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Carowinds
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Carowinds

See all things to do
See all things to do
Carowinds
4
3,462 reviews
#20 of 200 things to do in Charlotte
Amusement & Theme Parks
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10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
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About
A mecca of family fun, this 105-acre theme/water park features rides that thrill and live entertainment.
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Best nearby
Restaurants
147 within 3 miles
Harmony Hall
39
2.3 ft$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Barbecue
Carowinds
40
0 ft$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • American • Fast Food
Papa Luigi's Carowinds
8
2.3 ftItalian
Starbucks
3
0 ftAmerican • Fast Food
Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que
56
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Barbecue
Cracker Barrel
241
0.7 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Chickie’s & Pete’s Sports Grill
28
0.2 mi$ • American
Culver's
208
0.8 mi$ • Quick Bites • American • Fast Food
Wendy's
43
0.7 mi$ • Quick Bites • American • Fast Food
Moe's Southwest Grill
6
0.6 miGrill
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Attractions
21 within 6 miles
McDowell Nature Center and Preserve
154
Nature & Wildlife Areas
Charlotte Premium Outlets
243
Factory Outlets • Shopping Malls
President James K. Polk State Historic Site
97
Historic Sites
I-77 South NC Welcome Center
6
1.8 miVisitor Centers
Metalmorphosis
186
Monuments & Statues
Velocity Sports Performance
1
2.3 miSports Camps & Clinics
Astronomy Project
1
Observatories & Planetariums
Upper Room Chapel
9
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4
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Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market
34
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
3,462 reviews
Excellent
1,493
Very good
1,156
Average
434
Poor
178
Terrible
201
RcFlyerJeff
Knoxville, TN173 contributions
Disappointed
May 2023 • Couples
After we paid to get in the park we were told by other customers that during the week days they don't open all the rides, and on the Friday we went many rides were closed. Also, stood in line for 1.5 hours for the Nighthawk rollercoaster ride just to have it breakdown just as we were finally at the boarding gate. Waited an additional 30 minutes at the gate while they worked to fix the problem, then we were told it will be down for a lot longer than expected. I ask the heavy set guy at the gate do we get a fast pass for when it gets running again, he said no you will just have to wait in line allover again. Later that day it was running again, my wife stood in line again for 30 minutes before they announced it broke down again, finally late in the day we were able to ride the rollercoaster. On the positive side the large Fury and the Dale Earnhardt rollercoasters were always up and running and provided a nice long ride.
Written May 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mammy
Pensacola Beach6 contributions
Fun with fast lane pass, but need to work out some kinks
Apr 2022
This is our second year with a season Gold pass. We went 9 April for my son's 10th birthday and took his best friend with us. Because we were going on a weekend, we purchased Fast Lane passes to quickly get us on and off rides. These passes were $99 for each pass, and while worth it, I feel that being season pass holders, we should get a discount, even if just 10%.

The fast lane passes helped us to not wait in line as long, with the most we waited for a ride was 10 minutes. This allowed us to ride more rides, and more times on certain rides than what would have been possible. There was the Hurler (wooden roller coaster) that we rode on that had Fast Lane access, but there was no employee there so it was just people rushing to get in seats instead of any type of order.

My son and his friend also did the Slingshot ($30 per person, plus an additional $15 for the video) and loved it. We received a video on USB. There problem here is while the video looks super cool, there was no sound. I have contacted Carowinds about the sound, but I know in most cases, there files a deleted daily. If it doesn't come with sound, then I would have liked to know that before I paid for the video.

Lunch is an area where Carowinds could work on. We went to Harmony Hall which has pizza, burgers, poke bowls, bbq, etc. They have plates sitting out waiting for you to grab, but there is no sign, no people are unsure if they should wait to be given the plate, or pick it up on their own. We got cheese pizza with breadsticks and a cheeseburger with fries plate. The burger was crispy like charcoal and inedible. The fries were decent. The cheese pizza was on a flatbread type of dough and besides the areas with marinara and cheese, the bread was rock hard and inedible. Breadstick lacked flavor. We also had Panda Express which is located not too far from Harmony Hall. Broccoli beef was gotten as there are only 4 entree options. We received 3 pieces of beef, but mainly broccoli.

