Rides Now Going Into Carowinds' New For 2023 Aeronautica Landing Themed Area

© Carowinds

© Carowinds

Carowinds' latest themed area, opening in 2023 and named Aeronautica Landing, is making swift progress while the park holds its merry Winterfest event.  The renovated and rethemed Crossroads area will reopen next year and feature a bunch of new rides and attractions, along with new dining and retail options as well.  Until then we can check out some updates from the park, like the photos we see here.  Above was the very first new attraction to be built in Aeronautica Landing, Air Racer.  The ride will feature plane themed vehicles that will rotate and flip in the sky - an exciting experience that simulates the "ace pilots" that the area is themed after.

© Carowinds

Aeronautica Landing will also be home to another flat ride named Gear Spin, which you can also see newly standing in the photo above.  The ride features a giant gear-like engine that rotates the ride arms in a circle as the entire ride spins.  Riders do not go upside down, but the moving arms give quite a disorienting appearance.

Carowinds will also fill in Aeronautica Landing with several other flat rides and they will all join Afterburn, the park's classic B&M inverted ride in the area.

Carowinds and Kings Dominion to Operate Year Round Starting in 2023

© Carowinds

Both Carowinds and Kings Dominion have announced that starting in 2023 they will be open year round, continuing operations during the winter months of January, February and March.  This is a big move for owner Cedar Fair, as they try to create more revenue opportunities for the company on a 365 day calendar, similar to how Knott's Berry Farm already functions.

Carowinds traditionally closed after their WinterFest celebration at the start of the new year.  Moving forward, however, guests will be able to visit the park on weekends and partake in even more fun and special events during the winter months.  The park does warn that weather events, maintenance on rides and other factors will limit the amount of operations and food and retails locations open during the added operating days.

© Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion, which is further North than Carowinds, will also follow the same schedule and stay open on weekends in January, February and March in 2023.  While weather may be more of a factor for this park than Carowinds, they're giving it a try and are excited to welcome guests each month of 2023.

“Kings Dominion will be the cure for cabin fever in 2023,” said Bridgette Bywater, vice president and general manager. “We’ve always wanted find a way to extend our season to all 12 months, and now families and season passholders won’t have to wait until the spring for their favorite rides or their first taste of funnel cake.” 

This is an exciting move for fans of both parks, who no longer have an "off season" and can ride year round!  Hopefully it is a success for the parks.

Carowinds to Debut Aeronautica Landing Themed Section for 2023 50th Anniversary Season

© Carowinds

Aeronautica Landing is a brand new themed section that Carowinds has announced for their 2023 season - which is also the park's 50th anniversary celebration.  The 50th party will be celebrated under the moniker of "50 Years of Carolina Fun," and additional details on the celebration will be coming this winter - but count on special entertainment, special immersive activities, nighttime shows and more for the celebration.

© Carowinds

The biggest change coming to the park for 2023 is Aeronautica Landing, a total renovation of the park's Crossroads section.  Above is a wide angle concept art for the area - the park describes Aeronatutica Landing as "a tribute to the Carolinas’ spirit of invention, exploration, and aviation, where guests can immerse themselves in the history and future of flight."  

© Carowinds

© Carowinds

The expansion will include the addition of 5 brand new flat rides and the retheming of one existing ride for a total of six attractions in the area.  Two of the new rides can be seen above - both from Zamperla - Air Racers and Air Walker.  Air Racers is an exciting thrill ride that allows rider to pilot their own plane as it spins and inverts throughout the ride.

The area will also be home to Gear Spin and Gyro Force, also seen above.  Gear Spin is one of Zamperla's new Nebulaz rides, which are becoming increasing popular at parks across the globe.  Gyro Force looks to be a themed take on a traditional Trabant type of ride, always popular with families.  The park is planning a 5th new ride as well, but concept art was not released yet.

