Carrowinds Amusement Park of the Carolinas Reviews

Do yourself a favor and get the Fast Pass Plus, you will not regret it! Fury 325 and the Intimidator were amongst my favorites. The park is always clean and they have a variety of food options. I can t wait to go back!

I ve been to a lot of amusement parks but this one is by far the best.

It was so great my children and their cousins got to get on some rides together it was great!!!

Very nice place for family and friends. We spend hours and still didn't ride every thing in the park. Carowinds has the best funnel cake I ever tasted. The worker are really nice too. Very expensive I advise you to go on line before your visit and buy your tickets. It cost $65.00 at the gate. They don't sell one day tickets at the front gate. They do have a spot we're it's shaded and you can sit on the benches. It's covered by the trees and Vines. It's real nice in there.

Top-notch park with top-notch rides. All the coasters are great and thrilling. The water park is lots of fun too. Definitely worth a season pass if you live close by.

I have been visiting Carowinds since I can remember. I love it! Although I know it is hard to staff such a large park, it seems like there has been a slight decline in staff friendliness. But otherwise, it is a great place to visit.

We had the best day TOGETHER....Carwinds respects and honors the military and their families....with All amusement park food/drinks are pricey! The drink deal was fabulous!!! Now the kids only have to pay a $1.00 for drinks EVERY TIME while there and they have a souvenir...Being hydrated made the day go smoothly. Bravo Zulu Carwinds!

Nice theme and water park. Not at all busy on a Monday/Tuesday 2-day trip which saved a lot of money not getting the fast pass. If you get the season passes and the drink plan it is initially ecpensive but becomes more of a value as you progress through the visits. App does not work as well as I would hope with ride times and updates which is kind of annoying. We rented a cabana at the water park which was nice and an option I would recommend if it can fit into the budget for anyone going. Was a nice, private, quiet place to rest when it was time to eat and they have cabana service that brings the food to you which makes it an even more pleasant experience.

Super thrilling rides! Great place to spend entire day. Do download the Carowinds app to help you navigate and find good offers.

I've been coming here since I was a youngster.I love this place!!!

Really good food, really great rides & water park. The operators are very slow and nonchalant. The experience could be better if all the employees had a sense of urgency.

Download the Carowinds app (iPhone & Android)! Its a lifesaver! Also the day drink pass(available for purchase in the app) it's worth every penny!

Festival of Lights was beautiful. Enjoyed the decorations.

Fun but quite a few employees who are obviously at end of their season. The best was this lifeguard who took away his float so she can get down. He had to wait 10 minutes for someone to give him one and then Jeremiah from swings in kid area who said "y'all people are rude as hell" when asked why they could fill the open seats on a ride with long lines.... this is getting redundant. I guess Charlotte has a tough time finding people who can converse in polite english

Carowinds is a amazon park, great service, very well organized and many signs that will tell you where you

The handicap assistance system needs a lot of work. They dont have Motorize wheelchair at every entrance, the entrance we when into had used chairs with no power. Also when asked to speak to a supervisor are any type of personal in the management department they couldn't contract them nor knew the name of their supervisor.

Must do every year- great family fun and entertainment!

If you want to treat yourself or even your family to a fun-filled, thrill-seeking day at a decent price, Carowinds is the place to go! Went last week and had a blast... The new water park rides were excellent (even tho they had to take out the classic Thunder Road to do so ) and the other rides never disappoint as usual. If you live in NC or SC and go to Carowinds a few times a year, then definitely invest in the season pass so you can save some money and not have to pay to park... Best part is that during the week of the 4th of July this year, they allowed all active duty, reservists, National Guard and veterans entrance to the park at no cost except to park which is awesome in my book cause I love seeing more and more military-supporting companies pop up over our country!

The roller coasters were fun! It was a weekday so there was no wait. The park was very clean. Food was excellent at the sports place. I can't remember the name. Crab fries were there special items. The park was very clean and so were the restrooms.

