Carrowinds Amusement Park of the Carolinas Reviews

The hotel is going to be spectacular when it's done

"Worthwile" when possessing a season pass of coupons. Shy away from the busy weekends/days to maximize your quality time with whoever you are visiting the park with.
One word for the long lines: "EW"

Winterfest was better than I expected. The food/drinks need to be more affordable, but it was gopd other than that

Went to Scarowinds for the second time and it's still scary but fun.

Great fun place! Me and my family love it we buy the gold passes and food passes every year!

This is my favorite place in the Carolinas because it is fun for the whole family and it has some of my favorite coasters!

The one star rating is not for the park itself, we alway have a great time when we visit. However on our last visit on the 19th after we spent the evening there I decided to upgrade to a gold pass ticket since my son got the pre k pass. When i went to the guest service desk i was assisted by a very rude person who clearly did not want to be ther. I was about to just take my card out and walk away and honestly, if my son hadn't gotten his pass., I would have.i called and left a complaint and as of yet, i have not heard a response. So sad because we travel all the way from Knoxville TN just to go there.

The water park was great but thunder storms shut everything down before we could get on rides. So I'll have to update it another day

It's not like it use to be!! Miss the rip roaring Rapids and log ride

Awesome! So much fun!! The intimidator was my favorite!

Great for adolescents and adults kids have limited rides unless 8 or older because of height restrictions

Great rides, great staff, clean and a well run park. One of the best Cedar Fair parks a lot better than any Six Flags park

Great theme park has one of the best steel coasters in the world and unlike alot of parks there is plenty of trees to shade you.one of the most beautiful and clean Parks I've been in

We had a Fabulous night at the Winterfest New Years Eve celebration.

I've been a season pass holder for many years. This is the first year where I feel the cost greatly outweighs what you get. The rides are understaffed by younger people. Watching them operate in slow motion is aggravating. They shuffle along like they are in their 90's... Slower than government employees at the DMV! Expressionless robots set on slow. They lack communication skills necessary to even greet their customers. Its a shame. Then lets discuss the eating places, cleanliness has gone to the wayside. I've not yet to see anyone who looks like a manager or team leader walking the premises to check cold tables and condiment areas. If the tables are wiped off between sittings or periodically, I've not seen it. The board of health needs an inspector on premises... The prices are premium while offerings and services have been reduced to minimal... I have serious doubts as to weather or not we will be season pass holders again next year ..

Highly recommend the Peppermint Patty s Painting Party during this Peanuts Festival. It was geared towards kids of course and although kids were not here this weekend we still found it very entertaining. Can t wait for the kids to come see this! Stunt Dogs was also something very entertaining. Great performances and all around great atmosphere. Highly recommend these shows and this theme park especially during their events!

Carowinds is one of the best theme parks out there! Not much to say except you will always have a blast, and the bands throughout the day are incredible, especially the night show! Love it!

Website is not military friendly. Have tried purchasing discounted tickets at the advertised military rate several times. Even after being verified through id.me, system will not allow. It only gives the option of buying discounted gold or platinum passes :(

Be sure to get a season pass. The perks like free parking is worth every bit of it.

Carowinds was amazing! I typically visit Cedar Point and Kings Island (I have a platinum pass). The rollercoasters here did not disappoint! I loved that all the bathrooms were clean and air conditioned. The staff was super friendly. I definitely reccomend you give them a visit! Make sure you stay hydrated- it's very hot here!

the My kids love it. Fun place for any age with a lot to explore. The quality of the food does not worth the price though. Too expensive.

Decent rides. Overpriced food and souvenirs. Typical amusement park

Good place for a great vacation. Prices are reasonable and the rides are incredible! Spent the day at the water park, which was awesome. And then walked around and went on rides in the evening. It was the perfect day. The only complaint I would say is that a lot of the staff seemed young and inexperienced. I think that's just part of going somewhere that is seasonal. It was a nice vacation.

Fun for all ages. It seems a little expensive but if you buy the meal and drink plans you can visit and eat any/every day that the park is open. If you have kids the season passes definitely pay for themselves over the course of the summer.

I've gone to carowinds since I was about 5 years old ( I'm 32 now) and ive always loved it. Now I'm taking my kid. The water park is getting bigger and bigger, I just hate they keep taking out rides that I LOVED for these super coasters. Now business speaking, I understand that's what attracts people from further places but I miss... Log flume, Thunder road, the bull ride,...the list goes on but besides that, we will always go to Carowinds as a family fun day. Just miss the nostalgia

Great place to go with the family. Take money because the food makes the trip. Funnel Cakes, junk food, candy, rides, and a good time await those who seek thrills. (Also please pick up after yourselves. The staff can only do so much to keep it looking nice!)

