Carowinds

Location	Charlotte, NC Fort Mill, SC
Website	Carowinds
Owner	Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Opened	March 31, 1973
Previous names	Carowinds (1973-1993),(2007-Present) Paramount's Carowinds (1993-2006)
Operating season	mid March-late October
Area	105 acres
Rides	49 total 12 roller coasters 12 water rides
Slogan	Carowinds...Where Else?

Carowinds is a 105 acre theme park, located adjacent to I-77 on the stateline between North and South Carolina, in Charlotte and Fort Mill, respectively. The park opened on March 31, 1973 at a cost of $30 million, after a 4 year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall, who was inspired to build the park by a trip to Disneyland in 1956, and a dream of bringing the two aforementioned states closer together. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x367, 52 KB) http://multimedia. ... For other places or people named Charlotte, see American metropolises, Charlotte, North Carolina is the countrys second biggest banking center. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Fort Mill is a town located in York County, South Carolina and a suburb of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, legally known as Cedar Fair, L.P.,(NYSE: FUN) is a publicly-traded company based in Sandusky, Ohio, USA that owns and operates amusement parks in North America. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Theme Park is a simulation computer game designed by Bullfrog Productions, released in 1994, in which the player designs and operates an amusement park. ... Interstate 77 is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N... The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. ... Charlotte (also known as candle stick) is a figure skating grace move - one of the spirals, where the skater is bended and glides on its one leg with the other one lifted to the air. ... Fort Mill is a town located in York County, South Carolina. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about a theme park in Anaheim, California USA. For other Disney parks and attractions, see Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. ...

History

The Carowinds theme park itself was originally envisioned as a component of a large resort-type area that would have included hotels, a shopping center, a golf course, and a pro-football stadium. However, like many other theme parks across the country, Carowinds' attendance was severely affected by the 1973 oil crisis, and the plans for the resort that would have surrounded the park were abandoned. Hall and the other stockholders of the Carowinds Corporation continued to operate the theme park through 1974, though sagging attendance forced the company to sellout to Taft Broadcasting in early 1975. Resorts combine a hotel and a variety of recreations, such as swimming pools. ... The 1973 oil crisis began in earnest on October 17, 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC, consisting of the Arab members of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria) announced, as a result of the ongoing Yom Kippur War, that they would no longer ship petroleum... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The park was purchased by Paramount Communications in 1993 and joined the Paramount Parks family, after ownership bounced from Taft Broadcast Company to Family Leisure Centers (a joint between Taft and Top Value Enterprises), to Kings Entertainment Company, which was the last owner prior to the acquisition by Paramount. The park was renamed Paramount's Carowinds in 1993. Viacom then purchased Paramount in 1994. Paramount Communications resulted from the 2000 restructuring and renaming of Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. ... Paramount Parks is an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attract about 13 million patrons. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Kings Entertainment Company (KECO) owned and/or operated six theme parks around the world. ... Viacom (pronounced with a long i as in eye) began life as CBS Films, the television syndication division of CBS. In 1971, the division was renamed VIACOM (VIdeo & Audio COMmunications), and in 1973 it was spun off, amid new FCC rules forbidding television networks from owning syndication companies (the rules...

The name "Carowinds" was derived from the park's original theme. Since the park was built around the history and culture of the Carolinas, the name is a combination of "Carolina" and "winds", representing the winds that have blown across the two states. As the park changed ownership over the years, most of the Carolina themes and cultural attractions were dropped in favor of more generic television and movie themes. The Carolinas is a collective term used in the United States to refer to the states of North and South Carolina together. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

Carowinds opens in late March each year and closes in early November, after the park's Halloween event, Scarowinds. In 2005, a portion of the park reopened during December for the Winterfest Christmas festival. However, the event was not returned for 2006, citing poor attendance. A similar decision was made regarding Kings Island's Winterfest. Halloween, or Halloween, is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other gifts, called most commonly trick-or-treating. ... Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Kings Island is a 364 acre (1. ...

On January 27, 2006, the website of the Dayton Daily News reported that CBS Corporation (which split from Viacom at the end of 2005) would be selling Paramount's Carowinds and other parks in its Paramount Parks division. [1] is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Dayton Daily News (DDN) is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. ... CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. ... Viacom (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: VIAb) is an American media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable and satellite television networks (MTV Networks and BET), and movie production and distribution (the Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks movie studios). ...