© Carowinds

The rethemed ride in Aeronautica Landing is the park's bumper cars, which will now be called Hover and Dodge, a smart flying theme for a not-so-flying ride! Also of note is that the park has removed the Plants Vs. Zombies 3Z Arena, Southern Star and the YoYo flat rides to make way for Aeronautica Landing.

© Carowinds

© Carowinds

In addition to the new rides there will also be other changes to the section.  Brand new games will be located throughout the area, four in total, and a new restaurant, named Terminal A, will also debut.  There will actually be two brand new and one upgraded food offerings in the area.  Terminal A, seen above, will feature a craft beer bar and patio seating as well.

The addition of Aeronautica Landing marks the 4th totally new themed area at Carowinds since 2017, when County Fair opened.  Cedar Fair said they saw growth potential in the park and have certainly made good on working to grow the park!

Monster Jam Thunder Alley Coming to Carowinds and Worlds of Fun This Fall

© Cedar Fair

It looks like Cedar Fair is continuing to try to squeeze as much out of 2021 as possible while the crowds are still demanding unique outdoor entertainment.  They've now announced Monster Jam Thunder Alley for both Carowinds and Worlds of Fun, both will run during the fall or in Worlds of Fun's case, the very late fall.

 

Monster Jam Thunder Alley is a great event that was first held at many Cedar Fair parks during the 2019 season (a look at my take on Dorney Park's at this link).  The attraction provides interactive displays, play areas, special retail items, parked Monster Trucks you can go in and best of all the ability to take a spin in a real Monster Truck.  It was quite fun and was a big hit at some of the parks it traveled to during 2019.

© Cedar Fair

Carowinds will be bringing the event to the theme park on Saturdays and Sundays starting September 11th through October 10th.  The event will serve as a nice transition from the end of the summer season into the Haunt season, giving visitors another reason to make a trip to the park.  

Worlds of Fun will be taking an even more unique approach by holding the event on Saturdays and Sundays starting October 23rd, smack dab in the middle of Haunt season.  Monster Jam Thunder Alley will run each weekend through November 21st, which appears to be the end of the season for the park as they do not appear to be holding Winterfest in 2021 (or going forward).  It is nice that the park is able to extend their season regardless, giving fans a chance to ride their favorite attractions till almost the end of November.

Cedar Fair Parks Release Schedules for Summer Seasons

© Michigan's Adventure

Many Cedar Fair parks just released their summer schedules, through Labor Day, giving us the ability to plan out our summer trips.  The schedules vary by park, but generally speaking the plans seem pretty conservative right now at many of the parks.  Cedar Point released their plans earlier and we already covered that here, so we'll skip that park in this post.  Most parks previously released their opening dates as well, with their full schedules as the new information shared here.  Right now Knott's Berry Farm, California's Great America and Canada's Wonderland have not released their full schedules.  Let's dig in!

© Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun will open May 22nd and Ocean of Fun will open on May 29th.  They've announced that Grand Carnivale will run July 24th through August 8th and Halloween Haunt will take place September 17th through October 31st.  They are the only park so far to confirm they are holding Halloween Haunt.  They also note that WinterFest will not be taking place this year.  

Their season through Labor Day is around 80 operating days, with hours varying from 11 am to 7 pm on weekdays, staying open to 8 pm on weekends and 9 pm during Grand Carnivale.  During their summer season the park will be open 7 days a week.

Dorney Park will open May 22nd and Wildwater Kingdom will open on May 29th.  The park will announce hours for the fall later this year.  Grand Carnivale will be returning it looks like July 24th through August 8th.  The park shows around 75 operating days through Labor Day.  The park will remain closed on Tuesdays during the summer season.  Hours are 11 am to 7 pm each day, with the exception of closing at 9 pm during Grand Carnivale.

