CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carowinds is welcoming guests for the 2024 season this weekend.
The 400-acre amusement park located on the North Carolina-South Carolina border will open for the 2024 season on Saturday, March 9.
A spokesperson for Carowinds told WCNC, despite the gloomy weather on Saturday, people came out to enjoy the park. Fury 325 and Carowinds' new Thunder Striker roller coasters appeared to be crowd favorites on Saturday as thrill seekers lined up to ride.
This weekend's reopening comes after two months of park closure. The annual winter closure was commonplace for Carowinds, but was a surprise to some guests after the park announced it was moving to year-round operation in 2023.
The park also says a chaperone policy will be in place for the 2024 season. According to Carowinds, all guests ages 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old to be admitted to or remain in the park after 4:00 p.m. As part of Carowinds’ commitment to a safe and family-friendly environment, the park will strictly enforce the chaperone policy effective Opening Day.
Last month, Carowinds announced it is renaming its iconic Intimidator roller coaster after it carried the nickname of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt for more than a decade. The coaster, which first opened in 2010, will now be known as Thunder Striker.
Thunder Striker will evidently keep its racing theme, according to a video posted on Carowinds' Facebook page, calling the ride the "Carolinas' fastest, meanest hot rod." Thunder Striker is one of the tallest coasters in the country, standing at 232 feet tall with drops that carry riders at speeds up to 80 mph.
In November 2023, Cedar Fair, the company that owns Carowinds, announced it would merge with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The combined company will be comprised of 42 amusement parks and nine resort properties across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The merger will bring Six Flags' headquarters to Charlotte and is expected to close in the first half of 2024.
Carowinds was awarded two distinctions by the amusement park-themed magazine "Amusement Today" in September 2023. Despite repairs to its cracked beam, Fury 325, the longest steel coaster in North America, won its seventh title as "Best Steel Coaster" in the world. Fury 325 also won an award for "Best New Ride" in 2015, its inaugural year.
Carowinds' aviation-themed area "Aeronautica Landing" was also awarded the "Turnstile Award," an honor that is personally selected and given out by the magazine's publisher. The area opens in April 2023 as part of the park's 50th anniversary celebration.