This past summer, I visited three different amusement parks in four days. In those four days, I rode 17 roller coasters and had a total of 34 rides. The first park I would like to share with everyone is Carowinds, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park has a Charlotte, North Carolina address but is actually split with half of the park being in South Carolina and half being in North Carolina. My main intrigue with this park is Fury 325: the worlds tallest and fastest Giga coaster. For those who do not know, a Giga coaster is a coaster that has a drop of 300 feet or more. Fury 325 has a drop of 325 feet done at 81˚. Furthermore, it has a max speed of 95 miles per hour and crosses through both of the Carolinas.
When we arrived at the park, It was a typical June day in the Carolinas: 90˚and humid with a chance of rain. But that did not stop us from getting to the park a solid hour before opening. Upon arrival we immediately went to the main attraction of this park: Fury 325. Along the way we stopped to take a picture at the iconic border line where I was able to step into both South and North Carolina at once which was super cool. We then began the day riding coasters. Here are the rides I went on and what I thought of each of them.
Fury 325: I got five rides on this beast and it was by far my favorite ride in the park. Before heading on this week long roller coaster trip, I thought this was going to be my favorite ride overall and it did not disappoint despite being only my second favorite ride. Spoiler alert: my favorite ride and now all time favorite roller coaster is Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. My park report for Kings Dominion will come after this one.
Anyways of my five rides on this Giga coaster, two were in the back row, two were in the front row and one was in the middle. We started off the day with a back row ride. The people we rode with said it was their favorite seat to ride in. What was my opinion on what seat to ride in though? My first overall ride on Fury blew me away. First of all, being in the back row allowed us to be pulled down the drop and then whipped around the turns. With that being said, it did not seem like it went 95 miles an hour. Well, that was fixed with a ride in the front row. The front row is my favorite place to ride Fury for a couple of reasons. For one, it is insane to be hanging on the top (325 feet up) and waiting to drop. Man that drop is steep! Also, the wind was constantly in my face and the ride just felt faster. For all of my rides, I kept my hands up and it was definitely harder to do that in the front with the wind.
My favorite elements on this ride are the drop and the tunnel by the park entrance. The drop was just so intense and has to be experienced to truly explain. And then the tunnel came super fast and out of nowhere. I could barely keep my hands up through it! At night it is also all lit up which is super cool. Overall, I really enjoyed all my rides on Fury as it is smooth, intense and fast. I definitely have fury fever right now. Oh and also, its such a photogenic coaster 🤩
Copperhead Strike: This is the newest thrill ride at Carowinds and I was really looking forward to riding this. Unfortunately, I was only able to go on this ride once because of the fact that it made me really motion sick. What I enjoyed about this ride was how it was a different type of intense from spinning and static holds. From the twist out of the station to being held at the top of the loop to the launches, this ride was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It honestly reminded me a lot of Maverick at Cedar Point although I like that ride more than Copperhead Strike. The part that got me sick was the fact that we were constantly spinning and twisting and dropping without any breaks or ability to see the tracks. But I do not have any other complaints about this ride other than that so I recommend giving it at least one ride.
I really appreciated the copperhead snake theming that was done for this ride. I thought Carowinds did a nice job of implementing that and setting the scene for the ride.
Intimidator: This was my second favorite ride in the park for sure. It was closed for most of the morning so I was super excited when I finally saw it testing from across the park. When you first enter the station, the theming is incredible. I really enjoyed the Dale Earnhardt theme to this ride. In total, I got three rides on this beast and they did not disappoint. My first ride was in the front of this coaster and while it was an intense drop followed by some quick turns, it left a bit to be desired. I then rode it in the back and boy was that better. From getting pulled down the hill to being whipped around the turns, this is definitely a back seat coaster. I only wish the train was a tiny bit shorter so you are not thrashed around as much. But that is a minor complaint. This is a solid coaster and a for sure second best in the park.
The Rest of the coasters: The three main attractions I came to Carowinds for are talked about above. The other rides I got on during the day were: Afterburn, Dominator and Nighthawk. Afterburn, a floor-less suspended coaster, was my favorite out of these three. It reminded me a lot of the Batman clones in the Six Flags chain and Raptor at Cedar Point. It is just a good, fun ride with loops. Furthermore it was actually quite smooth and not too bumpy which was a surprise.
In terms of Nighthawk, I liked it a lot when we were in the ride and thought it was a cool design. But what I did not like was having to lay flat looking up at the sun for five minutes before and after in 90˚ heat. For those who do not know, Nighthawk is a flying coaster. Finally Dominator, the parks stand-up coaster, was fun but nothing to write home about. Overall, these rides add to the three main attractions and help make this park worth a visit while you are in Charlotte (if you are not just going for Fury 325 like I was).
While at the park I got the chance to try a Fury Freeze. A Fury Freeze is a Fury 325 themed Ritas Italian Ice drink that consists of Blue Raspberry and Green Apple flavor. I liked the color as it reminded me of Fury 325 but it was a bit too sweet for me. They also have Fury Freeze Dippin’Dots which I did not get the chance to try.
Overall and Final Thoughts:
My day at Carowinds was amazing. In total, I got twelve rides on six coasters on a day in which the park was not too busy (due to COVID-19 reservation requirements). I had an amazing time riding Fury 325 as well as Intimidator. Fury 325 definitely lived up to its name and it is worth a trip to Carowinds just to ride that. Also, park operations were quite quick and they had lots of trains running for all the rides which helped with the lines. The atmosphere was great and I love that the park straddles two states. Thanks Carowinds for a great day! I hope I will be back soon!
P.S. If you are looking for dining in Charlotte while you are visiting Carowinds here are a couple places we went to:
- Haberdish: Classic southern comfort food located in NOda. I highly recommend their Hushpuppies with Sweet Tea Butter as well as their Fried Chicken. It will not disappoint.
- Mama Ricottas: Old school Italian joint located just outside Downtown Charlotte. Their bread is amazing (don’t fill up on it though). I also would say that their Penne Alla Vodka is worth getting.
- Flying Biscuit: breakfast spot, with multiple locations around the city, serving up southern classics.
Also while you are in Charlotte, the Nascar Hall of Fame as well as the Mint Museum are worth visiting. And if you are up for it, there are great walking trails around the city too. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that a trip to Charlotte is in your future!
—- ChefWalker out. ✌🏻🎢
Walker's World 