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair will open on May 22nd and Soak City will open on May 29th.  Grand Carnivale will take place starting July 24th and run through August 8th.  Fall hours will be announced later, and through Labor Day there are around 64 operating days.  The park will remain closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday with some exceptions, like when Grand Carnivale is running.  Hours vary from 11 am to 7 pm some weekdays, 10 am to 8 pm on weekends and a 10 pm closing time during Grand Carnivale.

Michigan's Adventure will open on May 29th and WildWater Adventure will open on June 19th.  They will have around 63 operating days through Labor Day, but that will be their whole season as the park does not usually operate in the Fall.  The park will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays during their season.  Hours are 11 am to 6 pm in the early season, then 11 am to 7 pm the rest of the time.

© Carowinds

Carowinds will open on May 22nd and Carolina Harbor will open on May 29th.  Fall hours will be announced later, and the park will hold Grand Carnivale from July 17th through August 1st.  Featuring around 87 operating days through Labor Day, Carowinds will stay open 7 days a week.  Hours are generally 11 am to 7 pm on early season week days, then closing at 8 pm mid-summer and a 9 pm close during Grand Carnivale.

Kings Dominion will open on May 22nd and Soak City will open on May 29th.  Like the other parks, Fall hours will be announced later and Grand Carnivale will be held July 17th through August 1st.  The calendar reflects 76 or so operating days through Labor Day, and the park will stay open 7 days a week during its busy season - however they do switch to weekends only pretty early in August.  Hours are generally 11 am to 7 pm weekdays and 11 am to 9 pm on weekends.

© Kings Island

Kings Island will have a pass holders weekend on May 8th and 9th, then open to all on May 15th.  Soak City will open on May 29th.  Fall and winter hours will be announced later, and while I do not see Grand Carnival mentioned just yet if they do have it I'd assume it would run July 17th through August 1st as the company has three "sets" of the event and that is the only time slot available.  There are around 91 operating days listed through Labor Day, and the park will stay open 7 days a week.  Hours vary with an 11 am opening and closing anywhere from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Additionally, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels will open on May 8th and Schlitterbahn Galveston will open on May 15th.

While some other park operators are adding as many operating days as they can, we're seeing the opposite approach for most of the Cedar Fair parks.  It is important to remember that it's easier for parks to start with less operating days and add more should the demand need it, but I also think that a big consideration here is the current labor market.  Things are changing quickly with regard to vaccinations and the public feeling much more comfortable going out, so it will be interesting to see how things progress as the season happens.

Cedar Fair Parks Release 2021 Opening Dates

© Dorney Park

This past week several Cedar Fair parks sent out e-mails to their mailing lists that provided their opening dates for the 2021 season.  We previously heard from Cedar Fair that they were evaluating opening some parks later this season, and that did happen for some parks in varying degrees.  The full operating calendars have not been released yet, just the opening dates.  The parks promise more information on operating days and hours in the coming weeks.

The earliest opening announced is for Kings Island, which plans to have a season passholder weekend preview on May 8th and 9th.  This is later than their usual opening in April each year.  While it was not stated yet when operations begin for all visitors, it is hoped it will be the following weekend.

Cedar Point will open on Friday, May 14th, which is similar to past (normal) seasons pre-pandemic.  Canada's Wonderland also announced plans to open on May 14th.  That park was not able to open at all during 2020, so fingers are crossed that this given date works out in the end.

The weekend after, specifically Saturday, May 22nd, will be the opening date for a longer list of other Cedar Fair parks.  These include Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun.  This date is just a few weeks later than pre-pandemic opening dates for many of these parks, but much later for some like Carowinds, Worlds of Fun and Kings Dominion.

California's Great America also announced plans to open on May 22nd, and since we know that no amusement or theme parks are currently allowed to open in California we hope that happens for them.

Last but not least, Michigan's Adventure plans to open on Saturday May 29th, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

The parks appear to be planning to continue the safety measures that were in place when they closed for the 2020 season - though they are not ready to release details on that just yet.