Went to the park on Saturday 4/27/19 and arrived around 11:20 AM. Me and my wife first went straight to the Cyclone and waited near an hour to ride. By the time we got off the ride around 12:45 PM we went to buy a fast pass. The first ride we go on with our fast pass, Intimidator, I was booted off the ride because they could get 3 clicks when I clearly heard all 3 clicks. In the process of this one of the ride employees pushed down so hard that it pinched a nerve in my leg, causing some serious pain for the rest of the day. We then go to the back of the park to ride Copperhead Strike to find out we needed to rent lockers just to ride it, even for something as stupid as a cup we paid $12 for. Not only that but yet again was told I couldn t ride it due to my size. I m not a big guy by no means and they let someone even bigger on before me. By that time we were already irritated then went to ride the Nighthawk just to find out that ride was closed down. We found out shortly after that they closed down Copperhead Strike due to complications. Now keep in mind we spent $184 on fast pass plus, which now 3 of the 5 roller coasters that are a premium fast pass we were told couldn t be rode. We went to guest services and complained about it in which they refunded our fast pass. In the hour that it took to do that the lines for everything moved to 2 hour waits, and we decided that we were leaving as we d wasted enough time trying to have a good anniversary. We went back to guest services to get a refund for our tickets, as we rode 1 ride in 4 hours of being there just to find as soon as you walk in the door you won t get a refund on tickets. Note that about 20 minutes into waiting the first time about the fast passes that someone was refunded for their tickets because their kids were so dissatisfied for waiting, yet they refunded his ticket and his 4 kids tickets but I m not treated the same? I will NEVER go back to this place again and will absolutely be getting ahold of someone to resolve this issue ASAP. Nobody should have to deal with that, especially after spending over $300 in their parks expecting to be able to do what you paid to do. This place needs to get it together with their employees as now I m still $150 out on tickets and have to deal with pain from negligent employees.

Our family had a blast, however for the price you pay.. over half the rides were closed down at various times. Very frustrating to wait in line for an hour and be told the ride is shutting down for maintenance...

Military appreciation was great, esp including reduced prices for family.

Waits weren't as terrible as I imagined.

Hydrating guests for free a good gesture to health.

Fun times to be had by all.

I have had some fun times at Carowinds. I've been to Cedar Point, tbh Carowinds is just as good or better! The Intimidator is my favorite, and even though the name might suggest otherwise, the ride is weirdly relaxing!

Amazing theme park in comparison to many! Short lines. 2 days for each pass which is amazing!

The park is well kept & very clean. Staff was extremely friendly and knowledgable. However, dont say you open at 9 AM when when only 1 rollercoaster is open, and by 12, most of them were still not running. Unfortunately, this made my experience a waste of money.

I came to the park yesterday to activate a few season passes that I purchased online. When I came to the line to have my passes scanned and pictures taken I had one of the worst transactions ever! Jaden was extremely short, impatient and flat out rude! I usually have pretty good experiences when we visit. I really hope that this is not the customer service that I have to look forward to over the summer. She made me feel horrible! And all in front of my children. This young lady definitely needs a lesson in soft skills.

It is so clean and well maintained. They train there staff well and there was plenty of them. Everyone was welcoming and helpful with the wheelchair we had in the group. Seemed like they all understood and knew the policies and all the handicap entrances and exits. Other than the weather being so incredibly hot, we had a great time.

Where to start. If I would rank this park for just the attractions would have definitely ranked 4 if not 5. Fury 325 was awesome. One bad ride on it when change came flying back from front of car striking me in the forehead. Copperhead strike was absolutely awesome. Wish some of these ride's would be at Cedar Point. Now for the bad. As far as operations I would say absolutely embarrassment took way to long to dispatch rides, employees didn't care about how long they took or how they spoke to on coming riders. There was even a time at the drinking area where the employee's just walked off and it was a frenzy on free pops we witnessed this on serval instances. I can see the potential in this park but it still needs to come a long way updating rides and adding flat rides would definitely help.

