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Carowinds Theme Park
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12 reviews for Carowinds Theme Park
Carowinds straddles the border of North and South Carolina and is an all-day drive from the DC area, but it was well worth the trip.
I visited the park on the 4th of July weekend and despite the fact that there were lots of people there, it didn't feel like the park was overly crowded. Most of the rides only took about 15-20 minutes to board, with the exception of Nighthawk.
There are plenty of coasters to ride, but there's also a number of more sedate rides and kiddie rides as well to balance it out for those who are not into flying all over the place. I didn't try the on-site water park this time around but that is on my list for next time.
This is another park that has cubbies to store your stuff when you go on the ride, and they didn't object to me carrying a Camelbak into the park, so I was able to just drink my water all day. If you want to eat at the park, you have a variety of choices, including a few chain restaurants such as Chik-Fil-A and Panda Express, along with the usual pizza and burger joints. There is also an all-you-can-eat lunch with a different menu each day of the week for about $15 a person. However, if you want to save some cash, pack a lunch in the cooler and step out to your car to eat.
The one issue I do have with Carowinds is that there is only one real road to leave the park. All traffic from all parking lots merge onto a two-lane road, so it can become a major headache when trying to leave towards the end of the day when everyone else is trying to leave. I stayed at the park to watch their 4th of July fireworks and it took about 90 minutes before I could even leave the parking lot, and that was only after they opened up the employee access road to let people leave. I hope this can be fixed in the future.
The roller coasters worth riding are Afterburn (a personal favorite), Carolina Cyclone, Thunder Road, and Nighthawk (if you're willing to wait). Carolina Goldrusher is good for those who are not into high thrill coasters. Vortex is also fun, but guys be warned, it is a stand-up coaster and the bottom part of the restraint is not so fun on the groin. The Rugrats Runaway Reptar, Fairly Odd Coaster, and Ricochet are more for the kids. If you're going to do Carolina Cobra, do it when the park opens because by design, there is only one car, so it will take longer than most other coasters that have 2-3 cars.
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Basically a watered-down version of California's Great America. Thank god for that 2 for 1 burger king cup compliments of my older bro.
Ride review in the order I rode:
1) Nighthawk: I remember riding this thing at G.A. (Stealth), I guess I had a better tolerance for g-forces when I was younger. This ride was intense. You start laying down and have no idea how steep the first drop is. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty scared. My favorite part was when you feel like you are flying like Superman. Note: Do not go on this ride on a full stomach...my coffee and bagel did not settle in my tummy very well afterwards. Thrill factor: 5
2) Carolone Cyclone: Very similar to the Demon, I didn't like this ride, my head was jerking everywhere. Thrill factor: 3
3) Thunderoad: Fastest coaster? Hardly, don't waste your time on this one. Thrill Factor: 1
4) The Hurler: One of my favorites out of the day. I guess I am just a fan of wooden rollercoasters. This ride did not make me nauseous like the others. Thrill factor: 4
5) Ricochet : More of a family ride, the sharp turns were different, felt like the cart was going to fly off the tracks. Would of been more exciting if the entire track shook like the one from Great America. Thrill Factor: 2
6) Carolina Cobra: Unfortunately I had to sit out on this ride because I was feeling a little sick after 5 rides and it starting raining. I didn't feel like getting soaked in 80+degree weather. Thrill Factor: 5 (I take my brothers words for it)
7) Scooby-Doo's™ Haunted Mansion: This was a cute fun ride. The wait was particularly long although it was still pouring. It was worth the wait though, felt like a kid in the shag wagon zapping ghosts and villians with my gun. I scored the highest score and whoop all my brothers asses, 1020 to their measly 300+ points.
8) Thunder Road: This ride would of been cooler if the other train was working. You are supposed to race the other train. Love the drops and didn't expect that many turns for a wooden coaster. Thrill Factor: 4
9) Afterburn: Basically Top Gun or whatever they call it now with a smaller drop but more corkscrews. I should of pass on this last ride we decided to ride on a whim because I felt nauseous again right after.
All in all I had a good time, the rain killed it though. Nothing too spectacular here that I couldn't experience back home. I definitely appreciated the short lines but it was kind of annoying going on a school day...teeny boppers galore.
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You have to appreciate Carowinds for what it is - a regional theme park. To correct those who have mentioned otherwise, Cedar Fair has now owned the Paramount Parks for three years, and they actually continue to get more affordable each year. When Paramount owned the parks, season passes didn't include Scarowinds, while they now do. Cedar Fair just put in a new coaster - the first in a few years. So the parking lot has weeds? Deal with it. If you buy a season pass, you aren't paying for parking anyway, and ideally you aren't paying for overpriced food anyway. Eat before you go, or after you leave. Go for the rides, not the food.
One of the best items in the park is actually the water park, where you can even pack a bag that you can use to carry in your towels. Inside that you can include some small food items such as a lunch or some snacks, and then you don't have to buy anything. Talk about a deal.
While the lines on the rides can be long, and the price is high if you go every day, if you buy a season pass, you make up the entrance cost after two visits, and you also get free parking and the aforementioned admission to Scarowinds. All without having to go to Orlando. It's not the same thing by a long shot - but it's a whole lot closer, too.
Want something else? Try the Great Wolf lodge for an alternative. For ten times the price you'll get a newer room and a water park shared only by other residents. But you'll pay for it!
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Nice park. Good selection of coasters. Plenty of shade and fans. The map was hard to navigate though. A couple rides went down during the day. 3g was tricky to pick up in the park. All in all... A pretty good day. I prefer kings island or cedar point, but this was still a lot of fun.
