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| Status: |
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Operating since 3/31/1973 |
| Also Known As: |
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Paramount's Carowinds |
| Phone: |
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704-588-2600 |
| Toll Free: |
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800-888-4FUN |
| Web: |
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Carowinds's site |
| Address: |
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14523 Carowinds Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28273
USA
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| Visits: |
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315 |
| Rating: |
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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.
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| Reviews |
bgwfreak
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 12534
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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.)
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| 2-17-04 14:27:03 |
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SFOG Freak
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2626
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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.
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| 9-3-04 7:03:18 |
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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.
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| 9-10-04 20:53:04 |
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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...
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| 5-6-05 23:38:13 |
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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!!
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| 10-13-05 14:37:25 |
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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.
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| 11-30-05 12:24:39 |
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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!
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| 3-29-07 1:21:04 |
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Carowinds 73-03
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12148
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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!
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| 9-23-08 1:40:16 |
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Carowinds 73-03
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12148
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 26, 2009) — The skyline of Carowinds will drastically change for what will be a historic and record-breaking 2010 season, as the amusement park announces plans to debut the Intimidator™, the Southeast’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster, in the Spring of 2010. Topping the list as the largest single capital investment in Carowinds 37-year history, the Intimidator™ is named in honor of NASCAR®’s most beloved driver, Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator.”
This massive attraction will stand 232-feet (23-stories) tall at its highest peak and send guests plunging down a 211-foot first drop at a 74-degree angle, reaching speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour. The second (178-feet) and third (151-feet) hills are also taller than any roller coaster at Carowinds. With 5,316 feet of track the Intimidator™ will feature high speed twists and turns including seven steep drops – one for each of his NASCAR® championships — and an intense finish through a diving spiral. The ride experience will last more than three minutes, and replicate the speed and intensity of a fast-paced NASCAR® race.
“The Intimidator™ will dominate the skyline and strongly position Carowinds as the thrill capital of the Southeast — the statistics speak for themselves,” said Bart Kinzel, Carowinds’ vice president and general manager. “This unprecedented addition represents the sizable commitment of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company toward building and expanding the product offering at Carowinds and solidifying us as the premier regional amusement park.”
The trains on the Intimidator™ will feature unique, open-air stadium-style seating with a simple T-bar style restraint that extends from the floor between the rider’s feet with the bar resting across the rider’s lap. These ‘side-less’ trains take away a feeling of protection for the riders and allows them to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills and excitement of this record-breaking roller coaster. The trains will also be fashioned to mirror Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
“We’re excited to see this new roller coaster celebrate the speed, excitement and legendary career of Dale Earnhardt,” said Jeff Steiner, executive vice president and general manager of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “There are millions of fans that still honor their racing hero and this is a very engaging and interactive way for them to connect with the spirit and passion of the Intimidator™.”
The 10-acre attraction will be located on the midway across from the entrance of Nighthawk and will race over the skyline of the Park from the north main entrance to the south entrance paralleling the guest parking lot. Featuring a bold red track and grey support structure, the Intimidator’s™ 232-foot lift will overshadow the Park’s skyline, dwarfing its neighboring roller coaster, Afterburn at 144-feet.
“The name Intimidator™ is significant of the most exciting, aggressive, and skilled driver to ever race on a NASCAR® track, Dale Earnhardt,” Kinzel said. “There is no better way to communicate the enormity of this ride than to give it a face that its riders can truly connect with. The Intimidator™ will include a heavily-themed midway, complete with a Victory Lane and a video tribute to Dale Earnhardt’s racing accomplishments.”
Guests will have the opportunity to see this historic ride being built from the ground up as they attend on operating days throughout the Fall. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on the Intimidator™, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at intimidator.carowinds.com.
Construction has already begun on this world-class roller coaster and will continue throughout the winter months. The Intimidator™ is expected to open to the public in the Spring of 2010.
The Intimidator™ is designed and manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development and the same firm that brought Afterburn to Carowinds in 1999 and Vortex in 1992.
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| 9-1-09 10:47:47 |
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