Great time at carowinds with the family. Only negative thing I can say is that the ticket line was slow only 7 window open out of 16.

No complaints. As advertised and expected. Short on staff with colleges starting back, but crowds were lower too.

This park has shown so many improvements over the last few years. The shows have become world class. The food is great. The collection of rides can compete with even the best parks. Fury 325 is a must do!

The only ride that is good is fury 325. This park needs an overhaul. Ride fury and none of the others even matter

Best value amusement park around, just don't expect the best park. If you live within driving distance and can get the early season ticket price, you will get a ton of fun for your dollar. Exciting roller coasters, a decent kids area, and an attached water park provide plenty of options. Go in with the right expectations and you will have a good time.

Want to give Carowinds 5 stars based on their ride collection. But this park is not winning any efficiency awards in the near future. Their ride ops are horrendous, sending out empty row after empty row on their trains. I'm surprised Cedar Fair invests so much (2 of the top steel coasters in the country) in a park where the workers seem disinterested and disengaged. Would rather see that investment go back into a place like Kings Island or Dorney.

Always very fun, even though I blacked out on the rollercoaster lol. Good fun especially if you re with a group.

Closed all the rides on 4th of July. Customers service didn t refund or gave another day re- admission . Waste of time and money. Customers service said buy a season pass and come back anytime. Disappointed

It would be nice to have another enterance to the park and more parking because it seems like it gets very full more than ever

We had an excellent time. I lost my wallet and an employee found it. Got it and everything in it at guest services. The food was really good and we spent a lot less than we thought. Plus, my kid won a giant plush and we found a rip in the stiching, but no problem, they replaced it quick. Excellent time

Just a fun place! Get a seaons pass if you live close by!!!

My family and I love the park. Would love to see other Attractions like a lazy light show or gokarts

If you love roller coasters, then Carowinds is a must-go location. Amazing rides, great times, but the food is overpriced as per usual with amusement parks. Looking past that however, all in all an enjoyable place to spend the day.

Great coasters, good for the kiddo and the big kids in all of us.

We were season pass holders. It was worth it! Free parking, water park, lazy river, rides, shows and good restaurants! Plus, the added bonus of Scarowinds and Winterfest! My daughter and I had a ball!

Everything is fine and fun here. Except for the multitude of kids in the smokers area. That's our place to sit and relax and have a smoke. But how can you when there's multiple kids sitting there on the benches. This is reserved for smokers. Please have your kids respect that we have areas we can smoke in. I think they ought to let us just smoke in the park if this continues

Great park. Some of the best coasters. Fury 325, fast about 95 mph. The new coaster Copperhead Strike, not fast, but quite a novelty with it's twists and turns and double launch. The new Carolina kitchen has great southern food. The entertainment is top notch. My only complaint about this park is it's pack of big trees. On a 95 degree, 90% humidity day, shade sure would be nice.

I'm a passholder, but probably will not re new. This place is poorly managed. Unfriendly staff, and half the time alot of rides are broken down

Kids & Family had a blast. Will definitely go back soon

Had a wonderful time here! Ride waits were short and shaded. Longest wait was about an hour, however this one was pretty bad. The heat started to get to us but we still had a blast. The rides were unique and very fun! Not a lot of options for little kids but for teenagers the rides were incredible. I love to experience new types of rides and this park really did that for me. Waterpark was VERY crowded though, and the bathrooms were gross and i actually had to switch stalls 4 separate times because the doors either wouldn t lock or didn t have a lock at all. Other than that though i had a great time. Just be prepared for changing folks.

Rained and then sun came out. Was windy and they started shutting all the rides down. No refunds or discounts. Finally provided half day ticket for free.

We have been season pass holders for years. We often visit after work, during the week. We have the unlimited drink refills and meal plans. The food is great, for an amusement park. The drink stations are HORRIBLE! They are quite often out of ice and out of many soda options. The quality of the soda is not consistent. The bathrooms have been less than satisfactory. Most of the soap despensers need refills. The bathrooms have been much cleaner in past years. We love the rides and the shows! We love Winterfest! My boys love Carowinds!

First visit was to Winterfest tonight. I really enjoyed it and had a great time! The park is well maintained and a lot of fun!

Well to be honest the last time I went was to drop off my nieces and nephews and they loved it

Great time, clean not over crowded on the day I went.

Recently visited Carowinds for the first time. I loved the sights and had fun riding a few rides. The park is very clean and attractive.

