Carowinds


Carowinds is a amusement park, located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although it has an official North Carolina address, the park is located along the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park also located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million. This was the result of a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall, who was inspired to build the park by a 1956 trip to Disneyland and a dream of bringing the two states closer together. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Carowinds also features a 27-acre water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission. The park has a Halloween event called SCarowinds and a winter event called WinterFest.

History

Carowinds was originally envisioned as a component of a large resort which would include hotels, a shopping center, a golf course, and an NFL stadium. However, attendance at Carowinds was curtailed by the 1973 oil crisis, and plans for the proposed resort were put on hold. Hall and the other stockholders of the Carowinds Corporation continued to operate the theme park through 1974, though sagging attendance and mounting debt forced the company to sell to Taft Broadcasting in early 1975. Ownership had transferred from Family Leisure Centers – a joint venture between Taft and Top Value Enterprises) – to Kings Entertainment Company, which in turn was acquired by Paramount. The park was purchased by Paramount Communications in 1993 and joined the Paramount Parks family. The park was renamed Paramount's Carowinds in 1993 and later became an asset of Viacom following its acquisition of Paramount in 1994.
The name "Carowinds" was obtained from the park's original theme of the history and culture of the Carolinas, and is a portmanteau of "Carolina" and "winds", in reference to the winds that blow across the two states. Carowinds operates seasonally from late March through December, after the park's Halloween event, "SCarowinds", and the park's Christmas event, "WinterFest."

Sale to Cedar Fair

On January 27, 2006, the Dayton Daily News reported that CBS Corporation would be selling Paramount's Carowinds and other parks in its Paramount Parks division.
On June 30, 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company acquired Paramount Parks, including Carowinds.
Although Cedar Fair continued to use the Paramount's Carowinds name through the remainder of the 2006 season, it began to phase out the Paramount name in press releases, the park website, and on signage within the park. In January 2007, a new logo featuring the Cedar Fair icon but lacking the "Paramount" name, was revealed on the park website. The new logo featured the trademark Cedar Fair flags, flying on the letter "I" on the Carowinds name. The other four Paramount-branded parks that Cedar Fair acquired all received similar changes. The "Paramount" name was dropped from all of the parks after the 2006 season.

Cedar Fair era

On August 26, 2013, Cedar Fair announced a $50-million investment plan to expand Carowinds over three years starting in 2014. The expansion includes a $30-million roller coaster, a $2.5-million water slide, a $7-million food complex, and $4 million to improve the park's ticket booths and front areas.
On August 21, 2014, Carowinds announced the addition of Fury 325 for the 2015 season. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride is the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world, after its debut in the spring of 2015 as another component of the park's previously announced "top-to-bottom" expansion program. A new front entrance, replacing the original North Gate entrance of the park, also opened along with Fury 325 for the 2015 season.
On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced that the water park known formally as Boomerang Bay would be expanded and renamed Carolina Harbor in 2016. The Australian theme would be removed and replaced with a Carolina harbor theme. The expansion includes a new six-slide complex, a new wave pool, and several new splash areas for kids.
On August 18, 2016, Carowinds announced the expansion of the County Fair area, with the addition of 4 new rides: Electro-Spin, Zephyr, Rock N Roller, and Do-Si-Do. For the 2017 season, Carowinds also announced that Carolina Cobra would be refurbished and renamed "The Flying Cobras". They also announced that the Wings restaurant would receive various upgrades. Carowinds also announced the return of WinterFest, a Christmas event in November and December, that previously operated in 2005.
For the 2018 season, the park's children's area known as Planet Snoopy, was expanded and converted to Camp Snoopy with the addition of six new children's attractions.
On August 30, 2018, Carowinds announced their biggest investment in park history for the 2019 season. The signature attraction, Copperhead Strike, a double-launched roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides, is located in the all new 7-acre "Blue Ridge Junction" area, and became the park's 14th roller coaster. Blue Ridge Junction was constructed in the area formerly occupied by Whitewater Falls, Sand Dune Lagoon and Thunder Road's former station. Also included in the investment is the 130-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Carowinds' first on-site hotel, and Blue Ridge Country Kitchen, a new dining experience.
In 2019, Carowinds announced Boogie Board Racer, the longest mat racing slide in the Southeast would open in Carolina Harbor in 2020. The retirement of the Rip Roarin' Rapids ride was also announced, along with the closure of the Dinosaurs Alive! attraction.

