Why Carowinds is a Confusing Park 

Imagine caring about the opinion of a nobody

As a Carowinds fanboy, I feel your pain on the operations. That being said, you dodged a bullet with Nighthawk. You can avoid the hour+ wait by riding it in the morning, but then you have to spend the rest of the day with a patented Vekoma headache.

I think you would have liked Thunderoad back when it was there, a phenomenal wooden coaster that was older but smooth.

I think you just hit Carowinds on a bad day where the hours weren't the longest and they had the biggest crowds. I can also point out that the reason why you don't feel much nestalgia around the park was because Paramount took away too much of that when they were in charge although Cedar Fair has started to bring it back bit by bit. I am hoping to go there for the first time next summer when I visit Dollywood also.

I’ve always found Intimidator’s operations to be spectacular. In the past few years, I’ve rarely seen Intimidator with over a 20 minute wait (then again as Carowinds is my homepark, I usually go on weekdays and never holidays). I think you may have just caught it at a bad time

I believe the reason why Mystic Timbers, Twisted Timbers, and Copperhead Strike all have similar themes is because their stories are all connected. Each coaster's queue has many easter eggs and references to the other rides.

Fury 325 and Afterburn always have great dispatches. In my experience with Fury they will rush you through the gates with a 5 second countdown and get super fast dispatches. With Afterburn I’ve seen the employees run to each seat to get a super fast dispatch time.

This park's operations are just the definition of "go big or go home"

As someone who's been going to Carowinds since BEFORE Paramount bought it, I've also been wishing the new Cedar Fair management would get the theme together. I'm optimistic that the newer rides seem to have "Carolinas" theme with copperheads, whatever racecar thing Intimidator is, and Kitty Hawk. Maybe they'll tie it together eventually! (Then again... I still adamantly call a few rides by their original Paramount names like Top Gun and the Borg)

Hey there! Carowinds is my home park so take any comment here with a grain of salt. Before Cedar Fair bought Carowinds (in 2005?) it was owned by Paramount - looking run down and losing customers. So Cedar Fair has had to revamp a lot of the park itself which might be what's contributing to the "corporate" feel. Some helpful tips/knowledge (possibly?): The mine train ride is the first ride built in the park (1970 something). To this day I and many others who grew up with this park still call Afterburn, Top Gun because that was the name of that ride before. Also depending on the time of year/day you go Afterburn is quite frequently a walk on ride even though its one of the better rides at the park. Nighthawk almost always has a long line and frequently runs one train. I would recommend that the next time you visit you start with it first if it opens when the park does, otherwise the wait is usually an hour plus. We also use to have a log flume ride but they took that out 2 years (?) ago. So we're hoping for another great new ride to take its place. I hope you have a better time at Carowinds the next time you visit!

I felt personally attacked when you said Carolina Cyclone was bad lol. It's my number 4 at the park. I guess I just liked how out of control it was. You get yanked through those corkscrews and take the helix way faster than you should!

As carowinds being my home park i can feel the corporate feeling and carowinds loosing its charm, especially compared to back in the day compared to other parks i been too. I feel one thing cedar fair should do in this park is keep the two states one park theme up and should put state line markers inside the park as well as some custom welcome to nc/sc line with a state vs state ride competition

i love carowinds

Fast lane plus, every visit, every park, no kiddie credits, no holidays, no stress, no problematic visits for us. 🥃

Carowinds had its own originality’s before they started tearing down the rides I rode as a child I can’t even count the rides they took out to replace! Yes I love fury and they could have made room for it! There were some rides in there that was there before I was born I rode! Thunder road, the saturator, the white waterfalls, rip roaring rapids! And so much more! I believe that carowinds lost some business and had to make a huge decision! That’s why they brought the intimidator and fury in there! It’s sad! The character the park used to have is not there anymore! I wish you could’ve visited the park back in the early to late 2000’s! It was different.

When I went to Carowinds for the first time as a kid, there were only five roller coasters: Thunder Road, White Lighning, Gold Rusher, Scooby Doo, and the Carolina Cyclone.