If you wanna ride the big roller coasters you need to get there early when they first open then you can ride 2 or 3 times in a row

Always a all around good time. High prices but hey. They put the money to good entertaining use and in turn offer awesome roller coasters and thrill rides plus a water park

We went today and were not at all impressed. We have been to other parks and this one just lacked atmosphere . The lines were horrible and the fast pass line just made it that much worse. We were watching people get through the fast pass line in less then 5 mins when we had been waiting over an hour. I understand they paid extra but do not mistreat your other guest

Exciting place. Lots of rides. And amany more things to do. If you are not a swing person too.

This place has great thrill rides and lot of fun for kids as well

Pretty awesome place to have fun. As in any other place there are pros and cons.

Pros: Loads of fun for all ages, plenty of eateries to choose from for food or drinks, check website for great deals, waterpark inside the park and it s included in the admission which makes two parks for one price, shows, plenty of merchandise available, big parking lot, great location, they offer free cups of water during extreme heat, metal detectors upon entry for safety.

Cons: parking is $20 sheesh. Ridiculous. Eateries are wayyyyyyyyy overpriced even for a theme park. Basically $6 for a 19oz bottle of water. Plain chicken Sandwhich and that s all. Nothing included. No fries or drink. Basically $7.50. Bring money if you wanted to go into other eateries that are more expensive than I listed. Not much in the way to escape the heat. No misters or fans. The employees at merchandise stalls and several other places have no fans or AC to keep them cool during crazy heat. Props to them for fighting through it.

There s more to mention on both but ran out of room to put in this review. I would go back. It s a fun place but crazy expensive inside the park.

Had an amazing time with the youth group from church, management was super helpful in adding tickets at the gate to our group rate, and all the rides and water park are well-maintained. 10 stars!

Best amusement park in the Carolinas. Take the family here and you are sure to have a fun time

Scarowimds was AWESOME!! Despite the rain, we had fun! Will definitely Fast Lane on my next visit!!

Other than not able to bring a bag on a couple rides, it's a pretty cool place

Fun place to be on the weekend. Got fast lane tickets & it was worth it! Barely waited on anybody & even rode some rides twice or more. Food was a little high than usual but everything else was good.

Very hot, Park offered free water at every restaurant

Waited almost 3 hours for copperhead strike only to find it broke down multiple times and to not even get to ride it RIDICULOUS...I have come forever and have never found this kind of service here being that bad especially since they don t even notice you that you will most likely not get to ride it... very inconsiderate never waist your money on the day ticket don t even bother with the season pass

What a great day. The family liked it better than Disney. Shorter lines, great staff, awesome rides!

Very clean and well maintained park. Fury is amazing.

Really fun but be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes in line at each roller coaster and lots of sunscreen

I love Carowinds, but they really went down in my mind when I showed up for scarowinds, bought a fast pass plus and a freight lane pass, but was then told during scarowinds that I needed ANOTHER fast lane plus to use fast lane. Three in one day? $150 on fast passes alone wasn't enough for one day? Really made me wonder about not only Carowinds, but cedar fair parks in general

So much fun! Bring comfy shoes! There is so much to do and see: great coasters, quaint little in-park towns and shows, and of course, great food!

The nighthawk coaster was a ton of fun, but Fury was down for maintenance which was a bummer. Lots of PokemonGo action inside the park. Ticket was $40 after 4pm.

My kids really love Camp Snoopy. The lines were long, but they moved along ok. Fun amusement park.

Place is a lot of fun. Be aware that 80% staff is teens. The eating areas/ tables are not kept clean and as the day goes on, the restrooms look like they don t get the attention they need either.

The carowinds app wait time is also very inaccurate.

Tip for riptide.
$25 for 1 person.
$20 per person if 2 flying.
$15 per person if 3 are flying.

We always make great memories at Carowinds. Please forgive me for not writing this review sooner? I cannot imagine Summers without the awesome waterpark. The deals really save lots of money. I get Season Passes and pay for the drink option. The have a really helpful food plan. I have noticed that on weekdays people such as myself are taking advantage of the opportunity to get outside and get healthy by walking! So, when Summer arrives this year, do not sit at home alone. We do not have to sit at home. We can go to Carowinds! No doubt, I am not in good enough health to ride most of those rides. But when I get inside that park, I forget the outside world and I feel young again! Floating in the warm water makes my aches and pains ease up! I know most people would not look at Carowinds at great mental and physical therapy, but, for me, it is! It makes me remember when I was younger and took my family! Those memories are like treasure! It's easier for me to park near the waterpark. Check with your doctor first. Then, try it!

Cool little park and some pretty dope roller coasters, but it is a little pricey here and there but again it's pretty cool we all had a blast.

This is where The Carolina's come together! World class coasters and southern hospitality at its best! A must visit!

One of a best amusement parks I ve been too. Been living in Charlotte for six years and this was the first time I went. I was surprised at how many great coasters they have. Fury 325 and the dale earnhardt were my favorite!