Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an official Charlotte address, and its business offices are located on the Charlotte side of the park. The park opened on March 31, 1973, at the cost of $70 million. It results from a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, Carowinds also features a 27-acre (11 ha) water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission. In addition, the park has a Halloween event called SCarowinds and a winter event called Winterfest.
Early History
Carowinds was announced on October 10, 1969, and originally planned on being a large resort that would include a theme park, hotels, a shopping center, a golf course, and an NFL stadium. The name Carowinds was conceived from the park’s original theme of the history and culture of the Carolinas and is a portmanteau of Carolina and winds, about the winds that blow across the two states. The ground was broken on May 1, 1970, with a planned opening date in April 1972. However, after numerous construction delays due to weather, the park eventually opened on March 31, 1973, under the ownership of the Carowinds Corporation, a consortium of local investors headed by Hall. The first season brought in over 1.2 million visitors, but the 1973 oil crisis curtailed attendance at Carowinds, and plans for the proposed resort were put on hold. Sagging attendance and mounting debt forced Carowinds Corporation to merge with Taft Broadcasting in early 1975. A1 Bed Bug Exterminator Charlotte
WinterFest
Carowinds re-introduced WinterFest for the 2017 season. This event features seasonal holiday decorations, tree lighting, Christmas carolers, homemade crafts, a themed parade, and select rides. The park previously had Winterfest in 1983 when owned by Taft Attractions and again in 2005 when owned by Paramount.
SCarowinds
In September 2000, the park introduced SCarowinds. It is an annual Halloween attraction and is presented on select nights in September and October and the first weekend in November. The experience includes numerous haunted attractions and incorporates most of the existing park rides into a nightmarish experience.
Palladium
The Palladium is an outdoor amphitheater located at Carowinds. It opened in 1975 and was the Charlotte area’s premier outdoor concert venue until Blockbuster Pavilion, now PNC Music Pavilion was opened in 1991. It lost most of its prominent acts to the Uptown Amphitheatre at the NC Music Factory (now the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre at AvidxChange Music Factory) when it opened in 2009 and now hosts Christian primarily bands. Admission to the Palladium is separate from admission to Carowinds.
Address: 300 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC
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