I found myself disagreeing with almost everything negative in this video. While yes, it was a holiday, the operations are all pretty good when I go, and I go a lot (Carowinds is my home park). I love Carowinds so much and find the operations to be so good. So, if you are looking to come to Carowinds perhaps not on a holiday (though i think he had a bad day) don't let the poor descriptions in this video upset you. It is a great park and definitely worth trying.

Well for those of us who grew up going to Carowinds every summer...the best ride and always will be that Carowinds had to offer was Thunder Road...you raced the train beside you hauling ass on this wooden coaster... And best thing was you could ride this coaster frontwards or backwards... But of course the s*** heads at Carowinds decided to tear it down for a more s***** ass ride...Thunder Road was a piece of history

I remember when I last went to Carowinds and the crew for Fury were competing to break record after record for dispatches, I remember them even sending a train out in only 25 seconds. Sadly tho some Karen must’ve called the manage cause after that one of the operators was on the phone for awhile and they stopped trying to send trains out at lightning speed.

Carowinds is my home park and i went 15 times last season and from my experience most of the coasters that you said had bad operations usually don’t, like for example afterburn and intimidator usually have 1 min operations. but for gold rush, nighthawk and vortex your completely right . Loved the video

FYI: Kiddie Hawk's theme is based on the Wright brother's first powered flight that took place in/near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and really has no corresponding theme to Nighthawk. In fact a nighthawk is not a bird of prey (hawk) so Paramount got the logo wrong with the hooked beak of a raptor. I guess Kitty Hawk is equally misrepresented as it sits in South Carolina and not North Carolina. Now if Nighthawk were named as a link of it's former name, Stealth, as in the USAF's F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. Then the two could be said to have corresponding aviation first, but again, Nighthawk's logo blows that theory...You're right this is a confusing park. lol

At Carowinds, you always hit Nighthawk first, then keep going to Copperhead Strike, then hit Ricochet, then Vortex. They are all in a line and get long waits. Nighthawk gets the longest lines.

Being in Charlotte native I don't know why it hurts my heart that all of these ride names have been changed because it's no longer Paramount. I'm sure hurler will be gone soon like thunder rd back in 2015

For me, I have Carowinds as my second favorite Cedar Fair Park, just ahead of Knotts, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion. I have been to Carowinds more than once and I have seen it at many different times, including holiday events. Fury is my #7 overall coaster, and the operations are always great on this ride. Copperhead and Afterburn are each in my Top 50 overall, and Copperhead operations are one of the best around. Afterburn's operations are a little on the slower side overall. I've seen them fast but more often than not, they are slow. Intimidator is the 4th best coaster, and normally the operations are pretty good. They are not Fury fast, but fast enough that the line normally moves quickly. When I go I pretty much ride the big 4, but last year I did ride a few other coasters: Carolina Cyclone: Used to be much better, but it ran horribly last year. They are using the old Vortex trains from KI. Hurler: Ran worse last year than previous years. Normally the operations are pretty good with Hurler. Vortex: I really don't care for this ride much and the operations are very slow. Nighthawk: Really slow operations and you pretty much have to rope drop it. I rode it once in like 6 visits and it was on the day that I rope dropped it and got on the first train. Carowinds isn't my home park but since I have family in the Charlotte area I've been to this park quite a bit. I think if Knott's gets that Giga, it will be the second best in the Cedar Fair chain. It far exceeds Carowinds, KI, and KD in charm and food quality. It's ride line-up is just weaker at this point, but a Giga would fix that.

Carowinds is my home park. I agree with you on operations. It’s very hit or miss. I will say Intimidator has been great in 2022. The atmosphere is very corporate like, I agree. I went to Knott’s Berry Farm during Halloween and it felt charming. Some of the employees are in a “I don’t care” attitude. I hope Carowinds improves operations ASAP because the ride lineup is great led by Fury and Copperhead.

Carowinds has removed at least 3 major large rides in the last few years (water rapids, water log jam and Thunder Road woodie). Should they tear down the Hurler, they would have tons of space for yet another major roller coaster.

