History of Carowinds in Timeline

Carowinds is a 407-acre amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina, owned and operated by Six Flags. A unique feature is its location straddling the state line between North and South Carolina, with a portion in Fort Mill, South Carolina, marked by a sign within the park to indicate the state line.

1923: Antique Carousel Built

In 1923, an antique carousel was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.

October 10, 1969: Carowinds Announcement

On October 10, 1969, Carowinds was announced with plans to be a large resort including a theme park, hotels, a shopping center, a golf course, and an NFL stadium.

1975: Scooby-Doo, The Wagon Wheel and The Waltzer Flat Rides Addition

In 1975, Carowinds added Scooby-Doo, its second roller coaster and first wooden coaster. The Wagon Wheel and The Waltzer flat rides were also added to the park in 1975.

1975: Styx Performance

In 1975, Styx performed at the Paladium.

1975: The Paladium Opens

The Paladium, an outdoor amphitheater at Carowinds, opened in 1975 and became the Charlotte area's premier outdoor concert venue.

1976: Thunder Road Opening

In 1976, Carowinds opened Thunder Road, a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters racing wooden coaster designed by Curtis D. Summers. At a cost of $1.6 million, it was the largest and most expensive ride built in Carowinds' first three years.

1977: White Lightnin' Opening

In 1977, White Lightnin', a Schwarzkopf launched shuttle roller coaster, opened at Carowinds. The Witchdoctor was relocated to Pirate Island and renamed Black Widow. The Waltzer was removed after a year of operation and Wagon Wheel was moved into its place. Trams were added to the parking lot.

1979: County Fair Area Expansion

In 1979, a $3 million expansion added the County Fair area, which contained four new rides. Additionally, a 1923 antique carousel built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company was added to The Land of Hanna-Barbera.

1980: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Performance

In 1980, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the Paladium.

1980: Carolina Cyclone Addition

In 1980, the Carolina Cyclone was added as the first roller coaster in the world to feature four inversions. Thunder Road received new Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters trains.

1982: Rip Roarin' Rapids and Ocean Island Opening

In 1982, Rip Roarin' Rapids, a water rapids ride, opened. Ocean Island also opened as a separately ticketed attraction. Oaken Bucket was removed and The Heritage Theater was converted into an arcade.

1984: Smurf Island Opening

In 1984, Smurf Island opened on a 1.3-acre island surrounded by the Carolina Sternwheeler river boat. The Flying Dutchman was removed and the Paladium was expanded.

1985: Blackbeard's Revenge Addition

In 1985, Blackbeard's Revenge, an Arrow-Huss haunted swing ride, was added to Carowinds.

1986: County Fair Renovation and Frenzoid Addition

In 1986, County Fair was renovated and Frenzoid, a 360-degree looping Viking ship, was added to the area.

1987: Carowinds Purchases Ocean Island

In 1987, Carowinds purchased Ocean Island. Vintage Jalopies was removed and the Panorama Vision theater was converted to an arcade.

1989: RipTide Reef Renaming and Black Widow Removal

In 1989, Ocean Island was renamed to RipTide Reef and expanded. Black Widow was removed the same year.

1989: Richard Marx Performance

In 1989, Richard Marx performed at the Paladium.

1990: Gauntlet Addition

In 1990, Gauntlet, a prototype thrill ride, was added to the park.

1990: Tears for Fears Performance

In 1990, Tears for Fears played at the Paladium.

1991: Blockbuster Pavilion Opens

In 1991, the Blockbuster Pavilion (now Truliant Amphitheater) opened, impacting the Paladium as the Charlotte area's premier outdoor concert venue.

1992: Kings Entertainment Acquisition and Vortex Introduction

In 1992, Kings Entertainment Company was acquired by Paramount Communications, forming Paramount Parks. Carowinds also introduced the Vortex stand-up roller coaster in 1992.

1993: Bon Jovi Performance

In 1993, Bon Jovi played to a sold-out crowd at the Paladium during their I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour.

1993: Park Name Change

In 1993, the park's name was changed to Paramount's Carowinds. Movies and television shows from various Paramount Pictures were introduced, including Days of Thunder. The Paramount Walk of Fame was constructed.

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1994: Wayne's World Addition

In 1994, Wayne's World, a new three-acre themed area that recreates the Hollywood set popularized in the Paramount motion picture of the same name, was added with the Hurler roller coaster as its centerpiece.

1995: Animation Station Introduction

In 1995, Animation Station introduced an interactive experience for kids featuring The Power Station and Kids' Studio. On June 30, the skycoaster ride called Skycoaster opened in the Wayne's World section.

1996: Drop Zone: Stunt Tower Addition

In 1996, Drop Zone: Stunt Tower was added to the Wayne's World area. The park hosted 1.8 million visitors.

1997: RipTide Reef Expansion to WaterWorks

In 1997, RipTide Reef was expanded into WaterWorks, doubling its size to include 12 acres at a cost of $7.5 million, in celebration of the park's 25th anniversary.

1998: ZOOM ZONE Opening

In 1998, ZOOM ZONE opened in Animation Station, adding three new attractions: Taxi Jam, Chopper Chase and Road Rally.

1999: Top Gun: The Jet Coaster Addition

In 1999, Top Gun: The Jet Coaster was added, becoming the single-largest investment in the park's history at a cost of $10.5 million.

September 2000: SCarowinds Introduced

In September 2000, Carowinds introduced SCarowinds, an annual Halloween attraction presented on select nights in September, October, and the first weekend in November, featuring haunted attractions and incorporating park rides.

2000: Duran Duran Performance

In 2000, Duran Duran performed at the Paladium.