Went for Scarowinds it's actually scary and the rollercoasters are amazing

Money pit. Everything is $20.00. Buy tickets and then you have to pay another $20 for parking per day. Drinks, $20.00. Locker, $20.00. Then if it rains at 7 for 5 minutes, they assume they're closed rest of night. When you ask, 8 kids pop out of a booth falling over the ride to tell you you're wrong. Reported. Then when you walk back to the front to speak to a manager, they open it back up in fear of being found out they're getting drunk at work with your life in their hands. Yep, that's TJ and Sam. Getting your money is what's really important to them. After my experience there, never going back and don't recommend to anyone.

It's like Disney clean. Winterfest is surprisingly nice. Well worth a season pass. I really like the shows.

The drink pass is worth it! The park does offer free water to all guests. I really enjoy they offer the pet center for FREE.

Sundays are the best days to attend though, make sure and show up early before the crowds if you want to ride Fury!

Great place for a company picnic. If you plan to hang out at the water park area make sure to pay for a cabana online a few days ahead of time. They are always sold out.

Carowinds is awesome as is.. but Winterfest - is just amazing!!! The holiday atmosphere greets you right at the entrance.. all the lights, the decoration, the music, the shows, the people and the delicious smells make you feel like you're in wonderland! Makes you want to cry of joy! A great place to lift your spirits and feel the holiday..

We had a blast! The lines for food and rides moved quick. It was a perfect day!

Great place for family fun. Two parks, water park and conventional entertainment park with plenty of rides for all ages 1 to 100. Plenty of places to eat. And adequate parking. Easy access off of Interstate 77.

Always fun. Have the season passes and go when we get the chance

Fun Fun Fun! Get the gold passes. It's well worth the money spent. Food is expensive but hey it's an amusement park. We always start on the water park side, change into dry clothes and eat lunch in our car, and then head for the rides!

So, this place!!!! We came from New York where we had season passes to the amusement park there. The rides here kind of beat that place 100 percent. The thing we liked in NY was there weren't a lot of long lines, here is different and they sold out of fast passes for the season fast. Most thrill rides are 54" which is very different than the 48" where we came from but I feel that is actually safer. They have a lot of options for kids, its frickin awesome that they are on the states lines! I have kids so I have yet to experience the awesome roller coasters but even without that this place is great. Staff is amazing and they really take the height limits seriously. I thought all rides had the pictures but they dont which stinks but we did get the season funpix and it's great! They even have a play ground, what!? We LOVE it! We have been twice so far since they just opened and we can not wait to basically live here this summer! Excited for the water park as well!

They don't tell you until you get there but you can't take anything with you on fury 325. You have to pay for a locker to store your stuff. $2 per hour, but the line was 2.5 hours long. $6 extra dollars to ride this ride 1 time. Not cool.

It's just ok kind of park, very expensive. I feel it's not worth what they charge VS the services provided by management. Make sure you buy your ticket and parking online.

Amazing place to enjoy with family and kids. Wonderful roller coaster rides, some very good water rides and pool. Good rides for small kids as well. Food stalls are also available.
Overall a very good experience.

I think it's the best park for any Family to go have fun.

This is a very clean amusement park. There s something for all ages and the Peanuts show is a great way to rest your feet.

I drive from Miami to South Carolina just to go to this park, fun times always

The kids love this place however if you go ml or that twice you should get a season pass we always go during the week in the summer because the lines are shorter and it's a lot less crowded. Also if you have food allergies email them and they will give you permission to bring I'm your own food in the park.

Great place needs more vegetarian/vegan food options!

Carowinds is a amazing and majestical place that everyone in the family will enjoy! It s clean, fun, and safe for everyone and there is so much restaraunts and things to do there no cap.see photos below for stuff

Went tonight with family of 10 and you need more employees or police. There were at least 4 fights between teenagers young teenagers. My children were disappointed this was their first at scarowinds. They were so afraid we had to leave early. Very expensive to not have fun

Really good time of year to go. Threatening rains never materialized and it was not crowded.

