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Here's my report from my weekend trip to Carowinds with friends! Flew in Saturday at 530, quickly got a ride over to Carowinds new Spring Hill Suites hotel. It's right across from the parking lot so it's an easy 5 minute walk over to the park. The hotel does have a full bar, but does not have food or a restaurant. Amazingly the lyft driver had no sweat weaving in and out of the batshit insane traffic. Carowinds is right off the high way, but there's 2 huge intersections that really slow down traffic, so it just backs up for miles when busy. Carowinds needs their own exit if they can somehow make that work. So once we got to the hotel, we were pretty much stuck. No lyft/uber would ever want to come in and get us, and it would have taken an hour to get in; spoiler, the traffic stayed until probably 2am. Famous Dave's is within walking distance, but it closes at 8pm daily. Sooo we were forced to eat at Harmony Hall and I've still yet to have a good meal there. It's.....edible. Really disappointed that they can't serve better quality food. Saturday night was seemingly like all other American parks - so packed you could barely navigate some areas. We just had drinks, checked out the atmosphere, and were lucky to get 1 ride on Fury at night with a one use fast lane. Sunday much more manageable, although fast lane was needed to get in multiple rides and re-ride some coasters I hadn't done in years (Nighthawk). Let me first applaud Carowinds for their Haunt event. Their scare zones were packed with actors as were the mazes. The park really felt different at night and had me second guessing how to navigate with all of the different lights, fog, and decorations shining. Depths of Darkness: This maze should be your #1 priority if you're going to Scarowinds. An awesome blend of new technology, big physical sets, great scares, some find mind tricks, and you get some different angles of Intimidator as you walk under it! The best CF maze I've done in some time. Tooth Fairy: This is new for 2021 and you know you're in for some disappointment when it's called Tooth Fairy but the exterior of the build is.... it's themed to ...windows? There wasn't enough happening in this maze, nor were the decorations or effects much of anything to make it stand out. It was over too soon, and the finale was ok. But hey at least there was a finale. Slaughterhouse: Can we get rid of these mazes already? This one looked like a lengthy maze, but it was actually only one small section of the area being used and it ended before the scares started to come. Bummer. Silver Screen Studios: This seemed like a fun idea on paper, checking out this old movie set from a director that figured the best horror movie should be made by actually killing the actors! It was fun, but seemed like they just threw a lot of random things together. Missed our on the Reaping, I like those scarecrow mazes and it looked like they use part of rapids ride like CP does, I'm sure it was good. Rides! Or...coasters! We didn't do any flat rides because the drop tower is so small, sorry..., electro spin was down, and I've done enough Boo Hill shooters. What else is there? Windseeker was down uhhh... there's no pendulum/frisbee ride. Alright Carowinds let's get some flats in there. Coasters: Carolina Cyclone - Hey guess what! Vortex lives on, the trains were re-painted and are in use. It's takes the course pretty fast, so hold on right, it's a wild arrow looper. Goldrusher - This is an olddddd mine train where each the 3 rows in 1 car have to move the lap bar together, like at CP. So if you have 2 adults and 4 kids in 1 car, you're gonna have to be very stapled. Even still, we saw 2 young girls unbuckle there seatbelt and fold themselves out of the train right as it pulled into the station. They just...wiggled up and out. Our jaws were on the floor. So it's uncomfortable, but it's got a really fun layout. This thing spends half the time in trenches/in tunnels! Nighthawk - What the hell, might as well ride the OG Vekoma flyer. I have always like how the corkscrews ride vs the rolling trash can barrel rolls. Shocking... this thing is smooth. I don't think it's going anywhere for a while as Firehawk's trains are there on site for parts. Intimidator - It's just a fun re-rideable hyper, it's right next to the bar, it's a walk on with FL. Afterburn - Okay okay okay I've been on Montu now. No it doesn't have Montu's intensity but it's still a great B&M