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Parks: Carowinds
Ride & Park Home Database Roller Coasters


Info
Status:   Operating since 3/31/1973
Also Known As:   Paramount's Carowinds
Phone:   704-588-2600
Toll Free:   800-888-4FUN
Web:   Carowinds's site
Address:   14523 Carowinds Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28273
USA
Visits:   301
Rating:   This Park's Rating Is: 4
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More About This Park
History:
Carowinds occupies 112 acres in total.

Notes:
Portions of Carowinds extend into South Carolina.
Travel Info:
CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) offers a bus route directly from downtown Charlotte to Carowinds. For information please visit www.ridetransit.org, then click on Routes & Schedules, then click the link for Route 42X - Carowinds Express.

In the news...

Roller Coasters
Afterburn Steel Coaster Operating since 3/20/1999
Carolina Cobra Steel Coaster Under Construction Opening 2009
Carolina Cyclone Steel Coaster Operating since 3/1980
Carolina Goldrusher Steel Coaster Operating since 1973
Fairly Odd Coaster Wooden Coaster Operating since 1975
Hey Arnold's Taxi Chase Steel Coaster Operating since 1998
Hurler Wooden Coaster Operating since 6/1994
Nighthawk Steel Coaster Operating since 3/20/2004
Ricochet Steel Coaster Operating since 3/23/2002
Rugrats Runaway Reptar Steel Coaster Operating since 3/22/2003
Thunder Road (Blue) Wooden Coaster Operating since 1976
Thunder Road (Silver) Wooden Coaster Operating since 1976
Vortex Steel Coaster Operating since 3/14/1992
Rides
Action F/X Theater Fixed Ride Operating
Boots' Balloon Race Fixed Ride Operating since 1987
Carolina Skytower Fixed Ride Operating since 6/2/1973
Danny Phantom's Phantom Flyers Fixed Ride Operating since 2005
Dodgems Fixed Ride Operating since 1979
Dora the Explorer's Azul Adventure Fixed Ride Operating since 1973
Drop Zone - Stunt Tower Fixed Ride Operating since 3/1996
Flying Dutchman's Revenge Fixed Ride Operating since 2005
Kaleidoscope Fixed Ride Operating since 1973
Nick Jr. Jets Fixed Ride Operating
Nick-O-Round Fixed Ride Operating since 1979
Rip Roarin' Rapids Water Ride Operating since 3/1982
Rocket Power Air Time Fixed Ride Operating since 1990
Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion Dark Ride Operating since 3/24/2001
Scream Weaver Fixed Ride Operating since 3/1979
Southern Star Fixed Ride Operating since 3/31/2007
Thunder Raceway Fixed Ride Operating since 5/20/2006
TV Land Road Trip Fixed Ride Operating since 1998
White Water Falls Water Ride Operating since 1996
Wild Thornberry's River Adventure Water Ride Operating since 6/2/1973
Xtreme SkyFlyer Fixed Ride Operating since 1994
Yo Yo Fixed Ride Operating since 3/21/2008
Past Rides
Black Widow Fixed Ride Operated from 1973 to 1989
Blackbeard's Revenge Dark Ride Operated - Opened in 1985
Cable Skyway Fixed Ride Operated from 3/1973 to 1980
Carolina Sternwheeler General Attraction Operated until 2003
Double-Decker Carousel Fixed Ride Operated from 1973 until 1974
Flying Super Saturator Steel Coaster Operated from 4/1/2000 to 2008
Hillbilly Jalopies Fixed Ride Operated
Monorail Fixed Ride Operated until 1994
Oaken Bucket Fixed Ride Operated - Opened in 1973
Speedway Fixed Ride Operated from 1973 to 1991
Steam Locomotive Fixed Ride Operated - Opened in 1973
Surfer Fixed Ride Operated from 1973 to 1976
The Flying Dutchman Fixed Ride Operated from 1973 to 1984
The Whirling Dervish Fixed Ride Operated until 1999
Trolley Fixed Ride Operated - Opened in 1973
Waltzer Fixed Ride Operated from 1975 to 1976
White Lightnin' Steel Coaster Operated from 1977 to 1988
Wild Bull Fixed Ride Operated from 1979 to 1998


Reviews
bgwfreak

Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11170

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Park is convenient to I-77 and only minutes from I-485 (outer belt). Located 10 miles south of downtown Charlotte, NC.

