Carowinds celebrates its 50th anniversary by showing off the new themed attractions
Eight-year-old Zack Otto had never hung upside down.
He didn’t even know the ride, called the Gear Spin, twisted and turned upside down. After getting off the ride with a grin, he pointed to a big, blue roller coaster and emphatically said he’d ride that next.
“I’ve never actually been on an upside down ride in my entire life and I’m 8 years old,” Otto said. “Now I know the feeling…I don’t know why I was so scared.”
Twelve-year-old Audrey Otto was equally as surprised. As soon as she got off, she bolted in the direction of a friend to go back through the line.
Carowinds opened its new Aeronautica Landing flight-themed area at the park Thursday, which includes four new rides, a redesigned attraction and a new ride that will open at the end of Spring. The area includes new games and a new culinary experience that will serve craft beer and cocktails.
Aeronautica Landing celebrates the influence of aviation history in the Carolinas, said Manny Gonzalez, Carowinds vice-president and general manager.
“It seemed fitting that we would do an aeronautics-themed plan because of North Carolina’s influence on flight with the Wright brothers,” said Ken Parks, corporate director of creative development of Cedar Fair, the company that owns Carowinds. “This plan fits in perfectly for what we’re doing here.”
Aeronautica Landing is a three-acre area that replaces the Country Crossroads County Fair that was added in 1979. Carowinds, built in 1973, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The park is located in Fort Mill, S.C., near the N.C. border.
The new rides include:
• Hover and Dodge — redesigned “futuristic” bumper cars with a light show and music
• Gear Spin — propulsion spinning and speeding engine
• The Airwalker — airborne acrobatics
• Air Racers — “speedsters of the skies”
• Windstar — hang-gliding adventure where the rider controls the motion
• Gyro Force (opening in late Spring) — rotating aircraft engine
The new area also includes Terminal A, a “unique food concept” that “harkens back to the golden age of air travel when top-tier service and luxury accommodations were the norm.”
Clayton Lawrence, Cedar Fair corporate creative producer, said the difference between the new area and other attractions in the park is the accommodations offered to non-riders.
“Some of the rides are very intense,” Lawrence said. “You can feel like you’re in the story, hangout; we have plenty of shade.”
Brian Oerding, assistant general manager of Carowinds, said so far, the feedback from Aeronautica has been positive.
“Everybody who has come out and visited has had a really fantastic time,” he said. “Everybody has walked away with a smile, which is really rewarding for us.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 4:25 PM.