invert and I still think that final wing over between the trees is one of the best inversions on an invert in the states. It just rips your legs off! Fury 325 - It's loved by all for good reason. The drop seems endless, the speed keeps up the whole ride, the airtime is great, and sometimes that trim didn't hit. What was weird was we heard it making noises off ride walking in/out of the park, I didn't remember that. andddddd now..... new for me.... Copperhead Strike! I will be honest I passed up going to Carowinds a few times since it was added since I just didn't think it'd be worth going out of my way for and damn I am mad at myself. Copperhead will treat you to every G Force that's possible - the launches are barely worth a mention but you do feel them get you going. Laterals on tight turns, amazing hangtime in 4 different types, airtime ranging from floater to ejector, and this coaster has Cedar Fair's best attempt at theming. Copperhead is so unique, I really really enjoyed it and I really wanted to claim it as my favorite coaster in the park, but you can't compare this to anything else, especially Fury. What a gem Carowinds has and I can finally say Carowinds is a pretty well rounded park. They still need some more flat rides and they have a glaring need for a new wooden coaster. Hopefully they get one soon to really elevate the line up! I couldn't bring myself to ride the old Vortex stand up, haha. Do you prefer daytime or nighttime Fury? I think I choose night specifically for no wasps. There was tons on Sunday. Let's get the day going with a 1999 B&M invert! It still kicks ass! The biggest issue with the park right now. Not enough staff. There were no separators/groupers at the station so if you're a shitty kid/adult, you could just hop over into the FL line after the queue entry and walk right in. On top of that, guests had to merge themselves and this was a sticky situation since you'd get supervise-less kids not sure what to do/how to assert themselves; and then later in the day you'd have liquored up adults/teens getting into it when one tried to get in front of the other. Hoooooboy I hope they fix this ASAP. I made a number of team members aware of the issues I saw. Love the views of Afterburn from back here! Time for some Copperhead love! First time on one of these newer Mack launchers/loopers. The trains are gorgeous, lap bars are comfy, seats are fine but they do I guess give you a necessary hug around the sides, I wish they were a bit more open but I can understand the design. Very cool looking. Copperhead is so packed full of amazing elements that after the launch I forgot about the jojo roll start! You don't need to hang on, that's the lap bar's job! Some surprises await in here. Great job, Mack + CF team! A beautiful tangled mess of track! Copperhead is long, has great airtime, unique hangtime in 4 different ways, and it seems to go on forever. Definitely an elite coaster my book! I've always enjoyed this old mine train since it spend a lot of time below ground. Don't miss it! Carowinds has adopted the whole "don't touch your lap bar!!!!! never touch it!!!!!!!" ride op spiels.... whatever as long as the trains are moving quickly... Sycamore's puts out some amazing beer (Mountain Candy), but this one was just okay. Still, love the coaster brews! The ops had a funny "don't text and drive" spiel, yet they didn't want to actually address half the train that had their phones out on many of my rides. It's a solid B&M hyper, you can't not have fun on this thing. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (of course it was some stupid teen who did this, and no, his friend didn't fall for it) I could lay under the grass and watch Fury fly around me all day. I love how interactive it is. Uh-mazing. Take a 10 minute ride around the corner to Mac's Speed Shop for amazing friendly service, fantastic smoked meats, and the best onion rings in the world. This whole plate cost $11, by the way. Don't eat in the parks if you don't have to. Time for some night rides! Depths of Darkness takes you under Intimidator, cool! Hello Vortex trains! This wing over, man.....whew! Here's some funny photos the round it out. While it can be stressful to visit Scarowinds, just do yourself a favor and stay on site at the hotel. You get guaranteed entry, you can walk to and from, and it had plenty of available rooms so I guess it's mainly locals packing the park. Get back there for Copperhead if you haven't been on it yet!!! -Zach

