Since the park’s opening in 1973, Carowinds has entertained people for much of the Charlotte area. The only problem is that the park didn’t stand up the offerings by other parks 4-5 hours up/down Interstate 85. Therefore it simply could not compete for customers beyond an hour’s drive away. Those days are over.

Built as a celebration of the Carolinas, Carowinds offered just the basics typically offered by a regional amusement park. Even with the acquisition by the Taft Corporation and later Paramount, the park remained the bastard child to siblings Kings Dominion, Great America, Kings Island, and Canada’s Wonderland. In 2006, however, the parks were all purchased by Cedar Fair , the operator of Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio), the coaster capital of the world. Cedar Fair acquisition isn’t always a blessing, as the company disbanded a nice Geauga Lake park in Aurora, OH. Rides from that park were sent to the remaining parks, including Carowinds. Luckily, though, Carowinds was the recipient of intense attention from Cedar Fair, and the park now stands as a peer to Kings Dominion , Busch Gardens , and Six Flags Over Georgia . In fact, the park has some advantages over each of those listed.

The Day Unfolded: Dry

My family spent the day at Carowinds on Friday (7/2/11) and had a fantastic time. The park was only moderately crowded, and aside from a couple of 30-minute queues, all rides were 5-minute waits. The park personnel were very attentive and professional, but what struck me was the clientele. It was almost exclusively nice, clean families that were identical to the class of people we saw at Disney’s Magic Kingdom three years ago.

We got a late start, knowing that we were staying until the park’s 10pm closing time. Luckily we had some steeply discounted coupons a friend gave us, or else we would have had to pay $53/person at the gate. Tickets in advance (online) are only $42, so clearly it would behoove visitors to spend a little bit of time online buying tickets in advance. Our discounted tickets were only $30, so we got a very slow burn thru our day at only $3/hr. Still, even $5.20/hr is worth the fun we had.

One big advantage Carowinds and Kings Dominion (KD) have over Busch Gardens (BGW) and Six Flags (SFoG) is their in-house water parks. Admission is included in the park admission, so we always take in bathing suits, towels, and a change of clothes to Carowinds and KD. Each has rentable lockers ($10/d small, $18/d large) and adequate locker rooms for changing. (BGW and SFoG both offer water parks, but they are not on-site and are a separate ticket)

Our plan worked well. We decided to hit the slower rides and warm up first, go to the rapids ride where we would get wet, go to the water park, change, and hit the rest of the park for the evening. Because Carowinds is the flattest, most walkable, and smallest of the parks mentioned, it was easy for us to cover all of the park’s sections numerous times.

We started at Planet Snoopy, the children’s section of the park which offers a wide variety of rides. The Flying Ace Aerial Chase ( video ) was first, the only children’s inverted coaster in this part of the country. It was a great warm up, though a bit rough entering its last descent. On to the Woodstock Express (formerly Scooby Doo Rollercoaster) ( video ), which is identical to the one at KD. It may be a junior coaster, but it still has to be one of the most fun around with its surprising airtime offered. The trains used have very little leg room, so if you have long legs you might be uncomfortable. Unfortunately we skipped the Woodstock Gliders , one of the best flat rides ever made.

Next up was the County Fair section which has seen many changes through the years. We started with Thunder Road ( video ), the classic wooden out-and-back coaster. The park has been restoring the track and parts of the structure over the past 3 years, but still, this coaster is an mess as it is one of the roughest coasters I’ve ever ridden. We opted out of the Southern Star (Pirate ship that goes upside down) ( video ) and did one of my all-time favorites, the bumper cars.

The big ride of this section is a true gem in this part of the country: The Afterburn ( video ). Formerly known as the Top Gun, the Afterburn is an inverted coaster by B&M, resembling BGW’s Alpengeist ( video ). However while Afterburn has a shorter lift hill and reaches speeds 10-15mph slower than Alpengeist, the layout is much more compact so those speeds and altitudes aren’t really needed. The Afterburn essentially incorporates all of the elements that Alpengiest has, but is way, WAY smoother. My 9-year old daughter liked it so much that she rode it five times.

Before the arrival of the Intimidator, Afterburn was the park’s signature ride. However Afterburn hasn’t lost its personality, sporting a hilarious crew that pepped up riders and had them laughing even before the train left the station. It is rides like Afterburn that give a park personality and make people want to return.

Next we went to the Nighthawk ( video ), a flying coaster that was moved to Carowinds from Great America in 2002. The ride occupies much of the land that once was the park’s central lake, and stands with an awesome presence to visitors entering the park. While other rides had 5-10 minute queues, the Nighhawk had a 35-minute queue. Because of the ride’s design and numerous possible points of failure, turnover and output on this ride is terrible. It is the only flying coaster in our area and while I am glad I rode it, I thought it was a bit rough, I didn’t like relying completely on the shoulder restraints for suspending me 100 feet off the ground, and too much of the ride felt like I was going “backwards”. While this is a very good ride, I realized this isn’t my favorite style of coaster.