Closed-In-2020 Cedar Fair Parks Detail Extra Pass Perks for 2021

© California's Great America

When several Cedar Fair parks decided that they would not be able to open in 2020 they announced that season pass holders would be getting some extra benefits out of their Pass Perks program in 2021.  It was designed to be an extra benefit to pass holders who didn't get to visit their park this year, but at the time no real details were given.

I noticed that now some of the parks that weren't able to open are listing more specific benefits for next year, and they are pretty nice.  Pass Perks debuted at the parks a couple seasons ago, and after a visit to the park, season pass holders sometimes get an e-mail with a free perk, like a food treat, steep discount on retail, etc.

California's Great America has stepped that up a bit with their 2021 program.  Season pass holders who purchased before August 4th will receive a monetary credit on their pass that they can use freely (with some restrictions) in the park.  Silver level pass holders will receive $25, Gold and Platinum will receive $35. 

© Carowinds

At Carowinds, Silver pass holders will receive a $35 credit, and Gold and Platinum pass holders will receive $50!  Kings Dominion will have the same levels as Carowinds, Silver pass holders will receive the $35 credit, Gold and Plantinum will receive $50.  Valleyfair, which also did not open in 2020, does not have detailed information up yet, and Canada's Wonderland, which is still in limbo with regard to 2020, also does not.

This is a really nice benefit for pass holders, especially since it's not the park's fault that they couldn't open.  Consider that for a family of 4, even at the lower levels, will start the season with a total of $100 - $140 to spend.  That's a couple meals or quite a bit of shopping if they choose.

Carowinds Shares Views of Completed Boogie Board Racer + Grand Carnivale Arrives for 2021

© Carowinds

Another park that didn't make it to an opening day in 2020, Carowinds is already looking toward the future when the park opens its new waterslide tower and hosts Grand Carnivale in 2021.

 

Slated to have opened this year, Boogie Board Racer is a six lane mat racing slide that has been built inside the park's Carolina Harbor water park.  From the new images that the park has shared, the entire attraction looks complete.  They even have some short video clips of test sliders in action on the park's social media channels!

© Carowinds

The attraction features the colors of the rainbow over the six different paths, each of which includes enclosed and exposed sections along with a 360 degree horizontal loop.  Sliders will race each other down the slope to the finish line, which features a traditional black and white checkerboard motif.  The addition is the first since Carowinds' water park was expanded and rebranded in 2016.

© Carowinds

Additionally, the park had to push back the debut of the Grand Carnivale special event from 2020 until 2021.  Thankfully the park is still planning on debuting the celebration next year as the park's website confirms.  The event was a big success at other Cedar Fair parks in 2019 and I have no doubt that guests to Carowinds will love the colorful atmosphere, Spectacle of Color Parade, exciting street party and tasty food samplings that it offers.

The park has not released exact dates for Grand Carnivale yet, but should as the 2021 season gets closer.

Cedar Fair Parks Update on What's Staying for 2020 and What's Pushed to 2021

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair has sent out updates for all their parks that detail what attractions and special events planned for 2020 will remain for 2020 when the parks can reopen, and which ones have been bumped to 2021.  Also, no estimated opening dates have been set for any parks yet, as they continue to work with local officials on the reopening process.

Instead of doing separate posts for each of the parks, here is one big summary of each of the updates from the properties.

© Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion will continue to debut their water park expansion, Coconut Shores, in 2020.  It will feature a new water fun house named Lighthouse Landing, and kiddie wave pool named Sand Dune Lagoon.  Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021, along with the Memorial Weekend Salute.  The park's Run & Ride event will only take place virtually.

Dorney Park will still open their new family water play area, Seaside Splashworks, in 2020.  They are also working on remodeling Center Stage and adding more green areas to the park.  Both the new Summer Nights block party event and Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021.

The two Schlitterbahn parks in Texas will have to delay their annual American Heroes Week for now.  The parks have already had a ton of changes done for 2020, all of which will remain.  These include remodeling entrances, painting and refurbishing slides, adding food options, more seating and more.