What is it with wasps this year? All the other problems with parks...yeah, I get it, I know why staffing and parts shortages and all these things are a problem, and I don't want to hold them against any parks. Wasps though...2/3s of the parks I've been to this year have been absolutely invested with them. Twice this year, (Raven@Holiday World and Thunderhawk@Dorney) I've been stuck on a brake run with wasps crawling over me while I was stuck in the restraints. I do not do well with wasps. Never had that happen before this year... The rest of it looks great, definitely want to try to get there next year for Fury and Copperhead at least!

Great TR! I really need all of these parks to fix their staffing levels! That traffic situation is crazy, but at least you guys were smart and stayed at the hotel right there.

I'm sure Six Flags didn't spend all of that money to get new trains and upgrade everything else if it wasn't necessary. Of course in a perfect world the original trains would last forever and the ride would run just like it did in 1978. If the ride has lost some of its bite and it's now a somewhat neutered experience, that is sad, but given the choice between what we have now and the ride being removed, I'll gladly take the former.

We have been to Aquatica in Orlando, and I would say that it's easily our favorite water park, for whatever that's worth. We lived in Orlando for years (pre-Volcano Bay) but could never be arsed to go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. The difference being that we got into Aqautica for free.

Accepted methods of proof are listed on the website. Honestly, I wouldn't read too far into this. Six Flags probably doesn't care. The person checking vaccine records at Six Flags isn't going to give a crap. I guarantee that they had no clue what Kstr737's's Excelsior pass was, had never seen one before and had no way whatsoever of scanning it to make sure it was valid. Any reasonable proof will be fine, but I'd probably just take a picture of my CDC card (though I guess I also have the Excelsior pass). Knowing them, an Instagram post you made of you getting the shot back in April is probably sufficient. They're just going to do the bare minimum.

It's definitely not just a Dollywood thing. The Beast has a ton of them you can see going up it's first lift too. And I do agree with you on Wild Eagle. I don't know what it is about that thing but I love that ride.

How did we all miss the fact that the ski slope caught on fire? “Welcome to the Dream” (shoutout to @boldikus for finding this gem of a photo). The rest of the mall is open (or as “open” as this mall can get) but Big Snow will be closed through the end of the month. Link to story

Molly's Mill is a buffet restaurant but that's about it at the moment; there's also a Mine buffet but that's currently closed. The rest will be cafeteria or stands. We tend to snack rather than full meals just because there's so much to choose from, and more than normal during a festival. Its actually hard for me to recommend things because I like so much of it, but for a full meal I like Rivertown Smokehouse, for a sandwich/lighter meal (lighter being relative lol) I like Fry Bread company (which was not operating last weekend) or a skillet from Lumbercamp Falls. We never visit without getting a Tater Twist. For sweets/dessert/etc everyone will tell you to get cinnamon bread from Clara Belle's and rightly so, but don't neglect Eva & Delilah's bakery right at the entrance of the park, and easy-to-miss Sullivan's Mill has some great stuff too (including coffee ground by a grinder powered by the waterwheel you see when crossing the swinging bridge!)

^ I liked Row 2 better. . but yeah, I loved our front seat ride!

I kinda like the look of the new trains. . . but they are kinda blocky.

While it's not water slides, Blizzard Beach and Volcano Bay have themed indoor sections of their lazy rivers kind of like dark rides and Aquatica Orlando has a section of its lazy river that goes through an aquarium. I don't know if you've been to any of these but if you're not typical water park people but like highly themed water parks with a nice atmosphere that is quality over quantity then you'd like Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Volcano Bay, and Aquatica Orlando. That's what I immediately thought the first time I rode one of those! The first time I rode one of these was at Beech Bend in 2016 and they hyped it as the first of its type in America and I rode it and was let down when it didn't do anything special. Definitely over hyped. Looks cool. I recently did an outdoor popup mini golf course (18 holes) in SF themed to the history and evolution of the city near Oracle Park called Stagecoach Greens but I'll have to try the Urban Putt there. Great Denver TR btw. Elitch Gardens and Lakeside aren't bucket list parks for me but I'm amazed that Elitch got a Meow Wolf dark ride. That would be the thing that would interest me the most at Elitch followed by their rare shuttle loop and halfpipe coasters. I gotta be honest about Lakeside, it looks like a shithole but it does has a couple of interesting rides. Water World looks like the park that would be interest me the most in Denver. The only park in Colorado I've been to is Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park but it looks like it wins best park in the state by a landslide (I did enjoy it).

Recently posted on YouTube. Watch for the right side drop in use for Jet Stream.

