within the past 5 years preferably. I'm planning a trip to Carowinds and I had originally thought we'd spend two days there because I thought Carowinds and Boomerang Bay were two separate parks. After taking a peek at the park map I realized that they were both connected. So I'm assuming that one ticket will give you access to both for the day? And if so, is it possible to do pretty much everything in one day if we're there from opening until closing? And are there lockers to stash your stuff? Thanks for any constructive input!

6/9/2008 2:38:29 PM

Yes to all of your questions. You will be bored as fuck if you try to make it into two days IMO.

[Edited on June 9, 2008 at 2:40 PM. Reason : d]

6/9/2008 2:39:59 PM

That's what I was wondering. We're rollercoaster people, but enjoy the waterparks too.

6/9/2008 2:41:59 PM

Yes to pretty much everything. i had season passes since I was about 4 to 18..I havent been in a few years though. Looking at the website it looks like its not owned by paramount anymore? My only basis is that it doesnt say paramount on there and any ride that was named after a movie like the top gun and star trek rollercoasters have new names now.

[Edited on June 9, 2008 at 2:52 PM. Reason : ]

6/9/2008 2:49:09 PM

Lived in Charlotte my whole life..... I remember when Carowinds was $25 with $4 parking.

You MUST have cash to use a locker, b/c they give you some back when you hand back the key. They MAY have changed this, but take cash just in case.

Try to get there as early as possible so the lines to get in the park and on the rides aren't long.

DO NOT leave valuables out at the waterpark; had my wallet stolen and it was anti-fun.

Subway, over near Twister, is about the cheapest food you'll find there.


And yes, you will be incredibly bored with >1 day there... If you're in Charlotte for a bit, I recommend going downtown to Discovery Place. They have an IMAX theater, cool science exhibits and a small rainforest. Plus it's got a/c


Have fun! Hop down into SC and get some real fireworks, too!

6/9/2008 2:56:04 PM

Discovery Place rules.

I still have the t-shirts I won from the lock-in scavenger hunt in 4th and 5th grade.

6/9/2008 3:02:20 PM

I get free parking and get in free whenever i want and i still never go.

6/9/2008 3:12:07 PM

1. Go during a non-holiday weekday. Otherwise you'll spend the majority of the time in lines.

2. Pile all people going into one vehicle.

3. Bring a cooler with snacks/sandwich supplies, leave around lunch (be sure to get the stamp), and avoid paying the jacked up park prices for food.

4. Look around for promotional deals. The straight up gate price is way to expensive.

6/9/2008 3:27:10 PM

Anybody ever do the challenger missions at Discovery Place when you were like 12?

6/9/2008 3:28:16 PM

We're going to be in Columbia, SC for a family thing, and I wanted a theme park fix so I figured we'd go to Carowinds on the way back. And I honestly don't think I've ever bought a meal at an amusement park. We're going on Father's Day though...is that going to be really rough? And either way it's gotta be better than the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle.

6/9/2008 3:35:40 PM

if you go on pretty much any weekend, you'll spend a lot of time just waiting in lines.....but going on a random tuesday or wednesday is great, many times you don't even have to get off the rides if you want to go again.

6/9/2008 3:47:38 PM

Carowinds is all right. If you've been to even Busch Gardens then the rollercoasters at Carowinds are lame. Save up and go to Cedar Pointe this summer. It would take about 3 days to do everything there, and you could also go to Put-In-Bay and bike around the island in Lake Erie.

But Carowinds will be lame if you go on Father's Day. Not only is it on a Sunday, and there will be tons of little brats there, the hours are usually shorter cutting down on your ride time. If you need the rollercoaster fix then I guess it's ok, but look into Cedar Pointe if you've never been.

And if you like water parks check out Schlitterbahn in Texas.

6/9/2008 3:49:40 PM

Man, I worked at that place for a summer once. The thought of going there makes me feel sick. Just don't go on a Saturday, the lines are about two hours long for any ride and the ride attendants are frustrated and will be a lot less likely to deal with any shit that goes down. If you go in the middle of the week, there are NO lines at all... most of the attendants will just let you stay on the rollercoaster car and go around a few times if you want. And I believe you are allowed to bring in bottled water, just not any other food/drinks.

6/9/2008 3:50:00 PM

^
Where did you work?

Quote :

"Save up and go to Cedar Pointe this summer."

Cedar Fair (company that owns Cedar Pointe) recently bought carowinds from paramount, so the rides should get better and all the crappy paramount shit will be mostly gone.

6/9/2008 4:02:54 PM

I was an attendant/operator on the Vortex and Kaleidoscope.

For God's sake, don't ride a freaking rollercoaster after eating 4 cheeseburgers.

6/9/2008 4:51:01 PM

Quote :

"You will be bored as fuck if you try to make it into two days"

Quote :

"Discovery Place rules."

6/9/2008 4:54:09 PM

haha.

i used to work at the paladium. We got free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches at the end of the day.

6/9/2008 4:54:23 PM

Quote :

"Anybody ever do the challenger missions at Discovery Place when you were like 12?"

hell yeah

I love Discovery Place

6/9/2008 4:55:24 PM

While I appreciate the Cedar Pointe and Schlitterbahn suggestions...we're not really the kind of people to plan a long distance, expensive vacation just to visit a water park/theme park...unless of course it's Disney.

6/9/2008 5:23:39 PM

Quote :

"check out Schlitterbahn in Texas."

ftw

6/9/2008 6:15:18 PM

Quote :

"Anybody ever do the challenger missions at Discovery Place when you were like 12? "

hell yes

6/9/2008 6:18:18 PM

yeah you can get everything done there in one day.

6/9/2008 9:26:04 PM

Are they any new rides/rollercoasters worth a shit? Last time I went was circa 2002, right after Top Gun had opened.

