Carowinds Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Doing some trip planning here, and I'm  going to Carowinds on Friday March 18, when they're open 5 to 10. I'll be solo. This is an opportunistic trip, so dates are set and I'm squeezing it in how I can. I have already accepted that a Fast Pass will be necessary, since I have never been to Carowinds and am going to want to do as much as I can fit into those five hours. Recommendations?

 

Here's a handy guide to my theme park priorities:

 

Stuff I like:

- Roller coasters (can skip all the kid stuff)

- Dark rides (but if Boo Blasters is just like the one at KI then meh)

- Flat rides with forward motion (Screamin' Swings, drop towers, flying eagles, etc.)

- Beer

 

Stuff I dislike:

- Flat rides with lateral motion (teacups, scramblers, etc.)

 

Stuff I like but can skip:

- Shows

- Water rides

- Anything that is not super great and is identical/near identical to something at Kings Island, since KI is fairly close and this is probably the only visit to Carowinds for a few years.

 

Thanks!

[tndank]

Good luck with or without a Fast pass. I think any planning here is overthinking it. First Friday of the season...take whatever is opened. And, hope for decent weather. Just as likely to be 35 as it is 70 that time of year. 

It's not a huge park. It's a big circle. Hit Nighthawk first if you really want to ride that POS. 

99% of the time FL makes everything a walk on. 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I do plan on riding Nighthawk, since I actually really, really liked Firehawk. Unpopular opinion, I know.

[tndank]

I ride everything once so I don't blame you.  Knock it out first and you're good.  If you are a credits person, the kids coaster Flying Ace or whatever can get a fairly decent line and not on FP.  Might be really crowded.  Those people are loyal fans and show up beginning of the season and Halloween time.

They are usually really hard on req a kid for the small kids coaster if you looking to ride it.  Woodstock Express is not on FP.  

 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Don't care about credits, and Kiddy Hawk looks the same as Flying Ace at KI. I would much rather skip all the kids coasters to ride Fury again.

[bert425]

12 minutes ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

Don't care about credits, and Kiddy Hawk looks the same as Flying Ace at KI. I would much rather skip all the kids coasters to ride Fury again.

Kiddy Hawk is WAY better than the KI version (which was a complete shit show and hurt).

 

but I kinda didnt' mind Kiddy Hawk.

for sure don't miss Woodstock Express back there. . it's a really well run Jr. Woodie (not as good as the one at KD. . but SO much better than the janky one at KI)

[bert425]

other advice:

Don't miss Afterburn (not that you would). . it's a fantastic suspended and one of the best in the park.

also.. hit Intimidator *before* you ride Fury.      Intimidator is good, but Fury leaves it in the dust.. so make sure you ride in that order, or you'll be unimpressed by Intimidator.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

13 minutes ago, bert425 said:

Kiddy Hawk is WAY better than the KI version (which was a complete shit show and hurt).

 

but I kinda didnt' mind Kiddy Hawk.

for sure don't miss Woodstock Express back there. . it's a really well run Jr. Woodie (not as good as the one at KD. . but SO much better than the janky one at KI)

Hmm...good to know. Both of those suck at KI,  so I just assumed these would too. In that case, I'm interested.

 

10 minutes ago, bert425 said:

other advice:

Don't miss Afterburn (not that you would). . it's a fantastic suspended and one of the best in the park.

also.. hit Intimidator *before* you ride Fury.      Intimidator is good, but Fury leaves it in the dust.. so make sure you ride in that order, or you'll be unimpressed by Intimidator.

Noted. Will go ride shotgun with Dale before gettin' my hornet on.

[hoppedup]

If you want to ride all the coasters, do Nighthawk and Ricochet first. Lines get crazy and Ricochet is not on FL. Also, get there early. Charlotte traffic on a Friday at 5 will be bad. Also, I may be there. I plan to visit a lot more now that I have a platinum season FL pass.

Then make sure you get Afterburn (my favorite of 13 B&M inverts I've ridden), Fury 325, Intimidator, and Copperhead Strike.