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Some of the rides here are quite carnival-ish. However, there are some good ones like "The Borg". The food sucks and is WAY overpriced as is the souvenirs. The park constantly smells like garbage and on a hot summer day when you've been waiting in line for a good hour it's not a pleasant experience to bask in the stench of garbage mingled with the patrons sweat. I would probably tolerate this park much better if I didn't have to smell that.
It's great for kids if you don't mind spending all of your time surrounded by other's crying/screaming kids in kiddy-land or in the over-rated water park. Speaking of the water park - why is inevitable that when you finally get up to the top of the slide something breaks? This park always has something breaking mid-ride. There have been tales of people stuck on top of the Drop Zone for hours- not sure how true that is.
Maybe I'm spoiled, but coming from Orlando to Charlotte, going to Carowinds was an eye-opener for me. It made me remember just how much care is put into theme parks by Disney and Universal. They don't put a lot of effort into theming, landscaping, or guest service at Carowinds, but they do throw some rides your way.
As rides go, the rides are okay here at Carowinds, somewhere between a carnival and the theme parks in Orlando. The old wooden Hurler roller coaster didn't make me want to hurl, but it did make me wish I was wearing a crash helmet. My head felt like a martini -- shaken and stirred. Some of the other rides felt like rides I used to go on as a kid; they haven't been updated.
As for their food options, they're not great. We waited awhile for below average theme park fare. And don't even get me started with the guy who wanted to run off with our credit card to ask his manager something when we wanted to buy a soda. That was 15 minutes of my life that I'd like back.
What does Carowinds have going for it? Its proximity to Charlotte and an option for something to do for a day during the summer. Other than that, save your money and go to Orlando.
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I haven't been to Carowinds in years. We went once as a family day trip and a few times in school. My favorite part was the guess your mph pitch game. We couldn't care less if we won a prize (we never did) we just wanted to see how fast we could throw. I guess around twelve yrs old we threw in the forty mph range. AND WE FELT LIKE GODS. Right next door was the ice cream sundae stand where you could get your dessert in a mini baseball batting hemet. I still have all those helmets. O there were the rides. Back then the Carolina Cyclone was the new coaster with a loop and two corkscrews. White lightening was a simple one loop and up a hill and then again backwards. I always liked the swings. Maybe because it was beside the ice cream sundae stand. They had Rip Roaring Rapids which was a little float going down a little river with water splashing everywhere. And for some reason we waited 2 hours to ride this each time. Im sure none of these rides exist anymore but back in the day it was great. Me and chickie ended up living a couple of miles from Carowinds a few years ago but had no desire to visit.
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I'm not a huge fan of theme parks in general, but it is nice having one close by. My sister, who has a four-year-old daughter, visited a few months ago, and we took my little niecelet to Carowinds. She enjoyed the Nickelodeon-themed rides, especially the Dora the Explorer train. (It's totally lame for grown-ups, but she had a good time. My sister and I rolled our eyes while she shouted, "Estrellas!" because Dora told her to find all the stars.)
The food was expensive and soggy, like amusement park is meant to be, and there are lots of places for kids to freak out because they want their parents to buy stuff...it was just what you'd expect for a theme park experience with a four-year-old in tow...kind of annoying, kind of cute, and certainly memorable.
The best part of the whole adventure for my sister and I was talking the niece into going on the log flume ride. She was nervous that it would go fast and that she might get wet, and we assured her that it would, indeed go fast and that she would, indeed get wet...but that we'd make sure she was safe in between the two of us. I sat in the front on our log, and my niece cuddled in between my sister and I. She liked the ride until we got the the freaky last hill with the steep, gut-wrenching drop. She got off crying and actually said, "My mama scared the piss out of me!" when she related the whole experience to her father on the phone. It was probably mean, but my sister and I laughed and laughed at her mortified little face. It was so funny, we couldn't even teach her not to curse. Good times with family fun. Hah!
This is an awesome theme park, only 15 minutes away from the city. Right off of the highway- it's easy to spend the day there and get home quickly. Tickets for adults is usually under $50, and around $20 for children. There's live shows, concerts, fun events for children- and they have discounts all the time.
My favorite ride is the lazy river because it's the best way to get a tan and relax. BUT- some other crazy fun rides are the Afterburn, and the Drop Tower. You have to put a penny on your lap and watch it float above your knee when you do this one!
I will admit it is no Six Flags or Universal Studios, but it is all we've got. It is a great place to go to during the summer with your family, even if you are fearful of roller coasters. There is a great water park with slides and a lazy river.
Everything here is overpriced; that is expected, because they have got you trapped inside. I usually bring some sandwiches and bottled water, and they do allow this. Drop Zone is probably my favorite ride in the park; it makes your heart come out of your throat. The bungee jump costs a little dough, but it is quite an adrenaline rush as well.
Go during the week; the lines are shorter and there are less drunken rednecks sweating over your shoulders.
Loved it, been a while since I have been but loved it when I was there, I loved the fact it was right off the exit also.
I've lived in NC for a year and four months now. I'm originally from NJ and believe me its a big difference. Carowinds theme park is a cool place to go to with friends to have fun. I went for the first time on Halloween, but it's called Scarowinds, even though its the same thing. The best part of this whole theme park is that its only 30 minutes away or even less. This was a great thing for me because i love theme parks and in NJ I usually went to Six Flags. It was about an hour and a half from where it lived. That's why Carowinds is a great place for me even though its small compared to Six Flags.
So, this theme park is a very fun place to go with friends, when you have nothing to do or no where to go in the summer and especially on Halloween. I had an awesome time at Scarowinds. The mazes and haunted houses are great to go in, but it even better when you go with a large group of friends.