Back in February 2016, Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times broke the news that Cedar Fair had acquired a number of vintage flat rides from parks around the world. After a series of entertaining teases as part of their “Vote Four More” campaign, Carowinds announced last fall that they would be receiving four of these flat rides as part of their new “County Fair” area of the park.
A little history lesson. This was not the first time that Carowinds added four new flat rides as part of a “County Fair” expansion. In 1979, Carowinds added four new attractions as part of their County Crossroads County Fair; Wild Bull, a Bayern Kurve attraction, Whirling Dervish, a Wave Swinger that currently operates at California’s Great America, Dodgems Bumper Cars and the enterprise “Meteorite,” which was renamed Scream Weaver and moved to the Thrill Zone in 1993.
Fast forwarding to 2017, the County Fair at Carowinds is all new again, featuring four classic attractions, upgraded dining options, and an all new theme for the park’s existing Vekoma Boomerang coaster, now called The Flying Cobras.
During my first visit to the park in 2017, I walked through the County Fair area multiple times, but got to experience three of the four new attractions on Sunday morning. (Pro tip: Sunday morning was a great time to experience County Fair with limited waiting. When I walked through on Saturday, each of the attractions had at least a 30 minute wait.)
Electro-Spin – a Mondial Top-Scan. It was my first time riding a Top Scan, and I have to say it’s an incredibly exciting and disorienting experience. At a certain point, you realize you’re never going to figure out which way is up as the ground and sky both come rushing to you in quick succession.
Zephyr – a Wave Swinger from Zierer. Having ridden a wave swinger before, this was the County Fair attraction I skipped, but everyone riding seemed to be having a great time. Fun fact: Zephyr gives Carowinds four swinging rides, and all four are from different manufacturers — Yo-Yo (Chance Morgan), Charlie Brown’s Wind-Up (Zamperla), and Windseeker (Mondial).
Rock ‘N’ Roller – a Mack Rides Music Express. It had been years since I’d ridden a Music Express, but I wanted to give Rock N Roller a try. Each ride cycle features a classic “rock ‘n’ roll” tune. While waiting, I heard “Wipeout” by the Surfaris, and while riding, I listened to “Rock N Roll is Here to Stay” by Danny & The Juniors. I loved the Easter Eggs in this attraction, with fictional radio station WNDZ clearly referencing the “Winds” in Caro-WNDZ. A tip, put your heavier riders on the outside of the vehicle, otherwise, they’re going to squish lighter riders.
Do-Si-Do – a Huss Troika that formerly operated at a park in Japan. Like the Top Scan, it was my first experience on a troika with Do-Si-Do. Despite having a similar rotation pattern to the classic Scrambler attraction, I enjoyed the Troika a lot more than I do the Scrambler, mainly because the cars have some lateral movement during the spinning motion, and it feels more graceful and less intense.
Carowinds also added some new “fair faire” as part of the County Fair. County Fair Funnel Cakes replaced the former Surfer Joe’s that was located outside of Carolina Harbor. I loved the details in the sign, where the words “Funnel Cakes” were spelled out with dozens of individual sequins that seemed to sparkle depending on how the sun and wind hit the sign. Also added was the all new Fair Fries, which serves enormous Corn Dogs, along with other fried fair goodness.
I was also impressed with the overall “Fair Aesthetic” that gave this area some new life. There were blue ribbon winning animals and vegetables, great photo opportunities, and several classic vehicles that definitely added to the theme. (Yes, there is a phone number on that truck. Yes, I called it. No, I didn’t find out what Carowinds is adding in 2018 by calling that number.)
Even more impressive is how the County Fair looks at night with all of the overhead lights. The above photo does no justice, mainly because it was taken with an iPhone at night, but there’s definitely a difference walking through the area during the day vs. during the night.
2015’s addition of Fury 325 gave Carowinds a record-breaking (and 2x Golden Ticket Award Winning) coaster that appealed to thrill seekers. 2016 was focused on interactivity with Plants vs. Zombies and fans of the water rides with the rebranding of Carolina Harbor, and now 2017 has given Carowinds an impressive portfolio of flat rides that can appeal to all ages, something that I feel the park was previously lacking. If the early season was any indication, County Fair will be another great win for Carowinds!
For more information on County Fair, be sure to visit Carowinds’ website, and follow the park on Facebook and Twitter!
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