I also ride Carolina Goldrusher and Carolina Cyclone once a year for nostalgia. Personally, I skip Hurler, Vortex (truly awful), and the boomerang. If you are doing FL, you will be fine. The Mountain Gliders are fun and they let you snap. 

For beer, the bars at Blue Ridge Country Kitchen near Copperhead Strike and Harmony Hall beside Intimidator usually have the Copperhead Strike IPA on tap. I believe there is a weird rule where you can drink outside in one state but not the other.

If you have any free time in Charlotte there are a ton of great breweries. Some personal favorites:

Wooden Robot

Salud

Divine Barrel

Resident Culture

Free Range

Lenny Boy

Suffolk Punch

Protagonist

Lower Left

Sugar Creek

Heist

Noda

Birdsong

Fonta Flora

Petty Thieves

 

[AmyUD06]

4 hours ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

Doing some trip planning here, and I'm  going to Carowinds on Friday March 18, when they're open 5 to 10. I'll be solo. This is an opportunistic trip, so dates are set and I'm squeezing it in how I can. I have already accepted that a Fast Pass will be necessary, since I have never been to Carowinds and am going to want to do as much as I can fit into those five hours. Recommendations?

 

Here's a handy guide to my theme park priorities:

 

Stuff I like:

- Roller coasters (can skip all the kid stuff)

- Dark rides (but if Boo Blasters is just like the one at KI then meh)

- Flat rides with forward motion (Screamin' Swings, drop towers, flying eagles, etc.)

- Beer

 

Stuff I dislike:

- Flat rides with lateral motion (teacups, scramblers, etc.)

 

Stuff I like but can skip:

- Shows

- Water rides

- Anything that is not super great and is identical/near identical to something at Kings Island, since KI is fairly close and this is probably the only visit to Carowinds for a few years.

 

Thanks!

Everyone else has commented on coasters, so I'll comment on some other stuff:

-The Boo Blasters is identical to the one at Kings Dominion, so even a step below the one at Kings Island.
-As for flats, they've got a great Schwarzkopf Enterprise that ran a pretty good cycle when I was there in 2021.  They've also got a Sol Spin which is a huge nope machine for me but you may like.  They've also got a Yo-Yo and a Wave Swinger.  Otherwise its just the standard CF flat ride package.
-Coasters not on FL: Ricochet, Kiddy Hawk, Woodstock Express.  If you are about any of these try to hit them early.  With a FL pass, you should have plenty of time to grab a lap on each of these and then move on to the FL rides.

[bert425]

^ oh. . beware the final brakes on Ricochet.

they kick in HARD and are rib-crackers.   Tho we were laughing so hard from the sudden stop, we giggled thru the pain.
dunno why some wild mouse coasters tend to DO that.
 

 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^^^ Woohoo! Beer list! 

^^ Yoyos/wave swingers are a favourite, will try to do that if I can. I have heard about the legendary gliders here. Apparently they're the same as the Knoebels ones but not run quite to that level because they're not at Knoebels?

^ Don't know that I want to start my day with a rib-crushing, so I may skip Ricochet. I've been on a mouse before.

 

Thanks for all the help so far, much appreciated all!

[bill_s]

I liked Ricochet and was ready for every brake except the sneaky one at the end. 

KD improved the brakes on their mouse with the 2018 name change, much smoother.

[PKI Jizzman]

Suffolk Punch was delicious for food and beer, but it's in a very bizarre and grimy area of Charlotte that I hadn't seen before. We were harassed by undesirables at stoplights multiple times on the way out of SP on the way to the airport, so your experience may vary.

I love love love the local bbq chain Mac's Speed Shop about 10 minutes away from the park - so friendly every visit, an awesome happy hour, tons of local craft beer, and great bbq!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Ooh, yeah Mac's it is! That's real close to the park, and that menu looks awesome. Can't go to the Carolinas without some kickass BBQ and weirdass sauce! 

