Notable ownership, ride changes over the 50-year history of Carowinds amusement park
The now 400-acre Carowinds amusement park has been home to twists and turns from the beginning, including in its ownership. There was another twist Thursday when Carowinds’ parent company, Cedar Fair, and Six Flags, agreed to merge in an $8 billion deal.
Rock Hill Herald and Charlotte Observer archives detail how the park grew in its now 50-year history from a plot of land in two states to an entertainment destination. Here’s how it happened:
The early years
▪ On Oct. 10, 1969, Charlotte businessman and Carowinds founder E. Pat Hall announces $250 million plans for a new amusement park on the North Carolina and South Carolina state line, and a resort community on the North Carolina side of Lake Wylie. Plans include a convention hotel and 36-hole golf course. Theme park construction is expected to start in 1970.
▪ Carowinds opens on the state line on March 31, 1973. Hall welcomes 6,000 guests to the $70 million park named for the Carolinas and the winds that blow across their state line. Original attractions still at the park include Carolina Skytower, Snoopy’s Junction and Carolina Goldrusher.
▪ Family Leisure Centers acquires Carowinds in 1975.
▪ The 7,500-seat Palladium Theatre at Carowinds opens on Memorial Day weekend in 1975. A $6.50 ticket gets guests in to see Dottie West, Bobby Bare and Jerry Reed for opening shows. The venue will later host some of the biggest names in entertainment. The same year, Carowinds opens the Scooby Doo roller coaster as part of Hanna-Barbara, where guests can meet Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone.
▪ The two-train, side-by-side Thunder Road opens in 1976. The wooden coaster will become an iconic ride at Carowinds, for a time even running one train backward to let guests pick how they ride.
Big changes
▪ Taft Broadcasting Co., part of the Family Leisure Centers ownership group, transitions ownership of Carowinds to Kings Entertainment Company in 1984. Additions in the 1980s include Carolina Cyclone, Rip Roarin’ Rapids and Smurf Island. Carowinds opens the former Ocean Island as RipTide Reef in 1989 with two 52-foot speed slides, two 350-foot tube slides and a 700,000-gallon wave pool.
▪ The Palladium expands to 13,000 seats as a standalone facility in 1991 in hopes of attracting larger acts like Bon Jovi and Billy Joel.
▪ The August 1992 acquisition of Carowinds by Paramount Communications leads to Paramount’s Carowinds the following year which brings new and rebranded attractions with movie ties, like a “Days of Thunder” simulator, a “Top Gun” roller coaster and “Wayne’s World” theme area.
Big milestones
▪ For its 25th year and as the annual guest count approaches 2 million in 1997, the 100-acre Carowinds expands its water park area with a $7.5 million investment.
▪ Cedar Fair acquires Carowinds and other Paramount Parks properties from CBS Corp. in 2006. The $1.2 billion deal includes five properties in the U.S. and Canada.
▪ The Intimidator roller coaster opens in 2010 as a nod to North Carolina and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The 232-foot tall coaster becomes the tallest at Carowinds and a top 10 tallest steel coaster in North America.
Fury 325 sets a record
▪ Carowinds opens the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster, Fury 325, for the 2015 season. The name comes from its height at 325 feet, and Fury 325 has more than 6,000 feet of steel track. Fury 325 and other park expansion brings an end to the iconic Thunder Road roller coaster, which comes down after 39 years to make way.
▪ In late 2017 Carowinds introduces WinterFest, a holiday event with live shows, ice skating and special events to add the November and December months to its season.
▪ For the 2019 season, Carowinds announces its largest new investment since the park opened with the addition of the double launch Copperhead Strike roller coaster, Blue Ridge Junction theme area, a 130-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel and dormitory housing for internship or tourism students.
Fury 325 problems, and a big merger
▪ On July 1, park maintenance and ride manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers begin inspections of Fury 325 after shutting it down the day prior due to a crack in a support column. On Aug. 10, Carowinds announces the ride is back open after extensive repairs and testing. Those repairs include the installation of a new steel column.
▪ This week, Cedar Fair and Six Flags Entertainment Corp announce a merger and plans to move the new company headquarters to Charlotte.
This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Notable ownership, ride changes over the 50-year history of Carowinds amusement park."