Next we hit the Carolina Skytower, a 320-foot high ring-cabin ride that slowly rotates up a pole, offering stunning views of the park as well as the Charlotte area. Most notably, the ride is air-conditioned. Nuff said. Nevertheless while up there, be sure to notice Charlotte’s skyline to the Northeast, and the towering, never completed hotel at the former PTL Heritage U.S.A. to the Southeast.

We were starving so we went to the burger joint formerly known as Stan Mikita’s at the base of The Hurler. While the burger was only adequate, I have to say that it was better than any burger I’ve gotten at Wendy’s in the last 10 years and it was decidedly better than the burger we got at Cosmic Ray’s in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.

We Got Wet

Next we went on the Rip Roarin’ Rapids ( video )which also has a slow turnover. Wait time in the middle of this 91-degree afternoon was 30-40 minutes. The line queue splits at one point, and you definitely want to take the line to the left, which was about 10 minutes faster than the right. This is one of those rapids rides with circular tubes and six seats strapped in. “You will get wet. You may get soaked” is their tagline, and it is accurate. Half of the boat’s riders will be doused and every rider’s shoes will be completely dunked, so plan accordingly.

Because the loading and unloading platforms are far away from each other, you will not be able to temporarily stow a bag near the ride’s exit. If you have large bags, put them in a locker at the park’s entrance (next door). For cell phones, I recommend bringing a large ziplock bag, and putting it in a plastic grocery back with a handle. You can then hang that bag from the post in the raft’s center. Any other plan is very risky as water damage may severely risk your phone’s well being and its warranty. This ride was well worth it, but it is not significantly different to the similar rides at KD and BGW.

Next up was the water park. While this water park is not as comprehensive as a dedicated water park experience (like Water Country, USA), it serves its purpose well. We started at the newer wave pool back next to the Thunder Road turn around. Wave pools usually only run for about 10 minutes, then there is a 15-20 minute break where the pumps do not run. The reason? The wave period will wear you down pretty fast. The experience is not replicating the ocean’s action. It is more like swimming on the high seas where the waves don’t curl. I love the experience, but worry that the 6 lifeguards onhand are not adequate for the mass of humanity in the pool. Always be on the lookout in these situations for people who are struggling to swim!

We moved on to the lazy river which was  great fun. The circuit takes 5 minutes to complete, so it isn’t a big lazy river nor is there any real theming, but it seemed like a better experience than the one at KD. We moved over to Pipeline Peak , a spaghetti collection of closed tube waterslides. Two tubes are two-man raft rides that launch halfway up the tower and the other two are single person, high-velocity tubes from the top of the tower. We thoroughly enjoyed the raft tubes, but the single person tubes were terrible (unless you like seams whipping your back, banging your head, and giving you an enema.) In addition, the climb to the top of the 80’ tower was not for the faint at heart.

Our most enjoyable experience in Pipeline Peak came with the Down Under Thunder , a, open tube family raft ride. The emphasis on this ride is on banking through tight turns. It doesn’t carry a lot of speed, but is simply fun!

We Dried Off

While my wife and daughter were dressing, I got in a couple of rides on The Intimidator ( video ), a year-old B&M hypercoaster that is very similar to BGW’s Apollo’s Chariot ( video ). In all honesty, this is not only the park’s and the region’s best coaster, it is one of the nation’s best roller coasters. If you read coaster publications very much, you’ll realize that there is a bias by critics against southern coasters. For example, last year’s Golden Ticket Awards names the 12-year-old Apollo’s Chariot as the #4 coaster in the U.S. while the Intimidator ties for #21. Perhaps as more people ride this thing they will realize that while Apollo is a great coaster, The Intimidator is plainly a better coaster.

The Intimidator’s 74 degree first drop from the 232-foot high lift hill plunges riders over 80 mph, but that isn’t what makes this a great coaster; it’s the five peaks that follow. During the peaks there is a tremendous amount of sustained air time for riders, some instances lasting more than 3 seconds. The ride incorporates B&M’s new staggered 2×16 seating pattern, so even the middle riders get a fantastic heads-up view. The ride is ultra-smooth, as well. If it can hold up as well as Apollo’s Chariot has, then the Intimidator will be the better coaster of the two for many years to come.

The Intimidator has a very fast turnover rate, pushing a new set of 32 riders out of the station about every 45 seconds, so the line moves quickly. Unfortunately this is accomplished by a frenzied staff and announcer imploring people to MOVE. While this is most certainly part of the “pit crew” theming to the ride, it led to a very strong feeling that turnover rate is being championed over ride safety. I actually would like for the crew to slow things down just a bit because the unsettling crew running the ride takes some of the fun out it.

