I'm up late and decided to resurrect/update a couple of my old ideas from the various wishlists we've had over the years:
CAROLINA CYCLONE: 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION- Replace the current trains with the vest-style one that The Flying Cobras has. If they can make a boomerang enjoyable, then they'll work wonders for restoring this classic coaster's ride experience to its former glory!
- An all-new sign (see my half-assed mock up below
) with a more modern logo design... don't scrap the original one though, install it inside the station for enthusiasts and patrons alike to see that even though we might change over the years, the past is never forgotten!
- It's time for a makeover! This ride desperately needs a new paint job. Yellow and blue is overused in the park (and red, in my opinion), but orange is not. Paint the rest of the track orange and make the supports a duller, grey-blue color. Keep it colorful, but not too bright. It'd make a cool combo and would fit a coaster about a hurricane strangely well IMO, that pair of colors almost remind me of warm sand and sea foam for some reason.
- Enclose the helix again, and add storm sound effects, maybe even fog and strobe lighting too!
- Installation of a plaque by the queue that explains the ride's historical significance as the first coaster ever made that goes through four inversions!
- And lastly, tear up that asphalt and install some brick pavers. The midway with the corkscrew flying overhead is so beautiful and is easily one of my favorite spots in the park. It'd look even better if this were to happen, and it'd reduce some of the heat on that side of the park as well.
VORTEX BECOMES... BLACK WIDOW- If a conversion truly is coming, why not throw back to the name of a classic Carowinds attraction? It's a really cool name that once terrorized visitors to the park and it could make for an even cooler coaster theme today!
- Think Banshee and Rougarou, creepy but hip, with sound effects at the drop and maybe some fog during the loop or helix? A giant spider sitting in the grassy area between the coaster and the lake/Skytower could be awesome too!
- Back 2 Black! Vortex used to be black and red, if I recall correctly, so let's bring back its classic colors... the same colors of the monstrous Black Widow!
- New queue area leading up to station. This one's obvious, Vortex's entrance is a nightmare and definitely needs to be reconfigured in a more precise way. It's hard to find the entrance and requires a confusing walk-around to new visitors if they're coming from the front of the park.