This is my home park Y’ALL! And to be honest one of the best Amusement Parks in the country! This is where you will find FURY 325 the TALLEST, FASTEST AND LONGEST GIGA COASTER in North America and the VIRAL TIKTOK ride NIGHTHAWK and SOUTHERN STAR!
HOW TO GET THERE
CAROWINDS is located right on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. Although there’s a discussion on TikTok about which state it really belongs to the address says Charlotte NC. It’s located 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte at exit 90 (Carowinds Blvd.) off Interstate 77 at the North Carolina/South Carolina border.
ADDRESS: 14523 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273
Ticket prices vary from day to day starting at $45/$55 on Weekdays and $49.99/$59.99 on Weekends. The regular prices are $75 but most of the time that I check they’re on sale. Just make sure to check their official website here and purchase your tickets in advance so it’s not SOLD OUT when you want to go.
If you have a kid ages 3-5 years old they can get the FREE PRE-K PASS that gives them unlimited access to the park and to Carolina Harbor Water Park for the rest of the year (excludes SCarowinds). Ages 2 and under are FREE. Bring your child and a valid birth certificate or passport that shows their age.
If you want to get the Season Pass, they have the Gold Pass ($125) that includes both Carowinds Park and the WaterPark, WinterFest, SCarowinds, Food & Merchandise Discounts, Bring-A-Friend Discount Days, Discounts at Onsite Hotel & Campground, Free Parking All Season Long and Pass Perks Rewards. And the Platinum Pass ($230) that includes the same things as the Gold Pass PLUS Admission to All Cedar Fair Parks around the country.
FUN FACT: Carolina Harbor is included with the price of admission to Carowinds (You get two parks for the price of one!) Please visit the park calendars for hours and dates.
FAST LANE: IS IT WORTH IT?
Rides like Fury and Nighthawk tend to have very long lines! Depending on when you visit the park a FAST LANE can be very helpful! When I went we got the Fast Lane and we were able to ride everything in the park and repeat it. It was in May and the line for Fury was huge! Even with Fast Lane we had to wait for about an hour to ride Nighthawk so I can’t imagine without it. Fast Lane prices can be more expensive than the park tickets! It starts at $75 for Weekdays and Sundays and go up to $99 for Saturdays!
DINING PLAN: SHOULD I GET IT?
If you are going to eat at least two times at the park YES. With the dining plan you can eat EVERY 90 MINUTES and with the Souvenir Drink Bottle (photo above) you get free refill with a 15 minutes interval. For us it was worth it at that time but next time I visit the park I’ll probably just eat a meal for lunch and get some snacks later. If you don’t usually eat two big meals at the park, the dining plan might not be worth it for you. But if you are planning on eating lunch and dinner at the park, considering that each meal costs about $15 so YES it’s worth it. *All prices are subject to change. Check their website for updates.
ALL DAY DINING* – Price is per person
- All Day Dining: Entree + side every 90 min $29.99
- Premium All Day Dining: Entree + side (or snack) + All Day Coca-Cola beverages = $39.99
- Souvenir Drink Bottle: Coca-Cola beverages with FREE refills every 15 min all day. Plus $5 refills any other day during the 2022 season = $14.99
We got to try food from different restaurants there but to be honest most of the food aren’t the best. But I absolutely recommend the Brisket Sandwich from Harmony Hall Marketplace! It’s the best food in the whole park! Below I added some photos of the food and the prices without the dining plan.
RESTAURANTS IN THE PARK:
HARMONY HALL MARKETPLACE – Italian Station (pizza, breadsticks and meatball subs); The Grill Station (burgers, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, veggie and turkey burger); BBQ Station (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey legs and southern sides); and Sunrise Fresh Bowl Station (poke bowl and salads).
BLUE RIDGE COUNTRY KITCHEN – rotisserie 1/2 chicken, beef and chicken tenders, smoked sausage, pizza and salad.