Many fast food restaurants are located at the same exit off of I-77, and several hotels are on the same exit. Although I would recommend checking into hotels at I-485 and Hwy 51 (only 5 minutes from the park). (Nicer hotels, in a nicer area.)


2-17-04 14:27:03
SFOG Freak

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2627

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Blah. I went for my first time last August and I wasn't very impressed. Top Gun was really the only coaster I enjoyed. I doubt the park's any better now, i've been on X-Flight and Batwing and diddn't like em' very much, so I don't think BORG would really do much for me.

9-3-04 7:03:18
Cephas

Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1207

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I am a regular to Carowinds and have ridden Top Gun over 300 times. A ride on Top Gun back row, left seat on the yellow train will make a visit to carowinds worthwhile.

Borg is much better than Batwing because if is smoother and has a better setting in the park. You "fly" over pathways, water and ducks.

9-10-04 20:53:04
youngballinboy

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8

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As a homepark to me, Carowinds can get boring after a few visits. I've been there about 2 times, going on a third this summer and it's a pretty good park, they just need more thrills. I mean, Top Gun is hot, Vortex is ok but gets boring after 5 rides, Carolina Cyclone is a fun ride when in the backseat, and the wooden coasters are fun (and I never rode BORG). But besides that, Carowinds nas nothing to put out there. The tunt Tower is the most thrilling thing I've ridden there, so Carowinds really needs to step they game up and come out wit some new ad advanced, and LONGER coasters to make it much hotter.

But on the plus side, I love the wooden coasters they got, Drop Zone is so damn fun and is more thrilling everyride, and Top Gun is top notch thrillness. Now if only Carowinds had more of this. It was be such a better park. They done added expansions to the kid's area. Iite, enough wit the kid's Carowinds, get some thrills in there...

5-6-05 23:38:13
dukeandPCfan

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 514

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Top Gun is an amazing roller coaster, the atmosphere is the best of any paramount park, and it retains its rich Carolina history - unlike the cloned parks (PKI/PKD, PGA and the other Great America, and PCW which is original Paramount)...

I think that with an addition of a hyper in the next few years, this park will easily become a PP flagship

Top Gun - The Jet Coaster is a very underrated Invert, and BORG has a much better layout then Superman. The woodies are pretty fun, Vortex can be rough, but is a must every once in a while, and the latest revamps have been amazing.

Nick Central is an amazing family area, with IMO one of the best flats in the nation, the ORIGINAL Flying Scooters from PKI (and before that Coney Island OH), which are amazing to snap.. Carolina Boardwalk looks great, and even Ricochet, a compact Mack mouse, is pretty fun! The waterpark will be revamped next, and Carowinds has a history of awesome revamps. The Plantation Square revamp of 2004 with the addition of Borg was simply amazing. Borg has a great effect standing at the park entrance and swooping, as Cephas said, over pathways, a lake, and the well-themed Borg sphere. The loop packs tons of Gs. But the best ride at the park is by far, TOP GUN. The space drop over the parking lot is amazing, the whip over the loop, the awesome immelman from a trench, and then the Batwing into mist below the midway! The flatspin corkscrew and helix are pretty intense, and it is an awesome, underrated ride!!

10-13-05 14:37:25
Coasterman 20

Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 187

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This park was ok.the only ride I really enjoyed was top gun the jet coaster and Borg and other coaster was just ok and the hurler in Carowinds was rough.I'll give this park a 6 out of 10.