Fury is perfect in both the front and back! 👌🏼 Staffing still seems to be an issue at certain parks in 2022

The comment on Mystic Timbers, Twisted Timbers, and Copperhead Strike-all three of those rides had the same creative director, Greg Crane. He also did County Fair at Carowinds, where his face is featured on the right side of the Flying Cobras entrance!

i feel like carowinds would have more of that historic feel if thunderroad hadn't been murdered

Nice breakdown! Ran through the park this weekend for the first time. Growing up a few hours from Cedar Point and practically living there every summer. I went in with super low expectations. But came away with a great experience. Fast pass lines only existed for Nighthawk. Copperstrike, Afterburner, and Fury were all amazing operations crew. We would get off and be back on the coaster within 5 minutes. A little longer for copperstrike with the walk arou d back. Otherwise, it was an incredible day for riding. Of course, going at the end of the summer makes all the difference with ride times. But man, riding Fury every 10 minutes. By the 5th time you get on back to back on the first day. The crew just says go where you want. Front seat for almost 7 hours between both days.🤘What an incredible ride.

As someone who is a local to the area, I usually get a season card and a fast pass. Although, I must say that the person went to the park on a day the probably the worst day to go. I usually go on more cloudier days and can get more time on coasters. Edit; Also, sometimes The Fury gets stopped when people pull out their phones. This has happened to me before.

After burn “probably doesn’t get much of a line” BULLSHIT lmao I spent HOURS of my youth waiting for that one

When I went to caroiwnds near the end of the day I went to afterburner and there was NO line at all I was the only person there but I didn’t get to ride it by myself bc some other ppl came in after me

My thoughts since this is my home park: -I think it had a lot of charm when Paramount had it. They did a lot better of a job highlighting the state border theme and a wooden racer where the two states race along the border was the most charming coaster in the park (Thunder Road). -I think the operations are pretty much always as you described except Intimidator used to be consistently eating people if it wasn't down for vomit clean-up. -It needs an airtime machine. It's also lacking in good supporting coasters. One of the most top heavy parks out there. -I appreciate how flat it is. -For some reason this park started feeling way more crowded after covid hit and it reopened last year. It could be because of Charlotte's growth I guess.

this makes me feel more confident about my trip in summer to get a ton of rides on fury. ive never been cuz its going to be a cross country trip, so i knew if i didnt get as many rides as possible before i have to travel back to CA id be crushed. definitely gonna factor in fun over credits

Nothing buggs me more than tripple stacking trains. I went to Cedar Point last year and it was legit the worst ops I've ever seen. Tripple stacking every 3 train coaster. Hershey was pretty bad too, particularly Fahrenheit and Candymonium. I also haven't seen skyrush run more than 1 train any rime ive been there.

Makes since why he said carowinds is the most corporate Cedar Fair park. Cedar Fair is literally centered in Charlotte

Bro. You are right. When I go to a park you can feel that parts of the park that you know has history and has been there for years. But to me Carowinds feels like some one got a cookie cutter where they cut parts of other parks from others. Like it felt like a park build in RTC by the average Joe. And I been to alot of parks on the East coaster. And and afterburn dispatch time was absolutely atrocious. It was so bad we were wondering if they were running 1 train. Like a full 10 minutes went by and we was like…. Is the ride broke down. I didn’t even get a chance to ride it

Carowinds has always intrigued me. It seems to have a decent coaster collection, and Fury just seems insane. Sucks to hear about its operations though.

I went the day before you on Sunday, and it was absolutely slammed. I agree that the operations were really hit or miss, but we somehow got on 12/14 coasters (missed the kiddie coaster and kiddy hawk)

It was a holiday what do you expect! Carowinds is my home park and it is amazing!

I love getting new takes on popular parks. This was definitely a unique perspective on Carowinds, I really hope I can get down there this year.

Carowinds is deceptive, it seems huge when you are inside the park but if you see the whole area from the air it is a tiny place.