On June 30, 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. acquired Paramount Parks, including Carowinds. [2] is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, legally known as Cedar Fair, L.P.,(NYSE: FUN) is a publicly-traded company based in Sandusky, Ohio, USA that owns and operates amusement parks in North America. ...

Although Cedar Fair continued to use the Paramount's Carowinds name through the remainder of the 2006 season, it began to phase out the Paramount name in press releases and on the website. In January 2007, a brand new logo, featuring the Cedar Fair icon, but lacking the "Paramount" name, was revealed on the park website. The other four Paramount-branded parks that Cedar Fair acquired will also be receiving similar changes. As of February 2007, the "Paramount" name has been dropped from all of the parks.

Rides

Roller Coasters

• Borg Assimilator, formerly Stealth at Great America

A Vekoma Flying Dutchman coaster. It's the only Star Trek themed roller coaster in the world. Located in the Carowinds Plaza section of the park. The Borg Assimilator is a roller coaster at Paramounts Carowinds. ... View of Great America from above Great America is an amusement park owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...

• Carolina Cyclone

Arrow Dynamics coaster featuring 2 loops and 2 corkscrews. Located in the Carolina Boardwalk section of the park. First roller coaster to feature 4 inversions. The Carolina Cyclone is a roller coaster located at Paramounts Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

• Carolina Goldrusher

First roller coaster ever at Carowinds, made by Arrow Dynamics. Located in the Carolina Boardwalk section of the park. First roller coaster to cross state lines.

• Fairly Odd Coaster

Formerly the Scooby Doo Ghoster Coaster and themed to Fairly Odd Parents. Located in Nickelodean Central section of the park. The Fairly Odd Coaster is a Junior Wooden Rollercoaster located at Kings Island and Carowinds. ... The Fairly OddParents is one of the most popular cartoons on Nickelodeon The Fairly OddParents is an animated series created by Butch Hartman and was first aired in March 30, 2001. ...

• Flying Super Saturator

Setpoint "Splash Party" coaster. Located in the Boomerang Bay section of the park.

• Hurler

A wooden out and back roller coaster formerlly themed to Wayne's World. Located in the Thrill Zone section of the park. Hurler was one of two roller coasters built by International Coasters Inc. ...

• Ricochet

A Wild Mouse Coaster. Located in the Carolina Boardwalk section of the park. The Ricochet is a Wild Mouse roller coaster located at Carowinds and Kings Dominion. ...

• Rugrats Runaway Reptar

Vekoma Inverted Coaster themed to Rugrats. Located in the Nickelodean Central section of the park. Rugrats Runaway Reptar is the 1st junior inverted roller coaster from the company Vekoma. ... For the 1980s Canadian childrens band, see The Rugrats. ...

• Thunder Road

Twin wooden roller coaster that crosses the NC/SC border. Located in the County Fair section of the park. Thunder Road is a wooden roller coaster located at Paramounts Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

• Top Gun: The Jet Coaster

A Bolliger and Mabillard inverted roller coaster themed to the movie Top Gun. Located in the South Gate section of the park. Top Gun may refer to: The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, codenamed and commonly referred to as TOPGUN. Top Gun (film), a 1986 movie about the school, starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, Tim Robbins, and Meg Ryan. ...

• Vortex

A Bolliger and Mabillard stand up roller coaster. Located in the Carolina Showcase section of the park. Vortex at Carowinds was built during the last year before Paramount bought the park in the year 1992. ...

• Hey Arnold's Taxi Chase

A kiddie coaster themed to Hey Arnold. Located in the Nickelodean Central section of the park. Hey Arnold! is a Nickelodeon cartoon first aired in autumn 1996. ...

Thrill Rides

• Drop Zone Stunt Tower

An Intamin free fall tower. It's 160 feet high and has a 100 ft. drop. It's located in the Thrill Zone section of the park Template:Infobox thrill ride The Drop Zone Stunt Tower is a thrill ride owned by the Cedar Fair company. ...

• Scream Weaver

A Schwarzkopf Enterprise ride. With a 1 and a half minute ride time. It's located in the Thrill Zone section of the park. An Enterprise The enterprise is an amusement ride manufactured by HUSS Maschinenfabrik. ...

• Southern Star

An Intamin looping Viking Ship. Located in the County Fair section of the park.