2000: The Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator and SCarowinds Introduction

In 2000, The Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator, a new roller coaster, was introduced. SCarowinds, the park's annual Halloween event, was introduced for the first time in October of 2000.

2001: New Attractions and Remodeling

In 2001, the park introduced three new attractions including Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion, Pipeline Peak and 7th Portal. Plantation Square was remodeled into Paramount Plaza, and the Wayne's World theming was removed and the area was converted to Thrill Zone.

2003: Woodstock's Air Rail Addition

In 2003, after the success of Woodstock's Air Rail at sister park Kings Island, Paramount decided to build a clone at Carowinds as part of the Happy Land of Hanna Barbera's transition into Nickelodeon Central.

2004: Nighthawk Relocation

In 2004, Nighthawk (then known as Stealth) was relocated from California's Great America and opened as BORG Assimilator in the location previously home to Smurf Island.

2005: Nickelodeon Central Expansion

In 2005, Nickelodeon Central was expanded.

January 27, 2006: CBS Corporation Considering Sale of Paramount Parks

On January 27, 2006, the Dayton Daily News reported that CBS Corporation (successor of the original Viacom) was interested in selling the entire Paramount Parks division, including Carowinds.

May 14, 2006: Cedar Fair Interested in Acquiring Paramount Parks

On May 14, 2006, Cedar Fair announced it was interested in acquiring the five Paramount theme parks from CBS Corporation.

June 30, 2006: Cedar Fair Acquisition Completed

On June 30, 2006, the acquisition of Paramount Parks by Cedar Fair was completed.

2006: Phase Out of Paramount Name and WaterWorks Expansion

Although Cedar Fair continued to use the Paramount's Carowinds name through the end of the 2006 season, they began to phase out the Paramount name. Several rides were renamed and rethemed. WaterWorks was expanded and renamed Boomerang Bay in 2006.

January 2007: New Logo Unveiled

In January 2007, a new logo was unveiled featuring the Cedar Fair flag, removing Paramount altogether. The Carolina Skytower was repainted to feature the colors of the American flag.

2008: Boomerang Bay Expansion and Yo-Yo Addition

In 2008, a second, larger wave pool was added to Boomerang Bay. Yo-Yo, a flat ride from Carowinds' former sister park Geauga Lake, was also added to the park. The Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator was closed and removed.

2009: Uptown Amphitheatre Opens

In 2009, the Uptown Amphitheatre at the NC Music Factory (now the Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre at AvidxChange Music Factory) opened, causing the Paladium to lose most of its major acts.

2010: Intimidator Opening and Planet Snoopy Introduction

In 2010, Intimidator, a 232-foot tall roller coaster, opened. Nickelodeon Central was replaced by Planet Snoopy in 2010.

2011: Cosmetic Improvements

In 2011, the park saw general cosmetic improvements, including a new color scheme for Vortex, new picnic shelters, reconstructed tracks for Thunder Road and Hurler, and new landscaping.

2012: WindSeeker Opening

In 2012, WindSeeker, a 301-foot tall swinging flat ride, opened. The park also added more shade structures and replaced asphalt pathways with brick pavers.

August 26, 2013: $50 Million Investment Plan Announced

On August 26, 2013, Cedar Fair announced a $50 million investment plan to expand Carowinds over three years starting in 2014. The expansion included a $30 million roller coaster, a $2.5 million water slide, a $7 million food complex, and $4 million to improve the park's ticket booths and front areas.

2014: Lecrae Performance

In 2014, Atlanta Christian rapper Lecrae performed at the Paladium (for Rock the Park).

2014: Dinosaurs Alive! Introduction

In 2014, the park introduced Dinosaurs Alive!, a 5-acre walkthrough attraction.

August 27, 2015: Carolina Harbor Expansion Announced

On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced an expansion of the water park, which included five new attractions and a name change to Carolina Harbor.

2015: Fury 325 Opening and New Front Entrance

In 2015, Fury 325, the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world, opened. A new front entrance replaced the original North Gate entrance, and Thunder Road was closed and demolished.

2015: Skillet Performance

In 2015, Skillet played at the Paladium.

2016: Carolina Harbor Re-theming and Expansion

In 2016, Boomerang Bay was re-themed and expanded into Carolina Harbor, removing the Australian theme. The expansion included a new six-slide complex, a new wave pool, and several new splash areas for kids.

2017: WinterFest Re-introduction

Carowinds re-introduced WinterFest for the 2017 season, featuring holiday decorations, tree lighting, Christmas carolers, homemade crafts, a themed parade, and select rides.

2017: County Fair Expansion

For the 2017 season, the expansion of the County Fair area saw the addition of four new rides: Electro-Spin, Zephyr, Rock N Roller, and Do-Si-Do. Carolina Cobra was re-themed and renamed "The Flying Cobras".

2018: Planet Snoopy Expansion

In 2018, Planet Snoopy was expanded and converted into Camp Snoopy with the addition of six new children's attractions.

December 20, 2020: "Taste of the Season" Holiday Event

From November 21 to December 20, 2020, Carowinds hosted a new holiday event called "Taste of the Season" featuring food, live shows, holiday activities, and select amusement rides.

May 2021: Park Reopens

In May 2021, Carowinds returned to normal operation after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2022: Attraction Closures Announced

In July 2022, Carowinds announced the closures of Plants vs. Zombies 3Z Arena, Yo-Yo, and Southern Star attractions.

April 2023: Aeronautica Landing Opens

On April 7, 2023, Carowinds opened its new Aeronautica Landing area as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, paying tribute to the Carolinas' history of flight and invention.

July 1, 2024: Cedar Fair and Six Flags Merger Completed

On July 1, 2024, the merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags was completed, forming a new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, with the corporate headquarters relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina.