Carowinds

[Raintree21]

From News14 today:

Looking back in history on this day in 1973, the Carolinas' first major theme park opened near Charlotte on the border between the two states.

Carowinds was built for $27 million under the leadership of local real estate developer and entrepreneur E. Pat Hall.

His vision was for the 73-acre park to offer a walk through the history and culture of both Carolinas.

In 1974, which was Carowind's first full year of operation, more than 986,000 guests passed through its gates.

[Spartan]

My only other memory is not so affectionate.  Did they build the damn place over a vent from hell?  It has to be the hottest place in Mecklenburg and York counties on any given day in the summer.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The best time to go is in the spring or fall when it is not scorching hot. There are also less people and less lines.

[Spartan]

Yea, Carowinds is great. I am suprised no one like the borg, everyone who I have been on it with loves it.

Top Gun is a great ride though, I love that ride.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought the Borg was a great ride. I've never been on anything quite like it before. The only problem I have with it is that they run one car, and the line takes forever. Its almost not worth standing in line after you've ridden it.

I wish they woudl put an intrapark transit system back in.

[DigitalSky]

http://local.msn.com/special/amusementparks.asp?GT1=6432

Astroland Amusement Park - Brooklyn, N.Y.

Busch Gardens - Tampa Bay, Fla.

Cedar Point Amusement Park - Sandusky, Ohio

Disneyland - Anaheim, Calif.

Kennywood Park - West Mifflin, Pa.

Knott's Camp Snoopy - Bloomington, Minn.

Magic Kingdom - Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Paramount's Carowinds - Charlotte, N.C.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk - Santa Cruz, Calif.

Six Flags Astroworld - Houston, Texas

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Thats a great ranking. I have always liked Carowinds alot.

[rantanamo]

Does anyone want to be on a list with Astroworld?

[skysdalimit]

Carowind's is pretty good, but they need more coasters!!!

[reverbandwhiskey]

Wow, how did that dump of a park get onto the list? Their coasters are in horrible shape. They have had to add extra padding in most cars due to the rides' poor condition.

The Borg coaster is incredibly slow, and was actually shipped here because it was horribly unpopular at another park. Outside of Top Gun, there isn't a single coaster worth riding there.

I wouldn't go back there if it was free.

[skysdalimit]

^ This is true, they could improve it dramatically, I actually am kinda surprised it made this list.

[ncguy06]

I like carowinds

[ncguy06]

Actually the coaster was quite popular at the park it was at before, Paramounts Great America. They only shipped it here because the park had been planning for a new waterpark and they finally built it so the coaster had to go.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Hehe I liked Borg alot, but I am not a super thrill ride type person. Top Gun is a great coaster though... I like the Hurler even though it is quite generic.

[reverbandwhiskey]

"They only shipped it here because the park had been planning for a new waterpark and they finally built it so the coaster had to go."

Hi. Welcome to the world of P.R. Do you really think that they could come out and say

"We built this really underwhleming coaster that nobody likes, so we're shipping it Charlotte. They are used to crappy coasters there."

Why would they spend millions of dollars to build a coaster, on the location where they planned on building a water park?

[ncguy06]

^^^ I have no idea to the answer to that question,it does seem kind of stupid, all I know is that it was a popular ride and that many were angry when it left. Obviously most people like it because the line for the ride is usually filled up, at times more than Top gun but usually they are about the same.

[Norm2]

I work at Carowinds, and I was told that the borg was sinking into the ground at great america making it unstable, so paramount had to move it.

[reverbandwhiskey]

" Obviously most people like it because the line for the ride is usually filled up,"

Actually the line is long because the ride is slow and has a longer loading process. The ride has a very low turnover rate per hour. For example, Top Gun (which was originally designed as a godzilla ride) can process up to 1400 riders per hour. Borg can only process 1000 per hour.

Edited May 12, 2005 by reverbandwhiskey

[QC704]

I've been to 5 out of the 10 with cedar point being my favorite. I guess the SC boardwalk would come in second.

[ncguy06]

reverbandwhiskey, your totally right, no one likes borg, it is the worst ride of all time, the line is only long because of the loading times, its not popular at all......please

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I like BORG and everyone I know does. Its a pretty good ride, not the greatest but not crap.

[skysdalimit]

It smells pretty bad tho.

[UrbanCharlotte]

Carowinds Expands Carowinds will add a new section to their waterpark to make it 25% larger.

[DigitalSky]

How much more room does Carowinds have to expand their park for the future?

[SanteeHeel]

The Borg is a good ride. Maybe it doesn't take much to satisfy me...

Top Gun is my favorite ride at the park.

[Norm2]

The Gaunlet, which is the ship that goes upside down, is being torn down and will be replaced with the new water park stuff.

[Unifour]

I feel like most of these big corporate sponsored theme parks are taking the soul away from the old park experience. The best park on the list is Kennywood. It's the only one that seems to try to remain old fashioned type park where the thrill and ride is the big draw, not the name of the coasters or seing cartoon characters or everything being named for a movie or a something. It's just an old fashioned park that still lets customers bring in thier own food! Imagine that! Cedar Point is pretty cool too. I was at Carowinds in 1990. I had never been to North Carolina or Charlotte before. It was a fun trip. It was a large park and I remember we had lots to do. Everything is so commercialized anymore. It used to be going to a park meant shade trees, the smell of being outdoors, the smell of funnel cakes and hot dogs and onion rings and the sound of kids running and giggling. Now when you go you are bombarded with corporate advertising, the name brands, the T shirts, souvenier gimmicks, etc. I had more fun at a small park in Huntington W Va called Camden Park than anywhere I remember. Truly old fashioned fun.