I disagree. There are many people, myself included, that go to Dollywood for the rides and especially the roller coasters. Why would any park spend spend 22 millions dollars on a coaster, which is what Lightning Rod cost to build and not have it run daily from open to close. That amount doesn't include what Dollywood paid RMC for the partial retrack either. No park, theme or otherwise would spend that kind of money for a ride that only worked on occasion. How do you know it hasn't affected their attendance. The last two times I went it was DEAD, and many people were out if front of Lightning Rod complaining to ride hosts that it was down again. Nobody said it should change your opinion of the park, but it is a huge draw coaster. Lines being 2 plus hours long negates your theory that people don't go to Dollywood for the rides, because they do and if you read all the blogs, people are very upset that Lightning Rod is down as much as it is. When you are paying $90 plus $25 to park your car, then we all should expect all the rides to be in good operating condition most of the time. The downtime on Lightning Rod is a huge black eye on Dollywood. Most guests don't even know what RMC is and that they built the coaster, they just want to ride it. Most of the times I've been there it has been down. It's been down more times than running and I go about 3 times a month all year long. I know many people that have changed their plans to go to Dollywood when Lightning Rod is down for maintenance or repairs. Theme parks also have thrill rides, so your comment about it not being a thrill park is beyond ridiculous. As a matter of fact, the Dollywood website calls Lightning Rod a "Thrill Ride." Can you believe that? A thrill ride in a theme park. I'm shocked. https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/Rides/LightningRod

So absolutely zero reason to renew my current Platinum Pass or even get a Gold Pass just for VF next year.

Oh, there will be complaining! But not much in this update, as this place was quite good. Denver Zoo Yes, it's another hot and smoky Denver day and we're ready to walk around outside! I don't think I've ever seen or heard a lion roar at a zoo, but that's exactly what we were greeted with at what Smisty has now declared to be her second favorite zoo. This zoo has an Animal Hospital in it, and you can watch live surgeries! Wait, that's kind of weird actually. I just found out that I don't know how to spell "Rhinoceros." I can spell "flowers" though, so have a look at these flowers. No animals in this photo (I don't think?) but it is a good example of how nice this zoo can be. Of course, in my experience, most zoos are a mix of really nice new areas and older crappier-looking ones. That's just how it is. This one is mostly pretty nice. Toucan Sam is the cartoon toucan mascot for Froot Loops breakfast cereal. The character has been featured in advertising since 1963. He exhibits the ability to smell Froot Loops from great distances and invariably locates a concealed bowl of the cereal while intoning, "Follow your nose! The Denver Zoo claims to be doing away with maps due to Covid, but this is clearly a map. In other news, it's interesting how places in Denver only do things "because of Covid" that result in monetary savings. Most decent zoos have a carousel... ...and quite a few have train rides. Their website says that the train is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm daily, but does not mention anything about it shutting down from 1:30pm to 3:30pm "for lunch" as it did during our visit. This, combined with our lack of psychic powers, resulted in our not being able to ride it. So that's a shame. But, also, it's a train ride. We'll get over it. (Still qualifies as a "Denver Disappointment" though!) On the other hand, Dole Whip! The Denver Zoo features many exotic animals, such as this squirrel. Only one aviary, and it was small, but good. Actually, there's a building labeled "World of Birds" that is currently under construction/refurbishment, so maybe there's normally more...? No wonder they're endangered. Snaked-headed Crap Turtles I want the job of naming new animal species. What do I bring to the table? I don't despise animals. Whoever is doing it now is just clearly burnt out. "YOU'RE A STUPID SH*T BIRD!" Light-Green Weakass Snake Rather than show you a photo of actual sea lions, I've opted to show you this statue, with the underwater sea lion viewing area way in the background. Because I'm in charge here and you get what I give you. I've seen tiger bridges. Heck, this zoo even has one. But I've never before seen an elephant bridge. Hey man, what would it take to get you to walk over that bridge so that I can take a photo of it? Do you want a fish or something? I have been informed that elephants do not eat fish. And that also that this is probably a lady elephant. But is gender really that important? And maybe they would like fish if they tried it. In other news, I am no longer allowed at the zoo. I can still take a photo of the gift shop, though, because technically it's outside of the zoo--which I thought was interesting. No? Just me? Fine. How many zoos have we been to now? I think this makes 14 (not counting things like BGT or DAK). (Spoiler: By the end of this TR, it will be 15. Pretend to be excited!)

The section being replaced appears to be the second drop, so it's definitely not to add a second train. Maybe they thought it was running too smoothly and they wanted it to better train young guests for the older, rougher coasters.

Please tell us what drugs you are on that either of these coasters are tolerable, let alone "fun." The rest of us would like the same experience.