First off, Cedar Fair did an outstanding job for this media event last week. It was evident that a lot of care and attention to detail went into this big reveal. Since the park is closed during the week at this time of the year the only people in attendance were the other guests so it was a nice change of pace to walk around a park devoid of crowds.
Guests are first greeted by a red carpet and offered a much appreciated glass of iced sweet tea. All over the park and in the main meeting area, Harmony Hall are strange honeycombs. Even the ice sculpture on the table maintained the theme.
The presentation began with the sounds of hornets buzzing and we were finally let in on the big secret: Fury 325. This is going to be the centerpiece for the new expansion and it is a doozy. Opening in 2015 the new ride promises to be the world’s tallest and fastest Gigacoaster and North America’s longest steel coaster. At 325 feet the ride will reportedly be visible from Uptown Charlotte and feature an 81 degree first drop and “like an angry hornet chasing its target” through a series of hills and drops. Fury 325 promises to launch riders through 6,602 feet of track for 3 and half minutes at a top speed of 95 mph.
The proposed ride sounds phenomenal but take a gander for yourselves:
Carowinds also announced that they will be restructuring the parking lot and adding a new front entrance. In addition, they promised to turn the park into a foodie paradise with lots of Carolina favorites available. After the reveal we were all allowed to sample these new in park offerings.
Most of the food were takes on southern favorites like a pulled-pork-and-slaw sandwich, potato wedges stuffed with pimento cheese, and a rice gumbo dish. While I applaud Cedar Fair for expanding their food selections, there is still room for improvement. The pulled pork sandwich was very light on the pork and the hamburger patty was half the size of the bun. The potato wedge on the other hand was excellent and I hope they keep it on the upcoming menu.
One of the cooler (forgive the pun) aspects was the giant ice sculpture featuring the new Fury logo. It was a spectacular piece of art and also served a function as placed within each honeycomb were mini desserts for patrons to sample.
Overall it was a fantastic experience and great news for all theme park junkies. As a final gift Carowinds also allowed guests to ride the Intimidator before they left. This was my first time on this coaster and it was outstanding. Great air time, nice speed and thrilling drops. I was fortunate enough to ride it three times without a wait (front row, middle and back row) and Fury 325 promises to be 100 feet taller. We are all living in a golden age for theme parks.
Also, if one was going to visit Carowinds.... any recommendations on places to stay nearby that are great for families?
Thanks, and go Gamecocks!
Some of the speakers at the media reveal also hinted that their 2015 announcement would make a big "splash" so I suspect a water park is in the works and will open after Fury.
There were a couple of two star hotels right at the Carowinds entrance. They are certainly the most convenient but nothing exceptional. I stayed at the Quality Inn and found it to be reasonably priced and clean. Their included breakfast was also decent. If you are looking for more deluxe accommodations just head a little deeper into Charlotte
But then I started hearing coworkers talk about it (because they always like to believe they'll hear about these things before me). When they describe it, that little "giga" descriptor is lost in translation so they think Carowinds is getting the tallest, fastest coaster in the world.
I have to commend Cedar Fair on that one. They HAD to know that this was going to happen. On the one hand, it's a little disingenuous to allow that kind of misinformation, but it's not really something they can control. Their announcement is 100 percent truthful. It's not their fault people don't read good.
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I'm not a thrill coaster person so much, but the thing about this that has me excited is the new parking and entrance upgrades. It seems like they may be about to make the park more awesome looking and convenient to drive up and park. From the pictures it looks as if there may be more opportunity to park closer to the walkway to the front gate now and the walkway up to the gate is going to be awesome. I'd say this improvement in infrastructure will have a long term great impact on the park. Very excited about it and hoping to see more family friendly additions in the future to go along with this thrill seeker drawing addition. It will be an excited coaster to watch while walking in though, even if I have no intentions of getting on it.