OT: Paramount's Carowinds?

[MEM]

What can anyone who has been there tell me about this park? While nothing can compare to the Disney Parks, DH wants to try someplace closer to home and cheaper next year. The prices seem incredibly low, like $62.50 for a season pass??

I would be interested to hear the good and the bad, if any. I noticed it was just ranked one of the top 10 amusement parks in the country.

My kids would be 10 and 11 if we visit in 2006 and neither one likes coasters.

Thank you!

 

[Snow Dog Mom]

It is a nice place. I would go in the summer so you can use the water park. Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be less busy days. My kids love that place. If you are going next year look at the end of this season for cheaper season prices. I paid about $200 for a family of 4 for our season pass.

I hope this helps.

Kim

 

[MSC]

Carowinds is a nice park. Kind of small, though, for such a long trip (your location says Boston). Busch Gardens Williamsburg is much closer and is an awesome park. It's a beautiful park with some great rides. I don't recall what Carowinds flat rides are like because we are a coaster family. But I do know that they did get to steal King's Island's Flying Eagles this year (%$%&#*@!!).

Actually, it appears that Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is closer to you than Carowinds, and CP is voted the #1 park in the country year in and year out. You might want to check that out. www.cedarpoint.com

 

[jennifer293]

We used to be stationed at Pope AFB, NC so it was only like a 2 or 3 hour drive for us which we made in the summer in a convertible(NEVER AGAIN)The sun cooked us before we got there.

The park was a BLAST. There were your basic rides and then there were a few we had never tried before. All I really remember was a stand up roller coaster, this round thing that we all sat in and it dropped straight down (kinda like the Free Fall at Six Flags) there was a whole section dedicated to the movie Wayne's World which was pretty cool. I do remember the water park and it was pretty nice.

I think you would like it alot!!!

 

[cocodog]

Carowinds is fun, and it really takes two days (with children) to enjoy it! There is also great shopping closeby and the Discovery Place Museum is worthwhile also.

Edited to say: Don't forget King's Dominion park, just north of Richmond. That would be closer even.

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

King's Dominion is very much like Carowinds and it looks like it would be closer to you, too.

If you're in Boston and are willing to travel all the way to NC you might want to consider heading a little west instead and going to Pigeon Forge, TN and DOLLYWOOD. Dollywood is a lot of fun plus they also have SPLASH COUNTRY (seperate admission, though). Pigeon Forge is packed with stuff to do plus has outlets galore!!! We live in NC but go to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg all the time. It's three hours for us to go to Carowinds or three hours to Pigeon Forge...I'd pick Pigeon Forge any time!

 

[NCRedding]

We have season passes to Carowinds, and went for opening week. The kids area has been refurbished with a Nickelodean theme, and look SOO much better than in the past. I found opening weekend to be alot of fun. I guess since it was earlier in the season, all the staff was still in good moods--very helpful.

 

[MouseDogMom]

I grew up about 2 hours from Carowinds when it first opened, and we went several times each summer, but I haven't been in about 15 yrs. Then it was a standard amusement park - lots of rides, lots of good coasters, and LOTS of pavement.

I agree with MSC - look at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. If we can't go to Disney, that's our favorite park. It's well landscaped in addition to having lots of great rides and feels more like Disney than any other amusement park I've ever been to. They also have a water park, and there are lots of combo packages that include historic Williamsburg if you're interested in that sort of stuff.

 

[AspiringCindy]

King's Dominion is very much like Carowinds and it looks like it would be closer to you, too.

If you're in Boston and are willing to travel all the way to NC you might want to consider heading a little west instead and going to Pigeon Forge, TN and DOLLYWOOD. Dollywood is a lot of fun plus they also have SPLASH COUNTRY (seperate admission, though). Pigeon Forge is packed with stuff to do plus has outlets galore!!! We live in NC but go to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg all the time. It's three hours for us to go to Carowinds or three hours to Pigeon Forge...I'd pick Pigeon Forge any time!

This summer, we are doing both King's Island and Dollywood! I heard that King's Island is the nicest and largest of the Paramount parks! Isn't Carowinds supposed to be small?

 

[Steven41782]

I live an hour from carowinds and have been several times. It is small, but because it has a waterpark it could take two days to do. (one day for the waterpark and one day for the rest). It is an ok park. They do not have a wayne's world section anymore. They renamed it the thrill zone, however the coaster in that section is still called "Hurler". They got a new coaster last year where you fly (super hero style). Usually on Tue. and Wed. there is not much of a queue for the non major rides.

Steven

 

[Snow Dog Mom]

Admission to other Paramount Parks
Your VIP Pass is valid at Paramount's Kings Island, Paramount's Kings Dominion, Paramount's Great America, Paramount's Carowinds, and Paramount Canada's Wonderland


I got this from the website. The season pass to Carolwinds is good at the other parks listed above.

Kim

 

[tar heel]

If your children truly do not like coasters, I'm not sure how impressed they will be with Carowinds. The majority of the headliner attractions are coasters. They are a bit old for most of the kids' area, which only leaves a few activities for them. Could this be the year they change their minds about coasters -- I don't know many kids that age who don't love them!

If you get Carowinds season passes, they will good at Kings Dominion, too. KD doesn't have a good reputation, though -- at least that is what I was told on these boards when we were planning a trip to Williamsburg last summer.

 

[MEM]

Thanks to everyone for their input on Carowinds. We have actually been to both of the Busch Gardens as well as Hershey Park. Liked BGT better than BGW and was disappointed in Hershey Park. Everything pales next to WDW.

I had never heard of Carowinds and thought maybe it was some well-kept secret. My parents actually live in Pittsburgh so maybe next year is the year for Kennywood and Cedar Point.

 

[MrsPete]

I live near Carowinds, and we have season passes; however, I would not drive from Boston to visit Carowinds! It's a small but decent park. In past years the food was hideous, but now they've brought in Chick-fillet and Subway, greatly improving the quality.

Positives: You can do the park in one day, it has plenty for children to do, it's easy to get discount tickets at Bojangles or Harris Teeter, parking is close to the entrance, they have good concerts frequently in the Paladium, and the water park is really great.
Negatives: It seems to be a magnet for every smoker in NC, and they like to hide the entrances to all the big rides -- you definitely need a map, and the place is full of pay-a-dollar-to-throw-balls-at-plates type games.

 

[Cara]

We are HUGE Kings Island fans, so we decided to do Carowinds during our October trip to NC. We were pretty disappointed. DD is a huge thrill ride fan, but she is only 51 inches tall. Most all of their thrill rides had a 54 inch height requirement, whereas Kings Island has lots of attractions that only require a 48-inch height. She was hugely disappointed. I would rate it only OK, and nowhere near as good as Kings Island.

 

[FreeTime]

We are King's Island season pass holders (just went yesterday, lots of fun). The great thing about the Paramount pass is that you can use it at the other paramount parks, like someone else mentioned. We are planning on using ours at Carowinds this year for a miniva (we like Carowinds, the rides are tamer though) and at Canada's Wonderland (this park is very nicem IMO). We might even try King's Dominion and visit some relatives in Richmond. Anyways, I say get the Carowinds pass and maybe it will give you the opp to vacation elsewhere this summer.