JUKE BOK DINER: Burgers, chicken tenders, roast beef sandwiches, onion rings, fries and fruit.
BURRITO CAFÉ – Mexican-inspired dishes, such as jumbo burritos, burrito salads, and chips & salsa.
CHICKIE’S & PETE’S SPORTS GRILL – Chickie’s Cutlets, Crabfries, Philly Cheesesteak, Nachos, Chicken Wings and Mac & Cheese Crab Rounds.
QUICK BITES / SNACKS: Fair Fries, Fry Shack, Camp Cookout and Snack Depot
DESSERTS: Carolina Candy Shoppe, County Fair Funnel Cakes, Funnel Cake Emporium, Granny’s Ice Cream Shop and Blue Ridge ICEE Refresh.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Cinnabon, Dippin Dots Ice Cream, Minute Maid Smoothie, Rita’s Italian Ice, Starbucks, Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt, Papa Luigi’s
Not included in the dining plan but a must try:
RIDES
NIGHTHAWK
You probably have seen my Viral TikTok about the Nighthawk, right? With over 45M views! The Nighthawk is one of the coolest rides at Carowinds. It’s a flying coaster but riders start the ride lying on their backs! Once at the top of the 115-foot lift hill, the ride’s track immediately flips, rotating riders so they are lying below the track and facing the ground. Then the train dives towards the water and it does eight thrilling inversions, mostly facing down. I recommend you riding it as soon as you enter the park, since Nighthawk tends to break down a lot. It’s located directly across from Intimidator.
FURY 325
This is the TALLEST, FASTEST, LONGEST GIGA COASTER in North America! In this 3-seat 32-passenger open-air train you will climb up to the peak height of 325 feet following a dramatic 81-degree drop! This ride crosses through North and South Carolina state lines and is over 1.25 miles long! A must ride at Carowinds! #FuryFever
INTIMIDATOR
This one is one of my favorites! INTIMIDATOR is hyper coaster inspired by the original Intimidator himself, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. You will climb up a 232-foot hill before racing down a 74-degree drop and speed up to 80 mph. This ride features twists, turns and hills as you race for the checkered flag. The whole ride takes about 3:55m.
SOUTHERN STAR
Another one of my viral videos on TikTok with over 13M VIEWS! The Southern Star is one of my biggest fears! A pirate ship that goes upside down? No thank you! But if you are brave enough, go for it! You can see my Viral Video on TikTok here. This Viking ship replica is great for the fearless and the brave! It swings back and forth while gaining speed and altitude and then eventually it reaches the top of the 360-degree loop and PAUSES! PS: It does have shoulder harnesses that secure across the chest and a lap bar. Minimum Height 48″ and Max Height 76″.
COPPERHEAD STRIKE
Wow this coaster!! The Carolinas’ First Double Launch Coaster! This coaster features some fast, tight, close-to-the-ground maneuvers that are tangled with five head-over-heels inversions and a second thrust of acceleration! Absolutely one of my favorites!!!
VORTEX
Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster and a classic long-time favorite at Carowinds! Rides will stand up as the car begins to climb up the 90-foot lift hill. It also features a curved first drop, a large vertical loop, followed by an oblique loop, and a carousel maneuver. Here’s my TikTok video about Vortex, with 272.6K views.
AFTERBURN
Afterburn is the park’s 3rd tallest and fastest roller coaster. It’s an inverted coaster (trains suspended below the track) so riders will be sitting down with their feet hanging. This ride features six inversions, including a space drop, a vertical loop, an Immelmann (an actual maneuver used by fighter pilots), a zero “G” roll, a batwing, a flat spin and a spiral.
HURLER
Hurler is a classic wooden coaster featuring an oval-shaped track with one outer lap and two smaller inner laps. It reaches a height of 83 feet, then it has a series of airtime hills and quick turns.
BOO BLASTERS ON BOO HILL
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is a laser gun ride and a perfect ride for when you need a little break from thrills. You will shoot at illuminated targets along the way and try to collect more points than your friends in your car.