I live around the Charlotte area, and as a whole, the city lacks its own culture imo

It seems like you caught the park on a bad day, especially since Memorial Day was the peak of the parks being unprepared, but seems like you made the best of it. I think the park looks like it’s a park on the upper tier of CF parks, and this park is only getting better. I’m sure operations will be fixed or have been fixed considering the park becoming one of the chain’s favorites. Nice video though, you did well to get us a full picture of your experience

Iv been going to Carowinds NY whole life !! They should have never took out Thunder Road !!! But I finally got to ride Fury 325 last weekend and it was outstanding 👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻 my main disappointment in my day there is that they have no sprinklers anywhere for people to get a lill wet to cool off. 20 years ago they had multiple places to cool off. It doesn't have the same feel as it did when I was a kid. But they have been through multiple owners. I remember when cartoon characters walked around the park for the kids and to take pics. I have a old pic setting in the Flintstones car lol all in all though I had a great time 🤘🏻

I agree with pretty much all of these points

I totally agree with your comments about the appearance of Carowinds. I have been saying for years that Carowinds feels average mainly because it lacks a distinctive charm that makes it truly unique. Sure, Fury 325 and Copperhead Strike are great, but the pak in general seems kind of bland. Personally, I think Cedar Fair should double down on the park's motto of being where the Carolinas meet and bring that Carolina charm to the park with more elaborate theming than represents the Carolinas.

Nice video but I don’t think you did a good job explaining exactly what you mean by “corporate-y”. Some examples would’ve been nice

Bro stop that is so mean so hush up you are just being mean

i was at carowinds a few weeks ago and there was a 3 hour wait for afterburn

You are correct, Carowinds is a very top heavy park. Either great coasters or mediocre to bad. But 14 coasters are still 14 coasters. I am not too picky with coasters as I enjoy most of them, no matter what. Being on a coaster is my 2 min of feeling free and fun, no worries. My escape from real world issues. My homepark is Sea World Orlando and i would love if they had 14 coasters, lol. Even though they currently have 6, Project penguin has already started, so will have 7 come 2023 with the first B&M Surf Coaster. But I mainly just classify as having 4 coasters currently, but those 4 are all very high quality. So I don't mind fewer coasters if each one is a high tier quality over crap or clones. I liked your review of Carowinds. It was fair.

Carowinds character is actually Corporate. ...So close to Charlotte

Intimidator is just as good as Diamondback

The copper head strike, recently the dispatch has been slow, at one point there was 2 trains on the break run and it would take 5+ minutes to dispatch a train. My friend got in line and came out the ride like 45minutes-an hour after.

I miss old carrowinds before it got bought by paramount (the previous owners)

Good video.

I just experienced this park for the first time on Easter Sunday & April Fools Monday of 2024. Easter was well staffed, but the crowds were minimal (Zero to 15 minute waits on most of the major rides). Monday was shockingly busy by comparison, so I invested in Fast Lane. Some of the operations issues you mentioned on rides like AfterBurn & ThunderStriker (formerly Intimidator) seem to have been remedied. Fury 325 & Copperhead Strike are elite and worth the trip, but both were running only 2 trains on a packed Monday. Since this video was made, Aeronautica Landing has been added, and that is a massive step in the right direction. I'm thinking Cedar Fair are making strides to bring Carowinds, Kings Dominion, & Canada's Wonderland up to the level of Kings Island & Cedar Point. Carowinds really needs one or 2 more elite coasters, like an RMC & B&M Dive to round out their lineup. Nighthawk was a huge disappointment compared to the defunct Firebird at King's Island. It was rough to the point of almost being unenjoyable, and I get why those ghastly corkscrews were replaced with in-line twists on Firehawk & Batwing Vekoma Flying Dutchmans. I will probably return when they add their next major coaster, as a flight from Chicago to Charlotte isn't super expensive if I plan ahead, and there are plenty of places to stay within walking distance of the park.

Carowinds is my homepark, so i go a lot on like tuesdays and wednesdays when pretty much everything is a walk on.

Am I the only one that went on cyclone twice and it didn’t make my head hit on the sides?

