It’s summer time and the amusement park scene is rambunctious and crowded, and your stomach is starting to tell you it is time for some food.

Navigating the amusement parks can prove to be difficult, but especially when it comes to the food. It can be a hit or miss depending on what amusement park you are at and where you decide to eat while you are there.

I have found that most of the smaller amusement parks have the best food. I found this theory further confirmed when I visited Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

Silver Dollar City is basically the cousin of Dollywood. When I say this I mean that most of the rides, eating places and themes are the same. The names have been slightly altered and Silver Dollar City seems to be bigger, but all in all the two were basically the same. I’ve eaten at several places in Dollywood so, I had a pretty good idea of where to steer my family for lunch when we were in Silver Dollar City.

I chose the Lucky Silver Mine Restaurant, which is a home-style buffet which offers a different main entrée at different days of the week. The day we went they had fried chicken and fried catfish. There we were, standing in line sweaty from all the walking, among moms hushing their screaming kids and dads wishing they were eating the food already. The line actually went faster than expected and when I finally sat down, my plate was full of fried chicken, corn, macaroni, fried okra and coleslaw.

I’m always wary with buffets. To be honest, most of the time they remind me of cafeteria food, but this fried chicken had it going on. It was crisp with a perfectly seasoned coating and the chicken inside was moist. Certainly better than the foot-long corndog Joe Schmoe was eating outside the window of the restaurant. The sides were above expectation and rounded out the meal nicely.

All in all, if it is quality foods you want, choose the smaller amusement parks. To be fair I’ve never been to Disney, but I guarantee you will spend tons of money eating there. I tend to root for the underdog so, whether you choose Silver Dollar City or Dollywood, know that the food will make it worth the trip.

Jessica Carr is a rising junior in journalism and electronic media. She aspires to be a professional food blogger and food magazine editor. She can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter at @jcarr_94.