[hoppedup]

Mac's is absolute shit for NC bbq,. But their wings and beer can chicken are awesome. And they have a great tap list. The last two times I ordered bbq at Mac's, it was really dry and the waitress suggested we put more sauce on it. That's not how it works around here! FWIW, I'm an eastern NC style guy, so good bbq in NC starts in Goldsboro and points east for me.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Sorry, but you're wrong. KC style is the correct style of BBQ. 

 

But yeah, y'all play by your own rules here, and that's what I want. Suggestions? I'll be DT during the day.

[hoppedup]

I love all bbq. I am just an aficionado of whole hog pork with vinegar & red pepper flake sauce. Mac's is great, just order anything other than pork bbq. I see they actually list it as pulled pork on their menu. Dead giveaway. I'm sure there is decent bbq in Charlotte. I just haven't had it yet.

I take the train to charlotte once a month to see a friend play at Free Range Brewing. I mostly hang in NODA for beer. If you are downtown, the light rail will pretty much drop you off on Suffolk Punch's patio. Or The Chamber by Wooden Robot if you head north. Triple C is across the street from Suffolk Punch and Lenny Boy is around the corner. Protagonist, Heist, and Salud are quick walks from the station at Wooden Robot. The food at Salud is really good. The Parkwood station on the light rail is really close to Optimist Food Hall which has a Fonta Flora taproom. They are based in Morganton, NC and make great beer.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Ooh, that Optimist Food Hall looks cool. Yep, think I gots a plan. 

[PKI Jizzman]

I went to KC a week after my Carowinds trip, it's not fair to compare hahaha. Man those burnt ends at Scott's Kitchen and Catering at Hangar 29 were so gooddddd. Mac's is amazing, their onion rings were so good and they give you some little marble sized hush puppies. I'll let someone else chime in regarding downtown, I haven't explored downtown. 

If you're ever going through Spartanburg, SC on the way to Charlotte check out https://www.mycarolinabbq.com/ We stopped in the area on the 2018 TPR trip and I had just enough time to walk there. They had cheerwine BBQ sauce, authentic Carolina mustard sauce, and the pulled pork was to die for.

[coasterbill]

For BBQ, I'm contractually obligated to tell you to go to this place.

Brit's entire family lives locally and swears by it, but on the flipside because they refuse to accept that any other BBQ can compete with this place I can't objectively compare it to anything else around because they refuse to go anywhere else.

Also, they don't serve beer, so if you want good BBQ and drinks and not just a tiny, backwoods place with great BBQ and nothing else then ignore me.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ Hole in the wall places like that often do have the best stuff. The best BBQ in the Ozarks is served out of an RV on the side of the highway. 

 

I'll give that Rockstore a try. They got the name right at least. 

[The Great Zo]

I went to Optimist in June, and even though I've never really met a food hall I didn't like, I thought that one was well above average. Definitely recommended.

[Taeshan]

I'm looking at heading down for my first time the first weekend of October (30, 1, 2) as my soccer team plays Charlotte away for the first time and I am wondering if anyone can tell me what their hours are weekends at that time. I know they have Scarowinds but I'm mostly in it for the Coasters and avoid haunts at all costs. Is everything generally open, and what hours can I expect. It's not yet updated to include the halloween event on their calendar. thanks.

[AmyUD06]

1 hour ago, Taeshan said:

I'm looking at heading down for my first time the first weekend of October (30, 1, 2) as my soccer team plays Charlotte away for the first time and I am wondering if anyone can tell me what their hours are weekends at that time. I know they have Scarowinds but I'm mostly in it for the Coasters and avoid haunts at all costs. Is everything generally open, and what hours can I expect. It's not yet updated to include the halloween event on their calendar. thanks.

Everything should be open.  Non-Scarowinds hours should be 11-6, but anything can happen between now and then.

Note that at this park, the Halloween stuff is a separately gated event, meaning that if you buy a ticket for the day, you can't get in in the evening.  If you have a pass, you're good, but you still need to leave during the "changeover" time.  Yes, it's stupid.