When you do finally ride on Nighthawk, be sure to try to ride in a center seat in whatever row you're in (front row is the best ride IMO). I've been on it dozens of times and sat in almost every seat. Even though I acknowledge it's not everyone's cup of tea, Nighthawk is my favorite ride in the world, bar none. Whenever I get free fast pass coupons, I use it on Nighthawk. (The line can be abysmal...the trains take forever to load.)

❤ I just want to say; 2 years late: -you are absolutely right about “something missing…” It felt that same way to me last visit - but then again, last I was there previously; it was “Paramount Carowinds” and so many beloved franchises and theming elements were a part of the experience and legitimate budget. I think it’s just become the way all things have gone… Publicly traded and reduced for as long as they can hold out charging $11.50 for a can of Miller Lite.

Definitely need to get the fast pass next time! I rode Fury like 8 times in an hour! Definitely worth the money because unlike other parks they let u ride unlimited! But I definitely agree that the processes of letting trains out at all coasters was weird. There were three trains on several coasters but there were always two waiting…made no sense. Might as well have 2 trains then 🤷‍♂️

Fun Fact: Carowinds is 38 minutes away from Charlotte Motor Speedway and 23 minutes away from the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Carowinds does not want to remove Hurler. They like that ride a lot, and is one of the most ridden rides in the park due to its family friendly layout. Also, RMC and Cedar Fair aren’t on good terms.. don’t expect any RMC to arrive at any Cedar Fair park for quite a while.

I went to carowinds for 3 days the weekend after july 4th, and their ops were spot on, however the following weekend my cousin said they were stacking trains on all rides except fury and copperhead. So i hope they have hired enough staff to have a better year in 2022 in terms of ops.

I’m honestly shocked you had bad ride operations at intimidator. Borderline floored. It’s the most efficient coaster in the park even more so than fury. Something had to be unusually wrong with staffing because I’ve never seen that problem at intimidator and I go all the time.

I agree with your assessment of Carowinds 100%. This is my home park, and I have been coming here since it's original opening in the 70's. The Park used to have a large lake, and a river boat which gave it so much character. They filled it in with concrete, and then started placing crappy coasters all over the park. Unfortunatly they got rid of Thunder Road, and white lightning. Those were great rides, and I would trade at least 8 of the current coasters for them. They added zero trees, and it is unbearable in the summer time. I live about 2 hours from Carowinds, but chose to buy a Busch Gardens Williamsburg membership, and its about 4 hours away. Busch Gardens has so much character , trees, and feels like an escape. Carowinds feels more like a parking lot with 4 good coasters, with crappy scenery. Just my thoughts

Carowinds had charm when it was owned by Paramount because there was a lot of amazing theming like Top Gun and many Nickelodeon areas. I loved it as a kid. You're right that Fury is basically the only reedeming quality left because otherwise it just feels bland.

I kinda want to say that Hurler should stay, but be reprofiled with somewhat sharper hills and have about 15-20 feet or so added to the lift if possible. It's one of those "we were this close to greatness" type of rides, where it almost does something but ends up just falling short. Also, am I really the only person who likes that high-speed turn just after the drop? Also, Intimidator stacking is normal. The ride doesn't have a mid-course and it's a high-capacity B&M with stadium seating. If the ride operators aren't completely spot-on the coaster will pretty much always stack. This and the typically heavy amount of trim brakes Intimidator has result in the coaster being affectionately nicknamed "intrimistack".

Hey man! Really like hearing your perspective. I just wish I could tell from your tone of voice which stuff you liked versus what you didn’t. It sounds like this video was homework. I appreciate your knowledge on the subject, but also hope in the future that you would explain more of the coaster terms so that those not as informed could understand what you’re talking about too. Just offering a couple thoughts. Thanks again for making this!

I just finished my first day at Carowinds and I agree with you on a lot. So many trains were leaving the station with tons of empty seats despite there being a line. Although the park was pretty empty being a Tuesday. Afterburn’s pacing was so good. Hang time on Copperhead was very unique for me and Fury didn’t quite live up to the hype but I’m planning on getting a few more rides in tomorrow. Great review!

