| |
| Location |  |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | March 31, 1973 |
| Owner | Cedar Fair |
| General manager | Pat Jones |
| Previous names | Paramount's Carowinds |
| Area | 122 acres |
| Website | http://www.carowinds.com/ |
Carowinds is a theme park located on the state line between North and South Carolina, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Fort Mill, South Carolina. The park officially opened on March 31, 1973.
History
The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million, after a four-year planning period led 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.[1] In 1975, the park was sold to Kings Entertainment Company after the Carowinds Corporation declared bankruptcy. The purchase marked a shift in the park's strategy as the ownership of the Carowinds Corporation was much more family oriented, with the new owners initially adding a clone of the Scooby-Doo wooden coaster found at other Kings Entertainment parks. The main turning point for the park was when they added Thunder Road in 1976, officially marking their new ownership as a park for thrillseekers and families. Later, in mid-1992,[2] the park was sold to Paramount Communications alongside all of the North American holdings of the Kings Entertainment Company. After the Viacom-CBS split in 2005, the parks were handed to the CBS Corporation who was seeking to sell their parks. They found a buyer in early 2006, and sold Carowinds to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company alongside the entire Paramount Parks chain. The properties were officially transferred under Cedar Fair management on June 30, 2006.[3]
On August 4, 2020, the park announced that it would not operate at all in 2020 due to challenges associated with the coronavirus pandemic regarding the legal dubiousness since the park operated on the state line.[4] The announcement of a complete closure during 2020 was soon proven to be false, as on November 18, 2020, the park announced a limited run Taste of the Season event, operating a limited selection of rides, with the focus of the event being mainly on a selection of food items.[5]
Roller coasters
Present
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afterburn | Bolliger & Mabillard | Inverted | March 20, 1999 | Operating |
| Carolina Cyclone | Arrow Dynamics | Sit-Down | March 22, 1980 | Operating |
| Carolina Goldrusher | Arrow Dynamics | Hybrid | March 31, 1973 | Operating |
| Copperhead Strike | Mack Rides | Launched | March 23, 2019 | Operating |
| Flying Cobras | Vekoma | Shuttle | March 28, 2009 | Operating |
| Fury 325 | Bolliger & Mabillard | Giga | March 28, 2015 | Operating |
| Hurler | International Coasters | Wooden | June 4, 1994 | Operating |
| Intimidator | Bolliger & Mabillard | Hyper | March 27, 2010 | Operating |
| Kiddy Hawk | Vekoma | Inverted | March 22, 2003 | Operating |
| Nighthawk | Vekoma | Flying | March 20, 2004 | Operating |
| Ricochet | Mack Rides | Wild Mouse | March 23, 2002 | Operating |
| Vortex | Bolliger & Mabillard | Stand-Up | March 14, 1992 | Operating |
| Wilderness Run | E&F Miler Industries | Kiddie | 1998 | Operating |
| Woodstock Express | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | Wooden | 1975 | Operating |
Past
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Super Saturator | Setpoint | Suspended | April 1, 2000 | August 2008 | Scrapped |
| Thunder Road | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | Wooden Twin |
April 3, 1976 | July 26, 2015 | Scrapped |
| White Lightnin' | Schwarzkopf | Launched Shuttle |
May 14, 1977 | October 16, 1988 | Relocated to Gold Reef City |
Attractions
Operating
Closed
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgem | Barbieri | Dodgems | 1979 | 2022 | Remodeled to Hover & Dodge |
| Flying Dutchman | Intamin | Flying Dutchman | 1973 | 1984 | Scrapped |
| Rip Roarin' Rapids | Intamin | River Rapids | 1982 | 2018 | Scrapped |
| Skyway | Unknown | Ropeway | 1973 | 1981 | Scrapped |
| Snoopy's GR8 SK8 | Chance Rides | Falling Star | 1990 | 2013 | Scrapped |
| Southern Star | Intamin | Ranger | 1986 | 2022 | Scrapped |
| Whirling Dervish | Zierer | Waveswinger | 1979 | 2000 | Relocated to Paramount's Great America |
| Whitewater Falls | Hopkins | Shoot The Chute | 1988 | 2016 | Scrapped |
| Wild Bull | Schwarzkopf | Bayern Kurve | 1979 | 1998 | Scrapped |
| Wild Thornberry's River Adventure | Arrow Dynamics | Log Flume | 1973 | 2008 | Scrapped |
| Yo Yo | Chance Rides | Chair-O-Plane | 2008 | 2022 | Scrapped |
References
- ↑ "Carowinds Promises Its Visitors A Lot", The Charlotte Observer.
- ↑ "Paramount to buy 4 theme parks for $400 million". United Press International;. 31 July 1992. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/07/31/Paramount-to-buy-4-theme-parks-for-400-million/2902712555200/. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ↑ "MEETING WITH POTENTIAL LENDERS RE: ACQUISITION OF PARAMOUNT PARKS FROM CBS". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. ?? June 2006. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811532/000119312506130576/dex99.htm. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ↑ "A Message from Pat Jones, Vice President & General Manager of Carowinds". Carowinds. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804080601/https://www.carowinds.com/park-update.
- ↑ "Your Guide to Taste of the Season". Carowinds. 18 November 2021. https://www.carowinds.com/blog/2020/your-guide-to-taste-of-the-season. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
External links
- Carowinds on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
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