11-30-05 12:24:39
CoasterRockStar

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 223

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I love this Park. Partly because its my homepark and one of the few parks I've been too. The staff is very friendly (and very interactive and enthusiastic on Thunder Road (I love when they ask you to wave when you go backwards)), it is very, VERY clean (all the bathrooms with the exception of Nick Central), and the landscaping is beautiful. On (most) rides the theming is great, and esp. on BORG and Top Gun. A great coaster selection, but not so much in the flat rides division. Another thing is its fun to be in two states at once. I can't even think of anything bad about the park, I love it that much!

3-29-07 1:21:04
Carowinds 73-03

Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12072

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They now have an awesome Cracker Barrel across the street and the outlet mall across the parking lot has been refurbished.

The Park is now owned and operated by Cedar Fair

1-25-08 16:09:37
Carowinds 73-03

Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12072

View Park/Ride Count
Update:

We got some janky swings and yet another water park expansion but atleast Cedar Fair is re-building Thunder Road and they did make the road sign very pretty. Not much has happened with CF.

4-5-08 8:38:20
Carowinds 73-03

Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12072

View Park/Ride Count
Head Spin will be relocated from Geauga Lake to Carowinds in 2009.

A Fun and thrilling coaster will be a wonderfull addition to the Carowinds coaster line-up.

However Flying Super Saturator will be removed and the new coaster will take its place.

8-12-08 13:18:36
Carowinds 73-03

Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12072

View Park/Ride Count
Carolina Cobra to Strike at Carowinds for 2009

Charlotte, N.C. – There’s a new species coming to the Carolinas, but this is no animal! Carolina Cobra is an innovative new scream machine that will be the park’s 12th roller coaster when it makes its much-anticipated debut at Carowinds in 2009.

Carowinds, a 112-acre amusement park located on the border of the Carolinas, will debut Carolina Cobra in early spring 2009. This rebellious 125-foot-tall steel coaster will stand as the second tallest coaster in the park. This large new addition will hover near the entrance of Boomerang Bay, and, coincidentally, happens to be a “boomerang” coaster, meaning that it will travel the same track forwards and backwards.

The boomerang experience is unlike any coaster at Carowinds. Riders on the Carolina Cobra are pulled up a steep 125-foot lift hill and sent diving down a 120-foot drop, speeding along a 65-degree descent into three inversions, including a cobra roll and a 360-degree loop. The train is then “caught” by another lift hill, and, once it looses momentum, is towed to the top as riders wait in anticipation for the second descent. When the train is finally released, riders are sent racing into the inversions again…except this time in reverse!

In addition, Carolina Cobra is adorned with a newly designed train exclusive only to its tracks. No other parks in the United States have yet to utilize this spacious style of train, designed specifically for a heightened rider-experience. This new sleek 28 passenger train will create an aerodynamic experience unlike any other on a coaster as riders undergo the sensations of wind and speed at an amplified level. With its narrowed nose and widened harnesses, Carolina Cobra is sure to provide a smooth ride.

"Carowinds has always been a perfect blend of family-entertainment and thrill attractions," said John Shanrock, the park’s vice president and general manager. “For 2009, however, we plan to tilt the scale more to the thrill side! Carolina Cobra will be exhilarating and unlike any coaster that we house at this park. Only serious thrill-seekers should venture into the queues of this towering twisting serpent.”

Carolina Cobra joins a portfolio of 11 industry-leading roller coasters including Afterburn, Vortex, Carolina Cyclone, Nighthawk, The Hurler and Thunder Road.

Don’t miss out on your chance to ride Carolina Cobra all season long with a 2009 Season Pass! Purchase your 2009 Carowinds Season Pass today for only $69.99 per VIP Adult pass and $59.99 per VIP Junior/Senior pass. Also, current 2008 Season Passholders may renew their passes for only $59.99! Hurry, this offer is only valid through November 2, 2008! Visit Carowinds.com for a complete listing of benefits and pricing information. Don’t miss out on a 2009 season full of adventure as Carowinds unveils Carolina Cobra!


9-23-08 1:40:16


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