I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed how inconsistent the operations are at Carowinds. I went to the park in a similar set of circumstances and oh boy. That day I had to fly into and out of Charlotte so I was crunched for time. I foolishly thought that the operations would be similar to my home park of Kings Island. I ended up getting six credits and a couple Fury rerides and that’s all I had time for. The Fury, Copperhead and Intimidator crew were killing it though. Next time I go down I’ll probably time the dispatches to see what crew sends out more trains the Fury crew or the Orion crew. It feels like the Orion crew does but it would be something fun to do while in line

So I was actually there on the exact same day and we ended up getting a fast lane because of how crowded the park was. We waited for nighthawk in the fast lane line and it took at least 30-40 minutes. This park was ok but fury and copperhead definitely saved it

I visited Carowinds for the first time in Aug 2021. I remember sitting on the brake run on Intimidator for so long, I damn near forgot what ride I was on. Secondly, you mentioned how Mystic Timber, Twisted Timbers, and Copperhead Strike all have a similar theme. If you look around in the queues of each ride, they all have easter eggs that are nods to each other as well as other CF ride, both operational and defunct!

Also keep in mind that Carowinds isn't 100% Cedar Fair built. A lot of the rides were inherited such as Night Hawk, Ricochet, Hurler, and the water park. CF needs to buy more or utilize more of the surrounding land to really make it they own. And yes, I'm screaming this now on a 2-year-old video review. I hope they see this comment.

Been going to Carowinds since I was like 9 years old. Never go on holidays and weekends once school is out. Go during weekends during the school year. Also carowinds operations are like 8 months out the year so you have plenty time to make a decent trip Fury replaced a large wooden duel track racing coaster in 2014 btw

I remember when “after burn” was “Top Gun.” I haven’t been in years until this past Saturday so I could finally ride Fury (Im from coastal NC). But…. Lmao I kept calling it “Alpengeist” from Busch Gardens because I couldn’t remember the name (not Fury; I couldn’t remember After Burn’s name) Also: I beg!!! Carowinds to get an RMC. Also: did you post a Fury video or am I missing it??

Used to be my home park. It’s hella good

Randy West Love ❤ Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina USA 🇺🇲 My Two Time at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina USA 🇺🇲 in the year of 2018 and 2018 Season.

Carowinds as a test park like CAROWINDS WORST THEME PARK EVER!!!

Randy West Rode Mind Eraser at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Aurora, Ohio USA 🇺🇲 and Randy West Rode Head Spin at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio USA 🇺🇲 EST. 1996-2007.

Thats the problem when you're a credit chasing thoosie. Your day is wasted riding gabage for a stupid ego count. I went there marathoned Fury, Intimidator, Copperhead and Afterburn with quick swims in the awesome water park between rides honestly had one of the best days Ive ever had at any park. Agree it needs a top tier woodie though

I like the Hurler. The worst thing about it is it's a bit neck jarring at the end. But I'd hate to see it removed. It's a solid wooden coaster experience.

try riding coming on a monday/wednesday oun summer, operation are great, i think you’ll ingoy more bc intimidator,afterburn have great oops

I grew up here and when Paramount had the park there was something special about it. Danger zone blaring as you boarded Top Gun (After Burn), Star trek clips playing as you waited to be assimilated into the Borg (NightHawk). Paramount had 7' tall Klingons walking around the park interacting with guests. Live shows just seemed to spring up here and there, usually Scooby-Doo cast. It was always exciting and you never knew what was going to be happen. It has lost that charm. This video is a year old and the ride issues are no longer present. The rides move fast. I've struggled with what element the park needs, but growing up through Paramount, everyone watched the same shows and movies then. I don't know what you could introduce that would be inclusive enough for a park that size. People are very distant now as far as entertainment goes.

Alot of people either absolutely love HURLER or hate it for how rough it can be. I don't believe they would take this down being they already got rid of THUNDER ROAD.