I definitely recommend going to Carowinds, but if it is on a weekend, getting the Fast Lane pass. I'm hoping they will work on the quality of the food, as well as sound on videos from the Slingshot.
Written April 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff W
Charlotte, NC2 contributions
Day at the Park
Sep 2022
It is what you expect it to be, lines can be long but the park is clean the food is good,
some is a bit over priced , Dipping Dots come to mind , but over all , you can get get a hot dog and fries with out taking a second mortgage on your house. Coasters are exceptional , and kids rides seem to have the shortest lines . Teenages are not kids to claifiy.
Written January 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lexi m
1 contribution
Scarowinds DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY
Oct 2021 • Friends
I have never left a review but I had some an awful experience I felt like it was needed. Me, my boyfriend, and friend went to scarowinds last night, first I bought the tickets online and didn’t realize there was a difference in the scarowinds and carowinds tickets so I called and they said I had to pay extra at the gate. Which was fine until I realized we paid $375 for 3 tickets and 3 meal plans, it was 300 online for the ticket and 25 dollar up-charge when we got there, when the scarowinds tickets are cheaper then the carowinds tickets online! We get inside and the map on the app was useless we walked around in circles and couldn’t find anything half the rides were closed then we finally found one scary walk thru and it was good then after a few hours we found another one which was just awful in the description it was a corn maze but it wasn’t scary you were basically just standing in line the whole way and it differently wasn’t a maze then we decided to find food once again the app was useless and we couldn’t find anything we finally found a place and it wasn’t good my boyfriend couldn’t even eat his sandwich and mine and my friends food wasn’t good we used our meal pass for that and the lady said you can only use it once every hour and a half and you can’t get drinks so what is the point in that? Every employee there seemed to hate their job except the dancers and a few people, whenever I asked someone a question they wouldn’t answer or pretend they didn’t hear it. It was an unorganized train wreck from beginning to end and I really hope you don’t waste your money too!
Written October 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
April L
4 contributions
Not worth the trip or money.
Apr 2023 • Family
Carowinds needs to Honor what the Carowinds website shows. Stop false advertising to get the guest money. The park needs to Have all the shows and rides open. Especially need entertainment for the handicap or disable guest who cannot ride. There was nothing for them to do but people watch and yet they had to pay full price for the admission ticket. The rides are very rough. Need more than one car going for people to ride to help move the lines. All the shops were closed and not all the rides were open so we weren’t able to get our money worth. Some of The all day dining premium restaurants weren’t valid due to being a 3rd party to the park, even though the website stated their were part of the meal plan. Complained to guest relations, prove what website showed and only got an apology. We won’t be back. They didn’t have the staff to open all the rides or shops. No one wants to work anymore. However, if you dare to go and waste your money the comfort inn at the park was a great place to stay. Just bring your own pillows.
Written April 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Podber
6 contributions
Why Does Carowinds Hate Their Guests?
Dec 2022
Negative five stars. Carowinds seems to be taking hospitality guidance from the airline industry by overselling and understaffing their park. We went to Winterfest and waited in a long line to park and then a long line to get through security and then an hour long wait for one lame ride (double the projected 30 minutes) and then sat in a super long line for the Afterburner roller coaster but after making about zero progress after thirty minutes (the projected wait time was thirty minutes) we gave up, and ate an overpriced dinner ($80 for three fast food meals) before leaving. So we spent almost $200 for three entrees at Panda Express and a single ride on the rock’n roller ride. Carowinds was inundated with people and clearly didn’t have the staff to handle the crowds. Do not go to Winterfest if you plan on riding any rides. Shameful treatment that demonstrates disdain for its customers.
Written December 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew M
1 contribution
Scarowinds OVERSOLD = Not Worth Your Money
Oct 2021
Do NOT WASTE your money on Scarowinds. The park is overselling the tickets, which is causing over 3 hours to just wait in traffic to park. Once inside (if you ever get there) you will find yourself in a huge mess of people. They are thinking money over experience. The traffic is dangerous, and for $60 a ticket, it is gouging. STAY AWAY from this literal Nightmare.
Written October 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leah B
1 contribution
Horrible
Oct 2022 • Friends
Scarowinds is a scam. Immediately had issues coming through the gate when we were told that it's card only (no cash) for parking which was an additional $25 on top of our $90 tickets we purchased online. We only had time to ride 2 rides and they weren't even the big thrillers. It's impossible to find your way around because nothing is lit and there are fog machines on every corner. Of course, we expected this but, on top of that, the park was extremely overcrowded, there are no maps for guests to have in hand, there were very few employees working and some were very rude. Not to mention, the "scare factor," which is what we paid extra for (I guess) was nothing. Just people jumping in front of you and causing people to run into you. We won't be coming back. A waste of money. I would rate 0 of 5 stars but unfortunately it isn't possible.
Written October 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melissarstar
Bluffton, SC88 contributions
Scarowinds- Waste of time and money.
Oct 2022 • Family
This review is for Scarowinds, can’t comment on a day visit.
It’s just not worth it! Do not bother, after waiting 40 minutes to park and paying for upgraded VIP parking, we were still only able to ride 2 rides. Carowinds needs to either limit tickets or charge a heck of a lot less. I read the reviews and foolishly went anyway. Don’t be like me, it’s a huge waste of money and a major disappointment.
Written October 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pat L
North Carolina46 contributions
Carowinds - Not worth it
Jun 2021
Not one of the staff wore masks. Several of the rides were not working. Some that were working then were not. We purchased Fast Lane passes for the 3 teens and the staff totally ignored the fact that we were in the Fast Lane Pass line and let the regular riders on first and made them wait for several turns before letting them on. We paid $80 per person per Fast Lane Passes so this was a lot of money in addition to the fee to get in and the parking fee.
For 5 of us to attend admission and with 3 teenagers with Fast Pass and $16 to park...the total was $475 for 4.5 hours - definitely not worth it. It opens at 11 am and we got there at 11:07 and every line was 1.5 hours long and that was with 1/2 the park attendance due to Covid limitations of 40,000 instead of 70,000. That is without food - you are not permitted to bring food or drink inside and they charge $4.50 for a water bottle each time and that adds up quickly. It is a small amusement park and they charge top dollar. The biggest disappointment was the lack of use of the Fast Pass to cut the lines faster - definitely not worth it but then you are on line for well over an hour for the rides.
Written July 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Carowinds (Charlotte) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Carowinds
Carowinds is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM