Carowinds (March 2026)

Getting to Carowinds, we would meet up with our friend Kurt at the front gate. He was on his own trip, and we just happened to both be at Carowinds at the same time. our first ride of the day would be Kiddy Hawk, the Vekoma family suspended coaster. Surprisingly, having back row made the ride much more enjoyable. We followed with Snoopy's Racing Railway, which was my personal favorite family coaster on the trip. We would follow with Woodstock Express and Wilderness Run, to complete the family coaster lineup.

We would ride Afterburn, which is basically a mini Montu, and we also got rides on Flying Cobra's the ex-Geauga Lake Vekoma Boomerang and Boo Blasters.

We would take a good lunch break at Blue Ridge Kitchen and followed with a ride on Copperhead Strike. Gavin had only ever ridden Stardust Racers before riding Copperhead, and we joked that the Copperhead is the orange track to Stardust. I personally like Copperhead Strike over Maverick, because of its amazing hangtime in row 4.

Following Copperhead, we would take a lap on Carolina Gold Rusher. Its an Arrow Minetrain from the 1970s, but it was pretty fun. I prefer it to Dahlonega Mine Train at SFoG.

After riding Vortex, we went for a lap on Fury, 325. Some say its the best Giga Coaster ever built, some say its the best coaster period. I persoanlly think it is the second best Giga, behind Pantherian. We got a great ride on Fury, and I loved how urgent they were getting people on the ride. Fury is just an amazing ride overall, especially its height and speed. We were all happy to get a picture together on a ride.

Kurt and Gavin wanted to get a ride on Carolina Cyclone, and I rode with them. It was ok, and I prefer the back on this Arrow Looper. At least its a pretty ride to look at.

They both wanted to go ride Thunder Striker, the second and last B&M Hyper on the trip. I thought after a reride it was ok, but it isn't as good as Goliath.

Before we left for the day, Taylor and I got rerides on Copperhead and Fury. Taylor wanted the rerides, I didn't want to join Kurt and Gavin on Ricochet.

Carowinds is a fun park. My last 2 visits were really good, and this park has a solid lineup. Carowinds was one of the first parks I visited outside of Ohio, and Fury helped me overcome my fear of Millennium Force. The park has a special place in my heart as the place that made me an enthusiast. Our visit was well ran, and all the associates were friendly. Its a park that, while I probably won't visit until 2027, I do enjoy making my yearly visits to.