© Kings Island

Kings Island is still planning to open Orion, the park's new giga coaster, as soon as the park opens for 2020.  However, both the Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale special event celebrations are being postponed until 2021.

Michigan's Adventure's park update didn't specifically call out their new Camp Snoopy expansion in any way, though the expansion is still on the website as New For 2020 - so we will assume that remains true for now.

Valleyfair has been hard at work on several projects, all of which are still on for 2020.  These include the new Lakeshore Landing event space, renovated restrooms, changes to food offerings and more.  The park unfortunately will not have Monster Jam Thunder Alley in 2020.  They have also had to postpone both Grand Carnivale and The Peanuts Celebration until 2021.

© Cedar Point

Cedar Point has made the tough decision to postpone their 150th anniversary celebration until 2021.  That also includes their new attraction, Snake River Expedition, which won't open in 2020.  The Celebrate 150 Spectacular will also move to 2021, along with the opening of the new Town Hall and merchandise promotions.  The park's new food offerings will still open in 2020.  Essentially all other special events for the season, including Performances in the Park, Spring Youth & Education Programs, CoasterMania!, Frontier Festival, Coaster Campout, Run & Ride and Season Passholder Appreciation Weekend will all not take place in 2020.

California's Great America's update did not address their massive waterpark transformation, South Bay Shores, but it is largely completed and still shown as "opening soon" on the website.  The park will not hold their Red, White and Brews festival this year, and Monster Jam Thunder Alley will no longer take place in 2020.

Worlds of Fun's new waterslide, Riptide Raceway, is still planned to open when the park is able to in 2020.  The park's special events Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Like Cedar Point's tough decision, Knott's Berry Farm has also decided to postpone their 100th anniversary celebration until 2021.  The park's new ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair, will be ready when the park reopens in 2020.  Ghost Town Alive! will also not take place in 2020, but will return in 2021.  The Knott's Chicken-To-Go Restaurant, Farm Bakery and Knott's Berry Market are open in limited capacity for to go orders.

Carowinds will still open their new water slide, Boogie Board Racer, in 2020.  Two events, Carolina Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale will be postponed to 2021.  Monster Jam Thunder Alley will take place in 2020.

Finally, Canada's Wonderland posted that both of their new attractions, Mountain Bay Cliffs and Beagle Brigade Airfield, should be completed within a month and will still open in 2020.

We heard on Cedar Fair's conference call that a lot of capital was cut from the 2020 season, and now we can see that a significant portion of that was in festivals and other limited time events.  While sad to see so many items pushed off a year, it's still better to have them at the parks when they can fully be enjoyed!

Carowinds' New Winterfest Wonderland Parade Opens with Expanded Winterfest Celebration

© Carowinds

Carowinds previously announced that new for 2019's Winterfest season is the Winterfest Wonderland Parade, and recently they gave a detailed look at the floats that will be dazzling guests this holiday season.  Much like Cedar Fair's awesome Grand Carnivale production, Carowinds' new parade will feature full sized floats in their parade - no skimping here!

© Carowinds

The parade's route will start at the "North Pole Excursion, stop in County Fair, Jingle Bell Boardwalk, Tinsel Town and Carousel Park, and making a final stop near the North Gate."  The final float (there will be about 8 in total) can be seen above, and of course that's Santa himself!  The big guy and all his reindeer will make quite an impression on visitors to Winterfest!

© Carowinds

The Winterfest productions at various Cedar Fair parks have made Jack Frost a big part of the fun, with him having debuted as a face character at the very first event.  His popularity has grown, and he will indeed have his own float in the Winterfest Wonderland Parade.  Seen above, Jack Frost's Snow Machine will feature "SnowFlake and Tinsel, snowball fighters, and roller skiers will provide exciting entertainment as the snow flies."

