Smarty Day Trip Series: Carowinds

By Guest Blogger Elizabeth D

You don’t have to look far from home to find a day of excitement and exhilaration. Just head south to the NC - SC line and you will find yourself at Paramount’s Carowinds Theme Park. We decided to visit in early May when it wouldn’t be too crowded. It was just my boys, ages 6 and 9, and myself, and we wanted to get out of town for a day and expend some of our energy. We definitely went to the right place!

Admission prices are listed on their website at www.carowinds.com but I found tickets for $33 each at NC State Employees’ Credit Union. If you know a member of the credit union they can buy tickets for you. Tickets are sold by height and not age, so my six year old was just tall enough to need an adult’s ticket. After a couple of hours in the park, though, we decided to trade in our tickets and buy season passes. We were just having too much fun and didn’t want it to end in just one day. The season passes pay for themselves in just two visits and you don’t have to pay for parking which is $10 per car.

Before your visit I would like to offer a few helpful tips...

Carowinds’ website has a list of rides and height requirements for each ride. This will help you determine which rides your family will be able to ride ahead of time. Once you enter the park, directly to your left is a place where your children can be measured. They will be measured with shoes on and will receive a color wristband for their height group. This will eliminate having to be measured for each individual ride and will save you time during your visit.

I recommend bringing at least one change of clothes and an extra pair of shoes. If you ride WhiteWater Falls you WILL get wet. Soaked, actually. You will also get wet on Rip Roarin’ Rapids. In fact the sign says, “You WILL get wet, you MAY get soaked!” I just happened to get soaked two out of the three times we’ve been on that ride!

A great way to get an overview of the park is to ride the Carolina Skytower. It is one of the first rides you will see once you enter the park. It is a tall tower that has a cabin that rotates. You can see the entire theme park and downtown Charlotte as well.

Nickelodeon Central is an area within the park designated for smaller children. It is filled with great rides. They have a carousel, mini boats, two roller coasters, helicopters, cars, and lots of other great rides for your little tots. We fell in love with the Fairly Odd Coaster and the TV Road Trip cars. Rugrats Runaway Reptar is a fun coaster as well. We were bummed to find The Dora Train closed but it looks like they are building something new. We’ll have to wait and see.

One way to save a little money is to bring a picnic lunch. I have not found an area to picnic so we bring our soccer chairs and tailgate. The parking lot is very hot so we like to ride WhiteWater Falls before lunch to keep us cool during lunch. Then, if we don’t dry out before lunch is over we can change our clothes in the car, too. As far as bringing food into the park, it is not allowed. I have found, though, that they will allow crackers or dry cereal in plastic baggies. I also bring bottles of water for each person and refill them throughout the day.

The times we’ve visited Carowinds, the water park has been closed. It opens Memorial Day weekend. The water park is included in the price of each ticket; however, the theme park itself has more than enough to keep you entertained the entire day. The water park may be worth a day by itself.

You will be worn out by the end of your day but it will be an unforgettable experience for your entire family! So check out the website, show your children the park map and start planning the rides you want to go on! The excitement before and after the trip will last a long time!

Have you recently been to Carowinds? If so, share your Smarty tips as well!

Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM