It’s been less than 10 weeks between Carowinds closing the book on their 50th Anniversary season with the final day of WinterFest on January 1, 2024 and the park’s 2024’s opening weekend (March 9-10) at the “place where the Carolinas come together.” For a park that, between 2022 and 2023, had no “true” off-season, the March 9, 2024 opening day is among the earliest opening dates in recent memory for Carowinds. But just because the off-season was short, doesn’t mean that there weren’t changes taking place at Carowinds during the 2024 off-season.
While the 68 days between seasons (not that we’re counting!) feel like they passed by in the blink of an eye, in visiting Carowinds during Passholder Preview night on the evening of Friday, March 8, we noticed several key takeaways we felt guests to know heading into the 2024 season.
Thunder Striker – New Name, Same “Intimidating” Coaster Experience.
On March 1, Carowinds announced that the park’s licensing contract with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. had ended at the end of 2023, meaning the park no longer was able to the Intimidator trademark and Dale Earnhardt’s likeness as it related to the park’s 232′ tall hyper coaster. Given a new name and new backstory, the coaster is now known as Thunder Striker – and features a new sign and logo above the entrance to the ride’s queue. While the racing decals resembling the late NASCAR legend’s car have been removed from the nose of the coaster trains, the coaster experience remains 99% unchanged. (There’s no longer a “gentleman, start your engines!” as the trains depart the station – that’s legitimately the only change.)
For longtime Carowinds’ visitors, the change might be jarring at first, but there are definite signs of transformation coming to the area of the park now known as “Thunder Road.” There is a new, more rustic-themed, “Roadside Refreshment” Cola-Cola beverage stand in the area, along with a racing-themed water-gun game. (Eagle-eyed visitors might notice former Carowinds mascot Ringo Raccoon atop the tire-shaped targets).
While the change hasn’t officially occurred yet, the Photo Finish/Victory Lane gift shop at the exit of the coaster has been listed on the Carowinds map as “Earl’s Garage,” meaning it will likely see a theming-change and face-lift as well. It already has a car from Thunder Road in the gift shop, a clever nod to the new area name.
Point being, just because the park has opened for the year, doesn’t mean that Carowinds is fully done with this project. Thunder Striker and the surrounding area will likely be undergoing transformations throughout the season to fully become “Thunder Road.” Patience is a virtue, theme park fans.
Other Improvements – More Than Meets The Eye
During a presentation to the assembled media and influencers during Passholder Preview night, Carowinds’ assistant general manager Brian Oerding noted several key improvements to the park that had occurred during the shortened off-season. If you’re a fan of the Coaster101 podcast, you’re likely aware of one of the first improvements – the park’s lone “big” wooden coaster, Hurler, received the “RMC” treatment this off-season (Routine Maintenance by Carowinds) in the form of a significant re-tracking of the coaster’s back curve. While not open during the passholder preview night, it was also noted that the park is in the process of installing a new ride control system for the 30-year-old wooden coaster, to elevate rider satisfaction through improved operations.
Additionally, the park showed some “TLC” to Vortex, the oldest-operating-still-in-its-original form coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. It’s now sporting refreshed red and black paint job that takes the coaster back to its original color scheme from when it opened in 1992. It’s also not just the “dry” side of the park receiving infrastructure improvements – Oerding noted that when Carolina Harbor opens in May, efforts had been made to “cool down” the pavement in certain sections of Carowinds’ water park, which feels like welcome news for the soles of Carolina Harbor guests’ feet.
Fury 325 Night Rides: Still Very Good.
This one feels obvious. Fury 325 has been voted the best steel coaster in the world for multiple years running for a reason.
A Focus on Carowinds’ Food & Beverage Consistency & Elevation
During the same presentation, Carowinds’ Executive Chef John Loukas told the assembled crowd that the park’s food offerings were not only about elevating the theme park food experience, but about making it more consistent across the board. While the park unveiled countless new offerings for its 50th anniversary season last year, this year, the efforts for new food & beverage items were dialed back a bit across the park – but that doesn’t mean there is nothing new from the park’s food & beverage offerings.
From Chicken Parmesan Piadina and Balsamic-Glazed Brussel Sprouts to Wonton Chicken Tacos and Fried Mac & Cheese Bites – Carowinds continues to prove that amusement park food is more than just chicken fingers, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, and ice cream. Even those classics have an elevated component at Carowinds – we can’t wait to try the “Terminal A Burger,” that comes with sharp cheddar cheese, a fried egg, bacon jam and aioli. And if you have a sweet tooth, we can’t recommend the “Cookie Cheesecake” enough.
The Silver Pass May Be The Best Ticket Option for the Average Carowinds Guest
As we were leaving the park – we noticed an advertisement for the Carowinds’ Silver Pass across the back of Carowinds’ entrance gate – often the last thing a guest will see when leaving the park. While we’re traditionally Platinum Passholders (now known as the Gold Pass with the All-Parks Add-On) because we try to get to multiple parks in a season, we were previously unaware of the Silver Pass, so of course we had to look it up. Currently, the pass is $95+ tax, and includes unlimited admission through Labor Day Weekend, along with free parking. (SCarowinds & WinterFest are not included.)
Doing some quick math, if you’re paying the “at-the-gate” price (sidenote: buy your tickets online, always.) of $79.99 + a $30/day parking charge, you come out ahead on the Silver Pass after less than one visit. (And if you’re buying online, a two-day ticket is $79.99 and doesn’t include parking.) If you’re planning on visiting Carowinds at least twice this season, and rides and slides are more your mission than frights and holiday lights, the Silver Pass is a value that can’t be beat. This reads like an ad – it’s not – but if you haven’t purchased a season pass yet this season, it’s definitely worth looking into in our opinion. (Worth noting that like all Carowinds season pass options, this price will eventually increase.)
Bonus: An Amusement Park is an Awful Location for a Break-Up, Jimmy. (Love Is Blind Spoilers Ahead.)
If you’re like me, and have been watching the current season of Love is Blind, you’ll notice that Carowinds was featured in a date between Jimmy and Chelsea during episodes 11 and 12 of Season 6. If you’re lucky enough in 2024, you too can ride front row of Fury 365 325, shoot on the same basket at Air Shot, sit at the same table at Terminal A over a plate of untouched, albeit extremely delicious Balsamic Chicken Sliders, and hopefully not cry while leaning on the same spot fence at Windstar after (SPOILER ALERT) being broken up with days before your wedding.
Also worth noting, the park doesn’t sell the iconic gold drinkware that the show utilizes because of editing needs (fortunately I had a gold fork from the evening’s food & beverage preview so I could demonstrate), but they do have some similar tumblers that could give you the feeling of your own Carowinds Love is Blind-esque date night- though there will probably be more people in the park than there were during Jimmy & Chelsea’s date.
Carowinds is open for the season Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through March 24, Daily March 29-April 7 for Spring Break, and then Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays April 12-May 19. Carowinds’ 2024 Daily Operation begins on Friday, May 24 and Carolina Harbor opens for the season on Saturday, May 25. For more information, be sure to visit the park’s website, and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter/X | Instagram
Recent Discussion