We are just a few weeks away from Carowinds‘ opening day on Friday, March 25. With so much going on at the park this off season, Carowinds held a second hard hat tour for the media yesterday. (The first was in December.) The tour took us inside the new Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 3Z Arena, to the new Starbucks at the park entrance, and finished with a walk through the expanded Carolina Harbor water park.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 3Z Arena
The ride vehicles are currently being installed inside the theater for the world’s first Intra-Active 3D attraction. There will be 34 seats on each side of the theater (Plants Side vs. Zombies Side), and the ride will have a capacity of 600-700 riders per hour.
Riders will compete in the 3Z Arena with these laser blasters.
The seats will have a pitch of 7 degrees forward and backward. There’s an incredible amount of detail for each individual ride vehicle.
The theater is beginning its transformation as well.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 3Z Arena is scheduled to open with the rest of the park on opening day, March 25.
Starbucks
I’m personally not a coffee drinker, but the addition of a 3500′ square foot Starbucks is another great addition for the park. It will be part of the welcome experience as guests enter Carowinds.
The below two photos were from December 8.
But look at the progress that has been made since!
Work was being completed inside and out.
Walls going up. At 3,500+ square feet, Carowinds’ Starbucks will be one of the largest in the Charlotte area. (An average Starbucks is 1,700-2,700 square feet)
Work is continuing at a…Fury-ous…pace.
The goal is for Starbucks to open with the rest of the park on March 25, but according to Carowinds construction manager Bob Gesell, it will be very tight. Workers are currently working seven days a week to get the Starbucks completed.
There has been a ton of progress at Carolina Harbor since we were last at Carowinds in December. For starters, the park’s miniature golf course no longer exists.
Each of Carowinds’ pre-existing water slides has received a fresh coat of paint. This orange and teal slide is over 20 years old, but looks brand new!
Seaside Splashworks
When we were last at Carowinds, Seaside Splashworks was largely a pile of parts in a parking lot and a giant plot of dirt where a wave pool used to be.
Now the 9′ tall splash bucket stands atop the Seaside Splashworks area, which is very near completion.
Several slides from Whitewater West still needed to be completed.
There are still a few mentions of Boomerang Bay throughout the water park, but these will all be removed prior to Carolina Harbor’s opening.
Workers laying the foundation for the newly expanded lockers, showers, and changing area.
Blackbeard’s Revenge
Back in December, each of the Blackbeard’s Revenge slide pieces were arranged in the parking lot, and the slide structure was still largely a silver steel frame.
While there is still a little bit to add to the structure, the six slide tower is nearing completion.
New Wave Pool
The foundation has been laid for Carolina Harbor’s new wave pool. It will be zero-entry depth, and approximately 8′ deep at its deepest point.
Construction is underway on the new Harbor House restaurant, which will be the signature restaurant of the new Carolina Harbor.
Carolina Harbor is scheduled to open on May 21.
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For more information about everything coming to Carowinds in 2016, be sure to visit the park’s website. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook. And as always, stay tuned to Coaster101.com for more great Carowinds content.
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