© Carowinds

Each of the floats will be beautiful in their own way, such as the holiday train seen above that will engage the crowd in holiday carols.  Other floats, such as the Gazebo, will feature the Peanuts crew decked out in their holiday finest.

This year Winterfest at Carowinds has also expanded, offering even more than their existing 5 million lights.  There will be the all new Blue Ridge County Christmas, offering up an authentic country Christmas experience along with Copperhead Strike, and another new area, Gingerbread Alley.

As Winterfest is dependent on awesome live entertainment, guests will find even more shows this year as well.  These include 4 Drummers Drumming, the Head Elf Training Challenge Course, Blitzen's Brass Brigade, The Yule Logs and an expanded Tinker's Toy Factory show.

For more on Carowinds' Winterfest 2019, check out the park's website.  There is a season pass holder preview night tonight, and the event officially kicks off tomorrow.

Grand Carnivale + New Racing Waterslide Opening at Carowinds in 2020

© Carowinds

The 2020 season at Carowinds will feature a brand new water slide attraction within the Carolina Harbor water park, and an exciting summer festival named Grand Carnivale.

Called Boogie Board Racer, the new waterslide is one of the industry's popular mat racing style attractions.  Riders head face-first down one of six lanes and move through drops and a large helix before one final plunge sends them toward the finish line at maximum speed.

© Carowinds

Boogie Board Racer was designed for Carowinds by White Water West, and will start from a 60 foot tall tower that is located adjacent to Copperhead Strike.  The slide is billed by the park as the longest of its kind in the Southeast and is the first large expansion to Carolina Harbor since the waterpark was rebranded in 2016.

Next summer will also be an exciting one for Carowinds due to the addition of Grand Carnivale, Cedar Fair's already popular global celebration featuring a nightly parade, food tastings, dance party and more.  The event will run at Carowinds from June 13th through July 5th, 2020.

“The new Boogie Board Racer water slide will amp up the adrenaline in our world-class Carolina Harbor waterpark and our guests will crave its exciting twists and turns as they compete against friends in this fan-favorite racing attraction,” said Pat Jones, Carowinds’ vice president and general manager. “And we’re going all out with Grand Carnivale, the largest summertime event ever held at Carowinds. We’ve seen how families enjoy our fully immersive SCarowinds and WinterFest events in fall and winter, and we’re bringing that same sense of wonder and delight to this captivating new summer nighttime experience. These investments, along with the new Springhill Suites by Marriott at Carowinds which opens this fall, further strengthen our position as the premier entertainment destination in the Carolinas.”

Carowinds Adding New Parade to Winterfest Celebration

© Carowinds

Carowinds has announced that they are expanding their already popular Winterfest celebration this year by adding a brand new parade, aptly named the Winterfest Wonderland Parade.

The park shared some of the concept art seen here on their official website, which describes the parade as filled with "dazzling displays, exciting performances and extravagantly decorated holiday floats.  It sounds like the Winterfest Wonderland Parade will utilize performers the park has in their various shows to end the day with an energetic parade performance.

© Carowinds

The floats for the addition are being created by Kern Studios, who is well known for creating Mardi Gras floats, and also fabricated those used in this summer's Grand Carnivale celebration at four Cedar Fair parks.

"The WinterFest Wonderland Parade will entertain our guests in a very special way," said Brent Barr, corporate vice president of entertainment for Cedar Fair. "This is an over-the-top production that comes right to you on the midway. It's absolutely the perfect complement to a magical evening at WinterFest."

Winterfest at Carowinds will run select nights from November 24th through December 31st.

Cedar Fair Testing New "Pass Perks" Reward Program at Several Parks

© Cedar Fair

We've heard for some time now via Cedar Fair's earnings calls that they are planning to test a season pass reward program in 2019, with a full rollout scheduled for 2020.

Late this past week season pass holders to certain parks received e-mails detailing Pass Perks, the rewards program.