I had a fast pass plus. It is worth it. So much fun getting to ride the rides. The staff we interacted with were friendly and personable.

The park is always good. The show in Harmony Hall was boring for Scarowinds. The show that had been in there for the past several years for Scarowinds needs to be brought back. What ever changes you make for next year bring back Rock Machine for Harmony Hall. I was there this year and with no band on the stage eating in there was BORING.

The atmosphere is great and the rides are great...BUT if you have any kind of extra body weight you are not able to ride the rides. My friend and I were kicked off 3 rides because they were so freaking small. We both weigh less the 250lbs and the rides would not lock. It is frustrating.

clean park with great rides and food! water park is free with admission! lines aren't bad either, which is awesome! saw the cirque du soleil show and that was awesome as well! definitely will be back

Love this amusement park, so glad cedar fair took it over. It is so much better now

A holy place for me and my wife. We absolutely love it here. There is always something new to try, always a thrill. And we are thrillseekers, we get our kicks here! The lines tend to go quickly if you can hold your excitement. The season pass is definitely worth the money.

Good place to go. Some games were closed for unknown reasons. Not too crowded and attendants are very nice.

Lots of fun. My whole family had a blast! Lines are long but what do you expect from an amusement park. Highly recommend going to carowinds if you haven't yet

Extremely disappointed. Season passholder 2 years ago. Went with daughter on school field trip today. Many rides were closed. Even more of snack/food locations were closed causing extremely long lines at locations that were open. Too pricy with limited open rides.

Close the water park way too early for a Saturday in the summer when the sun is clearly still shining & the kids dnt wanna leave! That's the only BS that this park have. That's just dumb!

This is probably gonna be fun cuz icget to do stuff
Also i havent fone anything yet so i might rare again...pray

They did away with the classic coasters, it's overpriced at every turn, and rides/handrails/bathrooms are gross. Fun for families who can't afford travel, or for a once-every-few-years reminder of why they went straight home to shower no matter how tired from the day.

I've come here many a times and have enjoyed them all. My last visit, however, was a little disheartening due to the number of people taking advantage of the "Fast Pass" line without actually having a Fast Pass. Perhaps your lines wouldn't exceed 2 hour waits if your employees actually did there jobs and checked for those expensive little bands.The park itself is fantastic, rides are amazing and ever changing to keep up with the times and technology, it's the other patrons that will ruin your experience.

Great experience except for the kiddie swings workers wasn't too friendly on it told my niece she couldn't ride because she was too short then turned around and let another child the same height ride

Great place to have fun. I love the fury attraction! I always visit and i will do it over and over again!

Its fine. Very over priced. The military discount is a joke. Its the only theme park within 5 hours of us so that's the only reason we go. Ride are fun if you pay a huge amount for fast pass and can ride them.

Amazing park! Even crowded I got on every coaster thanks to good operations (except for nighthawk and vortex). I hate Vortex and Kiddy Hawk but can look past that to great rides like Fury 325 and Afterburn!

Our first ride of the day(Night Hawk) broke down just before we got on, after waiting in line for 1 hour. Had a two hour delay for weather, the sun was shining the whole time! Food cost more than park admission, had to pay an absolutely ridiculous price for food ($25.00 for a slice of pizza plus drink for six people). Later in the day stood in line about an hour for the Flying Cobra just to be told IT too was broke down. The newer rides don't provide a box to put your belongings in while on the ride. They instruct you to rent a locker for $15.00. And finally, the icing on the cake is a one hour delay trying to get out of the parking lot because of the absolutely poor design of traffic flow. All exits from Carowinds have to merge into a busy highway that is laden with traffic lights. It all grinds to a halt. In summary, Carowinds is the ultimate in mercenary, proprietary, non customer concerned establishments that completely "sticks it to ya" when you walk through the door. NOT WORTH THE TIME OR MONEY!