyland and Dollywood is WDW is apt. I haven't been to Dollywood since 2014 (!), but by that point I had been to SDC several times and I could easily see some similarities ("Oh, this is their Opera House!" and so on). Similar but different atmospheres.
Here's some advice I gave in another thread regarding SDC:
-I recommend arriving around 1 hour before official opening time. This will give you time to park, wait for the tram, take the tram to the entrance, and get in before the crowd. Silver Dollar City's entrance is quaint but tiny and doesn't handle crowds well (the entrance path is wedged tightly between the natural entrance to Marvel Cave and the cable car that returns you to the surface). You can then walk around the square, eat breakfast or stop at the bakery, and often times watch a pre-opening show at the Gazebo before the official grand opening ceremony.
-During non-Pumpkin/Christmas times, going on Saturday can sometimes be beneficial if you care about the coasters, as they are more likely to be running all available trains on Saturdays. Usually the rides that need multiple trains (Powder Keg, Time Traveler) will be running them on other days, but this can be hit or miss. Time Traveler and Powder Keg are consistently popular and busy, but the others can be walk-ons if you time it right.
-Best strategy from sheer "get on them before the lines build" is to start with Time Traveler, then hit Powder Keg. That said, everyone has the same idea to hit Time Traveler first, so an alternative would be to do Powder Keg/FITH/Wildfire/Outlaw Run first and come back to Time Traveler.
-Navigating the park can be tricky for first-timers, particularly the meandering older sections that move to and fro much like the streets of an old town that wasn't masterplanned would. That said, most everything of value is built in an exterior loop or just off of it, so the park is mostly a circle even if it doesn't look or feel like it at first glance. Another key tip is that if you're going downhill, you're going further into the park; uphill, towards the exit. The park's lowest point is near the entrance to Mystic River Falls.
-Elevation changes and hills are constant throughout the park, but there's one particular hill if you head down to the left from the entrance (they even call it "Hill Street") that's especially brutal. This particular hill is best avoided unless you absolutely must traverse it-there are almost always alternatives.
-Entertainment changes constantly, and even the established acts will change their repertoire at each performance. There's nearly always a visiting group or two.
-Of the resident entertainers, the Homestead Pickers are my favorite. If they're doing a show at the gazebo (typically pre-park opening), that may be the best place to see them, as they're older gentlemen with quiet voices, and the gazebo is the only place where they have microphones. The sign on the McHaffie's Homestead (visible from the Town Square) will tell you where they'll be performing, if it's absent from the map as it sometimes is.
-The steam train leaves on the hour and half-hour.
-Flooded Mine typically has short waits, but it's right next to the train station, so it sees influxes of crowds every 30 minutes or so from all of the people who couldn't make it on the train and/or people who have just exited the train.
-Grandfather's Mansion is a walkthrough funhouse that's easy to miss. At the main entrance square, take the path between the general store and the ice cream parlor, and the entrance is on the left just before you go down the stairs.
-All the crafters and demonstrations are great, but the glassblowers are my personal favorite. And unlike some parks, where they only make little trinket sort of things, they make full size glassware.
-Definitely do the cave tour! The cave tour is inside the Hospitality House, which you must walk through to reach the park proper. As you walk through the HH, you'll notice a tiny sign on the Cave Information Desk with all of the tour times. I recommend taking a picture of this so that you know when the tours will be-they used to be every 30 minutes, but over the past two years as the park has been having staffing shortages, the tours are more infrequent than they used to be. This will help you better plan for them. Arrive eary-they can take a little more than 30 on each tour.
-The park also offers an upcharge Lantern Tour, which takes you into some rooms you don't see on the regular tour and in darkness, but the free regular tour hits all the highlights.
-I wouldn't say there's any restaurants to avoid except the handful of burger and hot dog places. If you're looking at menus and see something appealing, get it at lunch when you can be sure the restaurant will be open. The app also lists menus for all permanent restaurants if you want to peruse what they sell before you arrive or in line.
-Sweet tooth recommendations: the Cinnamon Bread is different from Dollywood's, and it's sold at the Cinnamon Bread building near Mystic River Falls; Apple Dumplings with cinnamon ice cream (probably not offered during the summer, but if you see it, get it), Peanut Butter Fudge (or others) from Brown's Candy; the molasses cookies at the bakery are just like the ones my grandmother used to make; endless taffy varieties at the taffy factory.
