Ranking Rollercoasters at Carowinds
On Monday I went to Carowinds with Erin and we really lucked out on the day we chose to go. The weather was great, the lines weren’t bad at all, and we happened to see Machine Gun Kelly at the park. I’m a huge fan of roller coasters and hope to go to many more amusement parks in the future, so I wanted to use my blog as a space to talk about the rides.
I am ranking the rides based on how badly I would want to ride them again the next time I go to Carowinds, and it should be noted that both Vortex and Nighthawk were closed the day we went so they aren’t included on this list. There are also a few smaller coasters such as Woodstock Express that we didn’t ride because they are targeted more towards children. With that being said here’s the list:
8. Carolina Cyclone
In last place out of the rides we went on is Carolina Cyclone. It’s more intense than some of the other rides, but that is also what puts it at the bottom because it is just about impossible to keep from banging your head during the flips, corkscrews and turns on this ride. It’s fairly short so at least you aren’t being thrown around for a super long time, but it is definitely my least favorite ride in the park and never one that I will ride multiple times within one trip.
7. Hurler
I have one word for this wooden coaster: bumpy. That was about all we could think about the entire time we were on the ride as it felt like we were being thrown around the entire ride. While this isn’t out of the ordinary for wooden coasters, it is my reminder of why I don’t love all of them and why I tend to only ride this one once per visit.
6. Carolina Goldrusher
The other wooden coaster in the park, this one offers a much more calm experience compared to Hurler. It’s definitely the tamest ride we went on the whole day, and easily is meant for kids considering we almost felt too big for the ride once the lap bar was pulled down and we had to readjust our legs to fit better. Very simple and fun, but nothing crazy that I’m dying to ride more than once.
5. Flying Cobras
The biggest downside of this ride is the wait. Because this ride is a boomerang coaster it can only have one car on the track which can lead to some longer wait times. The ride offers a cool and unique experience compared to the other coasters in the park, and it’s always one that I want to ride when we come, but because there is always a long wait for one of the shortest rides at the park I don’t tend to ride it more than once.
4. Afterburn
This inverted coaster is fast, and if you aren’t in the front you sometimes lose a sense of what direction your body is going in with all of the flips and turns. Both times that I rode the ride this visit I rode in the back, and boy does the back have some pull to it. The ride felt even faster than I remember from the back, and it provided an experience that is unlike any other at the park. It can have a little bit of head banging if you aren’t careful, but it’s also possible to prevent it if you know when it’s coming.
3. Intimidator
With a height of 232 feet and a max speed of 75 mph, this ride is one of my favorites. It’s mostly hills and turns and provides many opportunities for a little air time, which is one of my favorite feelings to get on a rollercoaster. This ride is one that I always try to ride at least twice in a visit to Carowinds and is an iconic ride for the park.
2. Copperhead Strike
This launch coaster is so smooth and fast and has some of the most unique inversions that I have ever experienced on a rollercoaster. While the flips don’t look like anything special, the hang time you feel while going on each flip where you pause briefly in the middle creates an experience unlike anything I’ve felt on other rides. Also the corkscrew you start off with from the beginning makes me feel like I might fall out every time. I love that this ride also has more of a theme to it in the line and the ride itself than the other rides in the park, and as the newest ride I hope this is a sign for more strongly themed rides from Carowinds in the future.
1. Fury 325
The biggest ride in the park with a height of 325 feet and a max speed of 95 mph, this ride takes the number one spot on my list. Fury 325 is a ride that Carowinds is known for, they’ve even created squishmallows for the ride that they sell at the park. Riding this coaster is truly a special experience no matter where you sit, but my favorite will always be riding in the front. I always make sure to get to Fury first since it tends to have long lines later in the day, and this trip Fury 325 was the first and last ride of the day. I wouldn’t have wanted to start or end the trip any other way, and to anyone who is a fan of coasters you need to ride this one if you haven’t yet.
That concludes my list, the parks I’m hoping to hit next are Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Cedar Point. I also would love to get to go back to Universal Studios sometime in the near future to ride the Velocicoaster, and if I go back I have to ride the Hagrid rollercoaster again too. Let me know if you’ve been to Carowinds what you think of my list, and comment below some of your favorite parks/rides!