Other Rides

• Carolina Skytower

An Intamin 320 foot tall cable tower that gives guests a view of Carowinds and Charlotte. Located in the Carowinds Plaza section of the park.

• Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion

A dark ride where guests shoot targets and get a score and is themed to Scooby Doo. In the Carolina RFD section of the park. Scooby-Doo IS THE SHIT is a short ass-running American animated television series produced for your mom Saturday morning television in several different versions from 1969 to the present. ...

• Spongebob Squarepants 4D

A 4D Ride in the Paramount F-X Theatre themed to Spongebob Squarepants. Located in the County Fair section of the park. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Nickelodeon Central

• Backyardigans Swing-A-Long

A miniature swing ride themed to Nick Jr.'s The Backyardigans. The Backyardigans is a CGI-animated childrens TV series, created by Janice Burgess. ...

• Boots' Ballon Race

A flying baloon ride featuring Boots from Dora the Explorer. Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is broadcast on Nickelodeon in the United States. ...

• Danny Phantom's Phantom Flyers

A flying object ride where the guest pilots the car. Themed to Danny Phantom. For the title character of this television series, see Danny Phantom (character). ...

• Dora the Explorer's Azul Adventure

A miniature train ride themed to Dora the Explorer. Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is broadcast on Nickelodeon in the United States. ...

• Lazy Town Sporticopters

A monerail with helicopter cars themed to Lazy Town. YTMND LOVES STEPHANIE HAWT LOLITA YES INDEEDY. ...

• Little Bill's Cruisers

A mini speed boat ride themed to Little Bill. Little Bill and his family Little Bill is a TV show for preschoolers on Nickelodeons Nick Jr. ...

• Nick Jr. Jets

A small flying jet ride.

• Nick-O-Round

An antique carousel featuring Nickelodean characters.

• Rocket Power Air Time

A swinging ride that falls at 33 feet per second themed to Rocket Power. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

• The Flying Dutchman's Revenge

A rotating pirate ship ride themed to Spongebob Squarepants. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

• Tommy's Take Off

A small plane ride.

Water Rides

• The Wild Thornberry's River Adventure

A log flume ride themed to The Wild Thornberry's. Located in the Nickelodean Central section of the park. The Wild Thornberrys was an American animated television series produced by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. ...

• Rip Roarin Rapids

A white water rapids ride. Located in the Carowinds Plaza section of the park.

• WhiteWater Falls

A small splash boat ride. Located in the Carolina RFD section of the park.

Boomerang Bay Water Park

NON WATERSLIDES

• Crocidile Run

Lazy River

• Kangaroo Lagoon

Kid Section

• Great Barrier Reef

250000 sq ft. wave pool

WATERSLIDES

• Down Under Thunder
• Awesome Aussie Twister
• Sydney Sidewinder
• Pipeline Peak

Ride and attraction timeline

• 2007: Frenzoid was put back in as Southern Star in County Fair. Three Point Challenge was built near the north entrance. A new ice show premiered entitled Carowinds: Endless Summers on Ice. The price for a single day ticket dropped for the first time ever. Skytower was repainted to look like an American flag.
• 2006: The Frenzoid was removed. The WaterWorks Water Park was rethemed to Boomerang Bay waterpark by adding a used slide from Kings Dominion and converting the old Frenzoid lake into a heated lagoon. Thunder Raceway (go-karts) are built in Thrill Zone. Winterfest does not return for a second year.
• 2005: Nickelodeon Central expansion, featuring Phantom Flyers, Flying Dutchman's Revenge, Little Bill's Cruisers, Yogi's Jellystone Garden (Original Ride) is rethemed to Dora the Explorer's Azul Adventure; Frenzoid removal begins in September; Winterfest:Home for the Holidays returns to Carowinds. Stan Miketa's in Thrill Zone changed to Happy Days Dinner.
  

