Carowinds has experienced much growth in the past 10-15 years. Cedar Point’s acquisition of the park has brought some fantastic new rollercoasters to the park that draw visitors from across the country. We’ve also seen the expansion of the Carolina Harbor Waterpark and the addition of the County Fair rides. While no one can discount the new thrills I can’t help but be nostalgic for the park I grew up visiting. And there will always be a part of me that misses some of the closed classic Carowinds rides. And the North and South Carolina actually park announced this week that they are closing 4 additional rides most likely to make room for new attractions. That announcement prompted me to compile this list.

Several of the attractions mentioned in my list are water rides. There is actually a definite lack of those now outside of the waterpark. I know some people don’t love getting wet (and my hair doesn’t either) but these were always so much fun to ride as a kid! If I had to say what’s missing from the current park version, that would be it. But change can be good and exciting and I’m especially looking forward to what they come up with next. Outside of the first ride on this list (and trust me you know what it is), I’d say the replacement is a better attraction. While I will always miss the classic rides, world-class roller coasters are pretty fun too!

Closed Carowinds Rides We Miss

• Thunder Road

  This is probably the first attraction most people think of when this topic comes up. In fact, I even walked around and asked several people what attraction they missed. And this was every single person’s first answer. Thunder Road was a classic especially when the backwards side was running and you were racing. It was the first truly big coaster I ever went on and was something I rode multiple times each visit to the park. I have countless memories of going up that lift hill just waiting for the large drop. Backward was the far superior way to ride and I still don’t think an additional wave pool was worth the loss. And when you got to drive down Carowinds Blvd and the train would roar past you- I can’t explain the excitement!  RIP Thunder Road, thank you for the memories!

• The Log Flume

  I’ll be honest I don’t remember the original name of this ride but it ended as a Wild Thornberry themed ride. It was cleared to make way for the Intimidator and it was absolutely a fair trade. But that doesn’t mean this wasn’t a great attraction! I’ll never forget my first ride on it around age 7. My parents basically forced me on it even though I was terrified and adamant I was not going to ride. Well, as I always did, the minute we got off I quickly asked “can we go again?” And we did many many times throughout the years. While I understand replacing the ride, there is a part of me that wishes we still had it.

• Rip Roarin' Rapids

  Gosh, I remember the incredibly long lines to ride this one. Many times the longest line in the park was for the Carowinds version of the classic river raft ride. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for it. My Grandfather and Dad’s company actually built the fake rocks you saw along the ride and the cave (that sadly went away even before the ride closed). These types of rides are so fun because you truly never know how wet you are going to get and when it’s going to come! While you can ride very similar rides at other theme parks it was a classic. And with no replacement attraction located in the spot I won’t hold out hope they can refurbish it and bring it back one day!

• The Monorail

  I’ll be honest I don’t really remember this as it closed in 1994. But I remember hearing about it.  Many people may not even have known that the park used to have a monorail like the ones at the Disney resorts. But Carowinds did. Check out the video below to see it in action.

• White Water Falls

  Unlike the first two water rides mentioned on this list there was absolutely no way you got off this ride dry. In fact you’d be drenched. It was pretty simple and short-you just went up in a large boat made a turn and then went down the hill. I can even remember standing on the observation deck watching people going down. The area was called the “splash zone” and anyone there also got soaking wet. Even that was fun. White Water Falls closed a few years ago and I believe it’s where Copperhead Strike now stands. Considering it was such a short ride I guess it’s worth the loss.

• Flying Super Saturator

  It’s probably a toss-up as to which ride you got wetter on the Flying Super Saturator or White Water Falls. The first time I went on this I got so wet that my parents had to buy me a pair of flip-flops and a new shirt. And we were definitely not theme park souvenir people so they weren’t happy about it! You may remember this as the yellow hanging coaster outside the water park. I believe it was a Nickelodeon-themed ride. Even as wet as you got this ride was fun! It closed several years ago and now the Flying Cobras sit in its place.

• Carowinds Announced This Week The Are Closing 4 Attractions

  All of these rides are in the same area near Afterburn (formerly Top Gun). This fuels the speculation the space will be used for a new attraction.

• YoYo

• Dodgem

• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z

• Southern Star

  **While this attraction also closed the same day as the 3 previous ones it was not listed as “permanently closed”. The future of the ride is unclear but it could possibly be moved to a different location in the park. That is only my personal speculation however.

Get The Country 103.7 All Access Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Enjoy the latest country music, entertainment, and local stories, plus exclusive contests, games, and more!

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.