5th stop: Carowinds, Charlotte, NC

A smaller park with a true gem.

Like Kings Dominion, Carowinds is a smaller park that is operated by Cedar Fair, whose Cedar Point park is top-rated. We knew that there weren't many "big time" rides here, but we were soon to find out that the "fun" quotient doesn't always correlate with the best "ride statistics."

Our first adventure upon arriving at our chosen hotel was finding that it didn't even merit the meager online praise we relied on in selecting it. After lugging the suitcases up the stairs (no elevator), we decided that the combination of smoke, mustiness, and a bed that you could break hammers on wouldn't quite do. Fortunately, we found the last room at a Renaissance hotel in the city and we found those accommodations very nice.  (Note for future trips - "close to the park" isn't worth it!)

After a nice dinner and a good night's sleep, we arrived at...

Cedar Fair parks all seem to have 1) a diner featuring one or two classic cars up front, and 2) (fittingly), an airplane or two.  Carowinds was no exception.



















But let's ride some 'coasters!

There are a couple of odd ducks at Carowinds. One of them is called the Carolina Cobra. This is a pretzel-style track with a single train with a twist. The train starts off being hauled backwards, up a pretty steep spire. Then, without warning, it lets go and you hurtle back through the loading area, then the "pretzel," and then through a loop and up a spire on the opposite side. Now what? Well, that spire lets go and you go backwards through the loop, pretzel, and station, up the original spire a bit, and back to the station.

This ride is no "stat buster." It's old, short, not very fast, and a bit rickety. (Kind of like Gordon. actually!) But you know what? It was a lot of fun.

Enjoy a video from the front seat.

The other odd duck is a ride called Nighthawk.  This is a unique variant of the many "Superman" type rides that are common at Six Flags parks, where you are rotated forward in your seat so you feel like you are "flying" around the track. (Tatsu at Magic Mountain is the best of these.) But on Nighthawk, instead of rotating the seats forward, it rotates them backwards so you are literally lying on your back as you leave the station!






So as you go up the lift hill, you are on your back, looking straight up at the sky, with no idea when the inevitable plunge will happen. Then, when it does, the train flips upside down and you are suddenly hurtling toward the ground, suspended like a trussed turkey. Here's that flip...

Here is a "POV" video of the ride. Remember, you're on your back for much of this ride!

Remind me... why do we do this shit?  Because it is fun!

We rode a few other rides, but I've saved the best for last. That ride being... Intimidator!

Sound familiar? Yes, there is the infamous Intimidator 305 that we rode at Kings Dominion just a few days ago. (The one that Gordon blacked out and lost a contact lens on.) This Carowinds ride is themed the same but is somewhat the lesser ride in terms of drop height (211 feet versus 300 feet), speed (80 MPH versus 93 MPH) and G-force (4.3 versus 6+).

On paper, then, Intimidator 305 kicks Carowinds' Intimidator's butt, but Patricia and I agreed that in terms of pure enjoyment, this was the better ride. We fell in love with this roller coaster.

It had everything you want in a ride. Smooth, fast, lots of "air," (negative G's) and not so complicated that you are twisted to shreds or so radical that you black out. Just. Plain. Fun.


These two photos taken of us on two different runs (out of four) on Intimidator sum up not only our enjoyment of the ride but also our enjoyment of this whole adventure.

In the lower photo, look at P's hair and sunglasses leash flying into the air, and look at the girl in the seat behind us!  Classic.