Just visited on Saturday and the lines were crazy! So it sounds like same issues still in #2023! Fury 325 had a 2hr-3hr wait! They forced some to buy locker at $4 Then you're in crowed line without any water, no mist or cooling fans which is a potential for Heat exhaustion! They didn't have straws for drinks and some food vendors wasn't included in the most expensive food pass! Some food vendors closed or out of items! Rides not open all day! Children rides with 2hr wait! 1 roller coaster ride from open to close due to miserable slow lines! Not worth cost of tickets ☹️😡😫😡

I was fortunate enough to go to Carowinds in the first or second year of its operation, when it was one rich guy's quirky vision. There were a bunch of elements playing tribute to a sanitized version of Southern history, with no racist elements discernible to child-me. There was a paddleboat ride in one of the many bodies of water that gave a naturalistic feel. There was even a child's playground in the middle of an amusement park, I kid you not. In fact, the two story spiral slide was one of my favorite attractions. Sadly, the 1970s fuel crisis really impacted the finances of the park, forcing Earl Patterson Hall to "partner" with a corporation in 1975. A lot of the quirkiness remained at first, but after Hall's death in 1978 and over several corporate handovers Carowinds lost much of its distinctive character. I'm glad they've kept the two states theming. And the Goldrusher roller coaster that underwhelmed? One of the few rides that's remained since its opening, so I'm glad it's still there. Just sayin'.

I love all the coasters but I'm crazy about wooden coasters. They tore down my favorite was Thunder Road but I still LOVE Hurler. I really like After Burn and Intimidator. Fury is ok too though. I'm about 45 mins away so we go kind often. I'll NEVER go on a weekend or holiday bc you are spending 2 hours to ride some of the main ones. We go on Tuesdays usually and noone is there. A few weeks ago we went and usually walked right on and even got to stay on a couple times The longest we had to wait for any of the big ones was 5 minutes. You definitely hit a bad day bc I've never had a bad day/time with any of the coasters.

Fun Fact, I have Hurler in my top 15 because it never had a line and I found it surprisingly fun. It's also the perfect coaster for the rain as you can duck behind the row in front if you're in the second row Also, I think Orion is a stronger Giga than Fury, with both coming in below I305. Orion just has better airtime, a better drop, and less dead spots, admit it, that helix on Fury is pretty pointless

Intimidator is the best b&m hyper

Be thankful you missed Nighthawk. It's awful as well. The Fury crew is AWESOME! Same for the Copperhead Strike crew.

Hey I still like carowinds it’s my favorite park but ur opinion is ok 👌 I agree lol

Fury 325 and Shivering Timbers are both PRCs But both parks could use an elite Intamin or RMC I-Box Hybrid.

I’ve been going to Carowinds my entire life and it’s gotten way better ever since cedar fair took over but it’s a hit or miss on ride operation depending on the day I’ve noticed around holidays is when it’s really bad. And to the nighthawk I’ve only been able to ride it 3 times in my life the line is either ridiculous or it broken down but the only thing I’ve not liked since the cedar fair take over was the demolishing of thunder road for a water park addition

I have been to carowinds from the first year. It has never had a nostalgia. It has some really good rides but nothing but rides. Not like Busch gardens Virginia. It got stunted in its first year because the oil imbargo of the 70s greatly reduced guests. Many planned elements did not get built and now Cabellas sits on the area bought for future expansion. The monorail was supposed to take you to both parks but that never happened the monorail was sold and so was the land for expansion. For several years before cedar got it the whole park other than the rides was basically dilapidated and filthy. It is a locals park with one great coaster. Seasons tickets are realitively cheap at under $100 if purchased before the water park opens. I think they really blew it when they demolished thunder road a large racing woody.

We used to go on Sunday at opening. Lines were very short for a little while.

I went the same day and had a similar experience. Ops were painfully slow on most rides. I had FL+ and even then I struggled to get the credits over the two days I was there.

This park lost it's charm when Paramount sold it. It's still a good park but the "Theme" is gone from it. I have been to this park 100's of times from age 12 to 40. It is not the same park that it was when I was a kid. When I was a kid it was magical.