6/9/2008 9:39:22 PM

Spending two days there hahahaha no way, going on fathers day (sunday) will suck ass, and on any day carowinds is pretty lame if you've been to better parks ever in your life.

That being said do you need the hookup on cheaper tickets?

6/9/2008 10:04:33 PM

Not to be a downer, Lutra, but I really hate the way Carowinds pussifies their rollercoasters. It's like they never try to push the limits or get creative with any of them. You'll probably like it alright if you've never been. I'm hoping Cedar Fair will add something good to it and I'm able to give it another try in a few years.

6/9/2008 10:39:23 PM

Carowinds sucks. Go to Busch Gardens or something instead.

6/10/2008 9:17:06 AM

^^^ i'm interested in a discount hookup..
pm me if you have to keep it secret

6/10/2008 9:24:50 AM

I'll post on here when i get my yearly 4 free tickets online + parking. You guys can bid for them.

6/10/2008 9:43:51 AM

Lotta rednecks, lotta white trash. I had reservations about getting in the same bacteria frappe as the unwashed masses but came out without any waterborne diseases.

You can do pretty much everything in one day. The longest line I encountered was for the Cyborg, which took about 45 minutes.

They rent lockers, but the only actual changing rooms are near the pool. If you rent a locker near the main entrance you'll have to change in the bathroom. Try not to get a stall with a child's diarrhea-drenched underwear hanging on the coathook, it's not fun.

Food is about what you'd expect to pay at concession stands at concerts or conventions, and the same quality. The people that go to Carowinds are also about the same quality and value as you'd find at concerts or conventions.

6/10/2008 4:18:19 PM

Quote :

"The longest line I encountered was for the Cyborg, "

What is the Cyborg.

6/10/2008 4:21:33 PM

^ a roller coaster that starts you out facing the ground. I didn't ride it, but the people I went with waited 45 minutes.

6/10/2008 4:34:25 PM

That was the Borg rollercoaster.

But it's called the Nighthawk, or something like that now.

6/10/2008 4:40:57 PM

^^,^

Yeah i was being sarcastic because he called it the Cyborg. It's the Borg. Jeez don't you guys follow Star Trek.

6/10/2008 4:54:46 PM

i've ridden Skycoaster (and just about everything else in the park) on so many different drugs

6/10/2008 4:56:37 PM

^^ Yeah I figured as much. I was responding to HIM.

6/10/2008 4:57:54 PM

The water park is always insanely crowded...but it's good to stop in and cool off since it's always 328323^28223 degrees there. The rides in the water park aren't as good as say, Wet & Wild Emerald Pointe (in greensboro) but they're decent. And as for stretching it into 2 days...I do think you'll be tired enough of roller coasters at the end of Day 1.

6/10/2008 5:45:30 PM

I am the biggest amusement park freak on these boards, and have been going to Carowinds for most of my life (this is the first year in like 12 years that I didn't get a season pass), but I can still say without hesitation that there is absolutely no need to spend more than a day there.

6/10/2008 6:11:12 PM

can you get beer at carowinds?

6/10/2008 6:16:24 PM

^^unless you just want to ride the same rides again

^i dunno, havent been there since i was old enough to drink

6/10/2008 6:18:55 PM

I'm pretty sure there's beer there. But it's like expensive per usual for amusement park beer.

6/10/2008 6:23:42 PM

The only way to spend more than one day there is if it rains and you can't ride anything.

Let us know how Thunder Road is if it is open when you go. It's pretty much been entirely retracked.

6/10/2008 7:26:32 PM

^^^^
http://www.carowinds.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=35

Quote :

"Ice cold beer and soft drinks also available. Must be 21 years of age and have must have proper ID to purchase alcohol. "

Guess they have it at the Carowinds Café, Outer Hanks, and Wings. Last i can remember i think it was like 4-5$ for a 12oz or something crazy like that. It's probably better to pre-game in the parking lot before entering the park.

6/11/2008 8:52:51 AM

Quote :

"Lotta rednecks, lotta white trash. I had reservations about getting in the same bacteria frappe as the unwashed masses but came out without any waterborne diseases. You can do pretty much everything in one day. The longest line I encountered was for the Cyborg, which took about 45 minutes. They rent lockers, but the only actual changing rooms are near the pool. If you rent a locker near the main entrance you'll have to change in the bathroom. Try not to get a stall with a child's diarrhea-drenched underwear hanging on the coathook, it's not fun. Food is about what you'd expect to pay at concession stands at concerts or conventions, and the same quality. The people that go to Carowinds are also about the same quality and value as you'd find at concerts or conventions."

and i thought I had an elitist attitude.. christ man

6/11/2008 9:12:16 AM

^that's funny. So all people who go to conventions, concerts and carowinds all have the same "quality" no matter the convention or concert?

6/11/2008 9:24:07 AM

Quote :

". Go during a non-holiday weekday. Otherwise you'll spend the majority of the time in lines."

for sure

6/11/2008 9:54:25 AM

Quote :

"Looking at the website it looks like its not owned by paramount anymore?"

Quote :

"On June 30, 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. acquired Paramount Parks, including Carowinds. "

6/11/2008 10:05:39 AM

Quote :

"Cedar Fair (company that owns Cedar Pointe) recently bought carowinds from paramount, so the rides should get better and all the crappy paramount shit will be mostly gone. "

missed my memo?

6/11/2008 10:11:46 AM

lol yes I did

6/11/2008 10:12:56 AM

I'm hoping Carowinds will get better and better because Cedar Fair has some awesome parks.

6/11/2008 10:15:20 AM

Yeah that's actually pretty exciting because Carowinds under Paramount was horrible.

6/11/2008 10:22:12 AM