  The Paramount's Carowinds logo, used from 2003 until 2007.
• 2004: Star Trek Borg Assimilator (coaster).
• 2003: Nickelodeon Central, featuring Rugrats Runaway Reptar, Powder Keg Flume (Original Ride) rethemed to Wild Thornberrys River Adventure; Gauntlet (Original Ride) rethemed to Rocket Power Air Time; Carolina Sternwheeler (Original Ride) riverboat removed.
• 2002: Richochet (coaster) and rethemeing of area to Carolina Boardwalk; Cyber Says.
• 2001: Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion; 7th Portal and Meteor Attack updates for Action F/X Theatre; Waterworks expansion; Whirling Dervish (swing ride) removed.
• 2000: Scarowinds (Halloween event); Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator.
• 1999: Top Gun The Jet Coaster (coaster).
• 1998: Expansion of Animation Station with Zoom Zone featuring Taxi Jam, Road Rally, and Chopper Chase; James Bond 007 A License to Thrill in Paramount Action F/X Theater (replacement for Days of Thunder).
• 1997: WaterWorks (expansion/rename of water park).
• 1996: Drop Zone Stunt Tower.
• 1995: Animation Station (expansion/rename of Hanna-Barbera Land); Skyflyer.
• 1994: Wayne's World section (now Thrill Zone) with The Hurler (coaster); Monorail removed.
• 1993: Days of Thunder Motion Simulator Theatre.
• 1992: The Vortex (coaster).
• 1991: Expansion of Paladium; Speedway Cars removed
• 1990: Gauntlet.
• 1989: Riptide Reef (water park rename/expansion); Expansion of Paladium.
• 1988: WhiteWater Falls; White Lightnin' removed; Black Widow (thrill ride) removed.
• 1987: Expansion of Hanna-Barbera Land with three new rides; Old Jalopies antique car ride removed;Oaken Bucket(thrill ride) removed.
• 1986: Frenzoid.
  

  The original Carowinds logo used from 1973 until 1993.
• 1985: Blackbeard's Revenge (mystery house).
• 1984: Smurf Island (themed area).
• 1983: Winterfest (Christmas event) opens but doesn't return; Cable Skyway removed.
• 1982: Rip Roarin' Rapids; Ocean Island (water park).
• 1981: No changes.
• 1980: Carolina Cyclone (coaster).
• 1979: Meteorite; Demolition Derby; Whirling Dervish; Wild Bull; Carousel.
• 1977: White Lightnin' (coaster).
• 1976: Thunder Road (coaster); Carowinds and Carolina Railroad removed.
• 1975: Paladium Amphitheatre; Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera (themed area) featuring Scooby-Doo roller coaster; Wagon Wheel; Waltzer.
• 1974: Stagecoach(now Country Kitchen) is added, picnic areas open. The Double-Decker Carousel is removed from the park at the end of the season and placed in storage.
• 1973: Carowinds opens on March 31, 1973; the Monorail is still under construction and opens later.

Nickelodeon Central is an area inside of all five Paramount Parks and Dreamworld. ... Image File history File links Carowinds. ... Image File history File links Carowinds. ... Nickelodeon Central is an area inside of all five Paramount Parks and Dreamworld. ... Scooby-doo is also British naval divers slang for civilian sport scuba diver. Scooby-Doo is an important character in animation up to this day Scooby-Doo is a long-running animated series produced for television by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1969 to 1986, 1988 to 1991, and from 2002... Nickelodeon (more commonly called Nick for short) is an American cable television network that is owned by Viacom International. ... Image File history File links Oldcarowindslogo. ... Image File history File links Oldcarowindslogo. ... Scooby-doo is also British naval divers slang for civilian sport scuba diver. Scooby-Doo is an important character in animation up to this day Scooby-Doo is a long-running animated series produced for television by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1969 to 1986, 1988 to 1991, and from 2002... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

• A 340 foot tower at Carowinds was cited as a possible causitive factor in the 1974 fatal crash of a jet airplane at the nearby Douglas Municipal Airport, which is now Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. (See: Eastern Air Lines Flight 212)

• Carowinds is home to a family of white squirrels that were brought in and released when the park opened to bring good luck

A Gyro Tower is a roundabout, with which a closed cab raises itself slowly at a high stahlmast, turns above some rounds and itself then slowly to the soil back-screwed. ... Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT) is an airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 was an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-9-31, carrying 78 passengers and 4 crew, operating as a scheduled flight from Charleston, South Carolina to Chicago, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

External links

• Carowinds Official Site
• Carowinds Zone (Unofficial guide to Carowinds, and fan site)
• Carowinds Connection (Unofficial Carowinds fan forum)
• Carowinds: The Early Years (1973-1977) - Includes Pictures From 1972
• Video of the Rides of Carowinds Park