Carowinds Addition Featured On Best New Attractions List
2024 saw a lot of growth in the tourism industry nationwide. But also here locally. The Charlotte region added numerous attractions, bars, and restaurants. But it’s one that Carowinds added that is receiving national attention on the USA Today 10 Best New Attractions of The Year list.
The list is based on votes from USA Today readers. Nominees were selected by the publication’s experts and narrowed down by editors. From there the public has the opportunity to vote on their favorites in a variety of categories. In this case, it was the “best new attractions”. This includes things like theme parks, museum exhibits, and performance spaces among other categories. And the newest addition to Carowinds- Aeronautica Landing- came in at number 10 on the 10 Best List.
According to Carowinds Aeronautica Landing was “inspired by the spirit of adventure and innovation that made world history in the Carolinas.” This reimagined section of the park features several small footprint rides some new and some rethemed. This includes Air Racers, Gear Spin, Hover and Dodge (bumper cars), The Airwalker, Gyroforce, and Windstar. Additionally, the area is home to the Terminal A restaurant and bar and a variety of carnival games.
I did ride a couple of the attractions including Hover and Dodge and the Windstar on my last visit to the park. Though I am not a big fan of spinning rides which this area is heavy on. If you can handle them though this is a great area of the park. Particularly for those not keen on roller coasters.
Other recognized attractions on the USA Today 10 best list include Wonderous Space at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, INTER_ in New York City, and the Alama Exhibit at the Ralston Family Collections Center in San Antonio. You can view the full USA Today 10 Best List here.
All 13 Of Carowinds Roller Coasters Ranked
August 16th is National Roller Coaster Day. And here in the Carolinas, yes both Carolinas, we are lucky enough to have some incredible roller coasters. As a kid who loved thrill rides, I used to dream of going to Cedar Point one day to ride some of the world’s best coasters. Little did I know that Cedar Point’s parent company, Cedar Fair, would purchase Carowinds years later and start to bring those world-class roller coasters to my own backyard. Pretty fun right? Since Cedar Fair took over the park we’ve seen lots of changes. These include a water park expansion, fair-type rides, and of course new record-breaking coasters.
And they really have put Carowinds on the map. The last time I was there, there was actually a huge group of roller coaster enthusiasts from around the world that came here specifically to go to Carowinds. It has become a destination theme park. Which is pretty cool and great for the economy in both of the Carolinas. But back to the coasters at Carowinds. Counting kiddie coasters there are 13 roller coasters in the park. Some have been there since I was a kid, and others are relatively new. The newest coaster Carowinds has is Copperhead Strike a launch coaster which numerous inversions that opened in March of 2019.
A few of my rankings you may not agree with, and that’s ok this is just my personal opinion as someone who has grown up in Charlotte and gone to Carowinds a fair number of times. I don’t frequent that often anymore, maybe once a year if friends want to go, but I’ll always love getting on my favorite rides. So keep reading to see all 13 of Carowinds’ roller coasters ranked. Want to see a full ranking on every ride open in 2022 at Carowinds? You can read that here.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