THE FLYING COBRAS
A very cool high speed looping coaster that goes backwards in the middle of the ride! It features a 360-degree loop and a cobra roll and then you ride through the entire ride again BACKWARDS! Can it get cooler than that?
ELECTRO-SPIN
Get ready to spin around like no other ride! This floorless gondola sends its riders through a freely rotating orbit, flipping them upside down and all around. I don’t have stomach for this one, but would you ride it?
CAROLINA CYCLONE
A roller coaster with four inversions that climbs up a 95-foot lift hill, drops and then race through two tall 360-degree vertical loops. Then there’s a 450-degree uphill helix finishes this Cyclone’s journey.
CAROLINA GOLDRUSHER
Carolina Goldrusher is a wood and steel coaster and it’s the oldest roller coaster at Carowinds (1973). It features two lift hills and a 43-foot drop a speeds of 30 mph. A timeless classic.
SCREAM WEAVER
This is a big wheel ride that spins around and around. It starts slow like a carousel and once the speed picks up the gondola tilts outward, raising to 90 degrees, rearranging the ride from horizontal to vertical making you flip upside down.
WIND SEEKER
WindSeeker is a giant swing and it’s the second tallest ride at Carowinds, only behind Fury 325. It beggins slow until it reaches the top of the 301-foot tower and then it speeds up to 30 mph, giving the riders a panoramic view of the park and of Charllote NC.
KIDS AND FAMILY RIDES
Camp Snoopy area
Camp Snoopy is kids area that features: Beagle Scout Acres (climb and play area), Camp Bus (A bus that rotates both in a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction reaching a height of over 20 feet); Charlie Brown’s Wind-up (swing); Kite Eating Tree (miniature drop ride); PEANUTS Pirates (mini-pirate ships that rotates); PEANUTS Trailblazers (Kids car that whips around); Snoopy vs. Red Baron (Fighter Plane), Snoopy’s Junction (train ride) and Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies (Space vehicles that jump up and down while rotating around a circular track).
Other Family Rides around the park:
Do-Si-Do (two-way spiraling adventure); Dodg’ems (bumper cars); Flying Ace Balloon Race – (replica hot air balloon ride); Kiddy Hawk (junior inverted coaster); Mountain Gliders (suspended cars that rotate in a circle); Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena (intra-active 3-D attraction); Rock ‘N’ Roller (high‑speed circular ride); Scrambler (rotating ride); The Grand Carousel; Woodstock Express; Woodstock Whirlybirds; Yo-Yo; Zephyr, and Ricochet (steel roller coaster with airtime hills and hairpin turns).
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Strollers and wheelchair rentals are located inside of the South Gate Entrance and next to Guest Services at the North Gate Entrance. Single Stroller ($16.00), double Stroller ($20.00), Manual Wheelchair ($16.00), Electric Wheelchair ($50.00). They all require a $10 deposit and a valid form of identification (Driver’s License, State ID, Military ID or Season Pass).
- No OUTSIDE FOOD or beverage is allowed inside the park but exceptions can be made for guests with special dietary needs. Contact foodallergy@carowinds.com.
- PETS are not allowed in the park except for service animals. You can use the Pet Kennel at Carowinds. Visit the Pet Kennel page for more information.
- Guests with INFANTS or young children: there’s a Baby Care Center in Camp Snoopy with rocking chair, a microwave and a diaper changing station to use at their convenience.
- LOCKERS are available to rent inside the park and the vary in size and start at $17.
- For more information visit the park’s Frequently Asked Questions here.
NEED HELP PLANNING YOUR TRIP?
If you need help planing your trip or need any advice with hotels, places to go near Carowinds, restaurants or anything about North Carolina please send me an email to hello@laizahill.com or leave your comments below. I’m a travel agent and I can help you booking your vacation at no additional cost to you!
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