I visited Carowinds on Sunday as part of their last day of operation for the season. I took some photos with my iPhone.
Tons of Fury 325 Track on site.
Giant Mound of Dirt for Fury 325 Construction.
Temporary Ticket Booth as Carowinds Reimagines their Entrance for 2015.
Temporary Entrance Gate. This path wound around Intimidator through the park’s hospitality area.
Nighthawk was running well in the morning.
Afterburn’s Vertical loop and Fighter Jet. (Must. Not. Refer. To. It. As. Top. Gun.)
Got my 88th Coaster Credit on the Carolina Cobra Arrow boomerang coaster.
GCI renovated the first drop and banked turn on Hurler last off season. Wonder if we’ll see any work this offseason?
Now to the new construction at the Fury 325 site.
Brake Run
Turn between the brakes and the station.
The start of the lift hill. (Fury 325’s lift hill went Skyward Monday, according to this photo from user /u/rollercoasterfanitic on reddit.
Steel Beams
An extended look at the brake run
Fury 325 Merchandise for Sale at the Park.
Temporary Display showing ride footage of Fury 325, and providing some stats.
A view of Intimidator’s first drop from the parking lot.
Some quick thoughts:
-It was chilly in the morning, and the park was relatively empty. Waits were non-existent. I waited a maximum of 5 minutes for the front row on Nighthawk, Afterburn, Thunder Road (with a re-ride because no one was waiting), Hurler, and Carolina Cobra.
-Windseeker, Intimidator, and the Carolina Skytower were listed as closed for the day when I entered the park, but Windseeker and Intimidator opened later in the day.
-Construction was full steam ahead in the park, at both the Fury 325 Site and the park’s new main entrance. Carowinds is going to look AMAZING in 2015.
-When I visited the park in the spring, the Harmony Hall marketplace wasn’t finished yet. I had lunch there. Not only was the food amazing, (I had a Brisket Sandwich and Mac and Cheese, both of which I’d put up against any theme park food in the country) the atmosphere in Harmony Hall was great as well.
-2015 is going to be an incredible year for Carowinds. I can’t wait for the new year to get here!
I visited this park last summer for the first time and fell in love. very pleasant atmosphere through out the park great coasters. hurdler was very rough last summer but hopefully the new track work improved the ride. Can you imagine hurdler with topper tracks, that could make for a really smooth and fun ride. but again maybe it is riding better with the new track work. loved this park and very excited to see what is becomes in the future.