Carowinds won’t be open year-round after all. 2024 season shows reopening in March

A year ago, Carowinds said it would be open year-round. But those plans have changed.

The amusement park released its season 2024 calendar on Tuesday showing the park will be closed in January and February. Carowinds will be closed from Jan. 2 until March 9.

Last October, Carowinds said rides, dining, merchandise and other park activities would be open during the expanded winter on weekends.

Carowinds’ decision to return to its traditional seasonal operating calendar was driven by many factors, the park said in a statement Wednesday to The Charlotte Observer.

“Our dedication to ongoing improvement frequently involves experimenting with new concepts and schedules. We use these lessons to enhance the quality of our products and guest experiences,” Carowinds said.

Carowinds did not say what the factors were. The park’s owner, Ohio-based Cedar Fair, made the decision to return to the traditional calendar for Carowinds, California’s Great America and Kings Dominion in Virginia.

The schedule for seasonal events like SCarowinds and WinterFest will be available at a later date.

The 2023 season marked Carowinds’ 50th anniversary. The park opened an aviation-themed Aeronautica Landing portion of the park with five new rides and a rethemed one.

Last summer, Carowinds drew international attention after a park guest spotted a cracked support pillar on Fury 325. It’s one of the world’s tallest and most popular roller coasters, which was shut down June 30 and reopened Aug. 10, after the pillar was repaired.

Because of the ride’s structural failure, Carowinds changed how it inspects rides daily, including using drone cameras to examine hard-to-reach areas.

In September, the roller coaster was named “Best Steel Coaster” for the seventh consecutive year in awards established by industry publication Amusement Today.

Carowinds is a 400-acre park with more than 60 rides and attractions and a 26-acre waterpark.

This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 10:03 AM.