Themed areas and attractions

Celebration Plaza

RideYear openedManufacturerDescriptionThrill
level
Carolina Skytower1973IntaminA tall Gyro tower that gives guests a view of Carowinds and Charlotte. It was originally sponsored by and branded as the Eastern Airlines Skytower.'
Intimidator2010Bolliger & MabillardA steel hypercoaster inspired by the famous stock car racing driver Dale Earnhardt. The roller coaster travels up to.'
Kiddy Hawk2003VekomaA steel Vekoma 342m suspended family coaster. Formerly operated as Rugrats Runaway Reptar with yellow track and green supports, and Flying Ace Aerial Chase with yellow track and orange supports. For its 15th anniversary in 2018, the coaster gained a new name, new color scheme, and new theme. The coaster would be themed to the aviation based off the famous Wright Brothers from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Also in 2018 with the transition of Planet Snoopy to Camp Snoopy, the coaster became part of Celebration Plaza and themed outside of the Peanuts/kid themed area.'
Nighthawk2004VekomaA Vekoma Flying Dutchman coaster. The coaster operated as Stealth at California's Great America before being installed at Carowinds. When moved to Carowinds, it was known as Borg Assimilator and was themed after the Borg from the television show. The theming was removed when Cedar Fair acquired the park, and the ride was renamed Nighthawk.'
RipCord1995Skycoaster, Inc.A skycoaster formally known as Xtreme SkyFlyer. This ride is an upcharge ride. Guests must pay an additional fee to ride. This ride used to be located were Fury 325 is currently located. In the year 2014 RipCord was relocated right next to the Kiddy Hawk roller coaster.

Crossroads

Carolina Boardwalk

RideYear openedManufacturerDescriptionThrill
level
Carolina Cyclone1980Arrow DynamicsA steel roller coaster featuring two vertical loops and two corkscrews. It was the first roller coaster to feature four inversions.'
Carolina Goldrusher1973Arrow DynamicsA steel Mine train roller coaster. It was the first roller coaster at Carowinds and is only one of three original rides still operating. It's also the first roller coaster to cross state lines.'
Ricochet2002Mack RidesA steel wild mouse roller coaster that has intense turns and drops.

Carousel Park

County Fair

Thrill Zone

RideYear OpenedManufacturerDescriptionThrill
level
Fury 3252015Bolliger & MabillardA giga coaster loosely themed around Charlotte's nickname the "Hornet's Nest" with a height of 325 ft, making it the tallest giga coaster and fastest non-launched roller coaster in the world, reaching speeds of up to 95 mph making it the sixth fastest in the world. Fury 325 is the tallest ride ever built at Carowinds and was the single largest investment in the park's history up to that time.'
1996IntaminA drop tower ride with a height of and a drop of. It was originally named Drop Zone: Stunt Tower.'
Hurler1994International Coasters, IncA wooden triple out and back roller coaster. Originally themed to Wayne's World when the park was owned by Paramount.'
Scream Weaver1979Anton SchwarzkopfA Schwarzkopf Enterprise ride. It was originally located in the original County Fair area, where it was known as Meteorite.'

Blue Ridge Junction

Camp Snoopy

Carolina Harbor

Included in the price of admission to Carowinds is access the 27-acre Carolina Harbor water park. Based on a Coastal Carolina theme, it features 15 rides and attractions. Originally opened as Ocean Island in 1982, the water park has also been known as Riptide Reef WaterWorks, and Boomerang Bay. On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced an expansion for the area that added five additional attractions and resulted in the name changing to Carolina Harbor.

WinterFest

Carowinds re-introduced WinterFest for the 2017 season. This seasonal holiday event features the park decorated for the Christmas season, a tree lighting, Christmas carolers, homemade crafts, a parade, and select rides. The park previously had Winterfest in 2005 when owned by Paramount.

SCarowinds

In September 2000 the park introduced SCarowinds an annual Halloween attraction, SCarowinds is presented on select nights in September and October, as well as the first weekend in November. The park is open with The Great Pumpkin Fest starring Snoopy and rest of the Peanuts gang throughout. The Great Pumpkin Fest ends at 5:30pm, and reopens as SCarowinds at 7pm with the powerful sorcerer demon of SCarowinds himself The Overlord. The experience includes numerous haunted attractions and incorporates most of the existing park rides into a nightmarish experience. The SCarowinds Halloween Haunt is recommended for ages 13 and up, but any age is permitted for admission.

Paladium

The Paladium is an outdoor amphitheater located at Carowinds. It opened in 1975 and was the Charlotte area's premier outdoor concert venue until the opening of Blockbuster Pavilion, now PNC Music Pavilion, in 1991. It lost most of its major acts to the Uptown Amphitheatre at the NC Music Factory when it opened in 2009, and now hosts mostly Christian bands. Admission to the Paladium is separate from admission to Carowinds.
In 1992, the Paladium hosted Chapel Hill's James Taylor. Bon Jovi played to a sold-out crowd at the Paladium in 1993 during a stop on their I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour. It had Virginia's Dave Matthews Band in '93, UK's Depeche Mode in '94, Athens GA's B-52's in '94, Johnny Cash in '95, Billy Ray Cyrus in '95, Blues Traveler in '96, UK's Duran Duran in 2000, Weird Al Yankovic in '00, Atlanta Christian rapper Lecrae in 2014, and Skillet in 2015.

Fast Lane

is a limited-access line queue system offered for an additional charge at Cedar Fair amusement parks. Visitors can purchase access, which includes a wristband that allows them to bypass standard lines in favor of shorter ones at many of the parks' most popular attractions. Fast Lane Plus is a more expensive, higher-end version that includes several additional attractions.

Carowinds Festival of Music

The annual Carowinds Festival of Music allows music students to play in public performances and receive comments and ratings from nationally recognized adjudicators. Bands, choirs, show choirs, and orchestras can all play for ratings. Plaques and ribbons are awarded for performances which receive ratings of superior and excellent.

Lodging