Mine came in the form of an e-mail from Dorney Park, but the Pass Perks details show that Pass Perks is also testing at Carowinds, Kings Island, Kings Dominion.

So what is Pass Perks exactly?  The company's website explains it very clearly:

Pass Perks is a loyalty program that rewards Season Passholders simply by visiting the park. Each time Season Passholders visit, they will earn Pass Perks that count toward rewards – which are always surprises – redeemable on future visits.

© Dorney Park

So unlike other rewards programs there is no point system or anything where you accumulate a balance then deplete it as you choose rewards.  With Pass Perks you simply visit the park and then will be e-mailed some sort of benefit after the fact.

There is no definitive list of rewards as it sounds like they'll be tailored to each park, and probably for each guest depending their purchasing history, but they include "free Bring-A-Friend tickets, sweet and savory treats, and discounts on merchandise and in-park experiences."  We will have to see them start to rollout after this weekend to get a better idea.

Although Cedar Fair does have a sign-in season passholder website for each park, the Pass Perks will be administered exclusively through e-mails, so make sure your e-mail is up to date if you're visiting one of these parks!

Scott And Carol Present - Copperhead Strike Pt 2

Copperhead Strike, Part II 

The queue appears to have no organization as you walk through the area, but when you consider it in its entirety, it all clicks, and the development team did a magnificent job of tieing it all together.

Steve was tasked with bringing it all together, and he graciously shared his take on the process of bringing this new attraction to life. He also revealed the reason there are no snakes throughout the queue.

The nice thing about this type of theming is that as it ages, guests will never know whether it started off that way, or just deteriorated to its present state over time. I'm sure some locals will be keeping a close eye on the decorations.

Having never seen a real still, this seems to be relatively accurate. It must have been really fun going out to get all the props for the extensive theming for Copperhead Strike. The one question Scott forgot to ask Steve was did they just do a highway cleanup or were various suppliers involved to help source all the items.

The end result is so much fun, and much of it can be experienced without waiting in line for the ride, so other family members have something else to do while they wait if they are not riding. Major props for all the creativity displayed in the area.

Scott doesn't like to watch much coaster previews before he gets to ride, so the pre-show in the shed caught him totally by surprise. You can't see it from outside, so you need to go to Carowinds to check it out.

So that was our day at Carowinds, by now there are lots of opinions everywhere about Copperhead Strike.  Ours is, we can't wait to get back to Carowinds and ride it again, and again, then we will ride Fury 325, and go back and ride it again. It was just that much fun.

Our thanks to all of the Carowinds team for their assistance in putting this together. You have a winner to kick off your season this year. See you soon!

Scott And Carol Present - Carowinds' Copperhead Strike! Part I

Copperhead Strike is the centerpiece for the new Blue Ridge Junction area of Carowinds. The seven acres of fun for the entire family also includes the Mountain Gliders and the Country Kitchen restaurant.

Vice President & General Manager Pat Jones welcomes one & all

A fireplace with rocking chairs helps bring out the "backwoods" theming of the new area. I wonder if a rocking chair will be a Fast Lane option on busy days when you just need to chill out for a time. The heat will be popular during cooler weather during shoulder seasons celebrations.

This was the dawn of a new era for roller coasters at Carowinds, one of the most exciting sunrises in recent memory. When you look at it, it just doesn't seem possible for there to be so much action in such a small area. 

MACK Rides is justifiably proud of their latest project. Thorsten had not even ridden it yet but he was smiling from the moment he walked into the park after he saw the finished project.

Here you can see a rollover transition coming out of a quick turn. Imagine riding it in the dark as the park is shrouded in Haunt fog!.

Of course, a project this big has to include fireworks for the first public riders, a fitting tribute to the explosive end of Granny's still operations. After the ceremony, we had a few moments with Pat from Carowinds.

Stay tuned for Part II, with more details behind Copperhead Strike.