The sun set as we rode the Carolina Goldrusher ( video ), one of the park’s original rides. Turnover rate on this ride is excessively slow and the ride is a bit rough, but the underground helix and the fine del capo entering the musty mine shaft were fantastic.

Geauga Lake’s loss was Carowinds’ gain as the Head Spin found a new home at Carowinds as the Carolina Cobra ( video ). It’s a Vekoma boomerang shuttle coaster that features a loop and a boomerang, a nice nod back to the old White Lightning ride that used to stand nearby. The ride is very smooth and has some interesting, extremely comfortable restraints. As with all shuttles, it is still unsettling to hit that station platform going at top speed!

We then took on the Richochet ( video ), a great little wild mouse coaster. The lateral g’s around the unbanked hairpin turns are enormous fun, and the ride is ultra-smooth.

What is not ultra smooth is the Vortex ( video ), a B&M stand-up coaster that is another complete mess. Sixteen years ago this was a ride known for its smoothness, but now it is bad, especially in the middle third in the corkscrew. It was walk-on when we hit it, and we had noticed several empty trains running before us. Something needs to be done about this ride, because it is a bad ride sitting on prime real estate.

The two coasters we skipped were The Hurler ( video ) and The Carolina Cyclone ( video ) after hearing about rough they are. The Hurler was fantastic in 1994, but wear and tear on it, and the addition of trim brakes in the first curve have reportedly taken their toll. The Cyclone wasn’t great in 1994, as it was just another rough Arrow looper. Instead we went back to the Afterburn for three more goes.

From 9pm to 10pm the park features a nice Charlie Brown-themed LED light show back in the County Fair section. Programmed with the music, the lights in the trees dance to patriotic and dance music. It’s a super touch that brings that part of the park alive at night.

Capping the day off is the 10pm fireworks show from behind the Hurler. The fireworks were not quite as good as the N.C. State Fair’s nightly showing, and they were not launched quite high enough, but nevertheless they are a fantastic touch for a great day at a quickly improving park.

We had a long, enjoyable day and my only regret is not drinking enough water. Remember that EVERY food stand has free cups of water. There are also water fountains at most bathrooms, so be sure to stay ahead of dehydration in the park.

Cedar Fair has done a remarkable job with the park. The food is adequate, the bathrooms were as clean as a nice fast-food restaurant, the employees were excellent, and the ride selection is excellent. I also like the bright color schemes they have chosen for the coasters, fences, and benches.

How They Stack Up

For those of us in the Triangle, we have three major parks from which to choose, and while Kings Dominion still probably rates out as the overall #1, I think Carowinds is a fairly close second now. Carowinds only has 10 coasters to KD’s 13, does not have a log flume, and has a smaller water park than Kings Dominion. Kings Dominion has a varied coaster selection (three launchers, an indoor coaster, the Avalanche, and the stunt coaster) while Carowinds offers a flying coaster, a shuttle coaster, an excellent B&M inverted coaster, and the region’s best overall coaster. King’s Dominion’s layout has gone array, with their enormous entry plaza going to waste and operational facility sitting on prime real estate, the water park has the stretch back over 0.6miles from the front gate.

The park that has me worried is Busch Gardens. While the park is still beautiful, has Apollo’s Chariot, The Alpengeist, The Loch Ness Monster (one of the best coasters Arrow ever made), the Griffon, DaVinci’s Cradle, and Escape from Pompeii, our last trip found the park sorely lacking everywhere else. The children’s area is for very small children, and with the Big Bad Wolf gone, there are very few rides that someone between the ages of 5 and 13 can enjoy. The gondola ride is gone, and walking the park is treacherous.

BGW is owned by The Blackstone Group (the Sea World people), so they have no interest in sustaining the Anheuser-Busch personality of the park. The monorail and beer tour are gone, and at least for now, the Clydesdales are still there. The park still has its awful log flume, and it sustains the longest ride lines of any attraction in the park. The Festhaus is still neat, and there is still a decent wildlife reserve portion to this park, but honestly, coasters are king in the industry these days. This park has four that are among the best in their classes, but is that enough quantity to draw people to a town which is seeing its Historic traffic fading?

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So if you are interested in taking a trip from Raleigh, here is how it all breaks down (3 stars=best of the group, 1 star=worst of the group):

	Carowinds	Kings Dominion	Busch Gardens
Drive Time	2.75 hours	3 hours	3.3 hours
Admission (adv/gate)	$42/$53	$44/$59	?/$64
Coaster Selection	**	***	*
Walkability	***	**	*
Cleanliness	**	**	***
Food	**	**	***
Integrated Water Park	**	***	N/A
Live Entertainment	*	*	***
Family Friendliness	***	***	**
Map Link	map it	map it	map it