[formeryogi]

It was confirmed at ACE C3 that the Skyflyer will be moved elsewhere in the park or removed (some controversy over which it is) after the 2014 season.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/bl ... on-as.html

From The Charlotte Business Journal:

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners will vote today on its share of a nearly $1 million in public subsidies to support Carowinds’ planned $43.5 million expansion.

Last night, Charlotte City Council approved in a 7-4 vote to pay the park’s owners $377,952 over three years as an incentive to expand. Mecklenburg County has been asked to kick in $594,516 over the same time.

County documents about the incentives provide more details about the amusement park’s plans. While Carowinds straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina line, the expansion is largely planned within city (and thus county) limits. The first phase of the expansion includes a $30 million roller coaster, a $2.5 million water slide, a $7 million food complex and about $4 million for upgrades to ticket booths and frontage areas.

300 feet tall: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/0 ... jrj9z_4mHn

Cedar Fair Entertainment, the parent company of Carowinds, plans to build a 300-foot-tall roller coaster – 70 feet taller than the park’s biggest attraction, the Intimidator – according to a closed-session transcript the Charlotte City Council released Wednesday.

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[LemondsHead]

So I guess they won't even make the park larger in size?


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[pproteinc]

So i guess they wont even make the park larger in size

Carowinds will use the land the can within the borders before expanding the borders out sir, like any other park does.

[Jonathan]

For comparison...

Diamondback: $22 million
Intimidator: $23 million
Intimidator-305: $25 million
Leviathan: $28 million
Gatekeper: $25 million
Banshee: $24 million

[LemondsHead]

How much did Gold Striker cost?

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[Jonathan]

I don't believe the cost was ever revealed but GCI rides typically cost under $10 million. For Rocky Mountain, Outlaw Run was $10 million, so we can definitely rule out a woodie.

I'd say a B&M wing has to be a leading candidate. A giga seems far fetched, but crazier things have happened, so I would put that on the table as well. There are rumors that B&M has been developing a wing rider with rotating seats, so maybe that is a possibility for something that would be a first of its kind.

[chknwing]

zero flats. just awesome

Mecklenburg pegs the investment on its side of the state line at $30 million. City documents estimate that at $33 million.

say what? theres hardly any room on NCs side. Are they tearing something down or is this stuff going in the bus parking lot?

[formeryogi]

Note we also have a dollar figure on the entrance changes... four million.

[Jay]

Is it bad I'm more excited to see the "$7 million food complex"?

[Jonathan]

In my experience, there is always room. You've got parks that have been around 40, 50, 60 years without ever expanding their borders, yet continue to add new things. Parks don't really grow as much as they evolve. There are plenty of areas on the North Carolina side of the park that could house a huge coaster.

-The Cyclone may not have much life left in it. If the park decided to remove it, there would be a big area available where it used to be and in the dead zone across from Carolina Cobra
-The park could relocate some of the maintenance or greenhouse structures, perhaps to the newly purchased land (this seems unlikely)
-Goldrusher removal. I'd hate to see that happen, but it wouldn't shock me.
-Thrill Zone. This is one of the worst looking areas of the park so it seems like a logical candidate. There's a lot of space to work with even without removing Hurler, Drop Tower, or Skyflyer.

I don't know if it was just a rumor or confirmed by someone, but I recall one of the ideas for a hypercoaster location was starting near Drop Tower and running out toward Thunder Road. Roller coasters really don't take up a ton of space. I think if you look at a lot of parks that have added coasters over the years, you might have a hard time visualizing where one would fit before it was announced.

[chknwing]

I still say the bus parking lot is viable for a coaster and theres room for a $7 million food complex in the thrill zone. Its one of the most neglected areas of the park. This would bring life back into it and more traffic past their pay rides go karts and skyflyer.

[arby]

Is it bad I'm more excited to see the "$7 million food complex"?

I don't think so. That excited me too although I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm hoping one of the restaurants offers fresh food choices.

I'm guessing the real plan for Carowinds might have initially been something like more flats in the near future but when Doswell, VA balked at a tax break we got a jump start on the coaster and expansion plan. Who knows. I was personally hoping for a less expensive coaster and some more flats but I'm certainly not complaining.

Right now it looks like we're somewhere in the area of record breaking for the most expensive steel coaster built at an amusement park. I honestly don't know what to think with that kind of money being spent on a coaster. It could be a number of choices but it is certainly going to be big.

[chknwing]

B&M is working on a 4D coaster. I highly doubt we get that. Carowinds does not need a B&M Giga. I would be ok with a Wing coaster but carowinds just needs some speed in the park. Carowinds needs their own maverick.

[Jonathan]

I'm not sure how interested Cedar Fair is in working with Intamin again (though they keep going back to that well time and time again), but something like Maverick definitely seems plausible, and at the right dollar amount.

the most expensive steel coaster built at an amusement park.

When I first read this I thought it was ridiculous, but after doing more research it's actually not far off. The only thing I can find that has been over $30 million (other than Disney and Universal rides) is Steel Dragon 2000, which was something insane like $50 million.

Carowinds does not need a B&M Giga

Neither did Canada's Wonderland. That said, I think one of their big motivations was the big capacity due to how insanely crowded that park always is. They really wanted another ride that could move a lot of people. Not really a problem at Carowinds.

[arby]

^yeah, I was being serious and tongue in cheek at the same time. Nice observation on the Theme parks of Universal and Disney because they're in a whole different category. I wasn't aware of Steel Dragon 2000 but I was pretty sure $30 mil was up near the top. That wouldn't be a real effective marketing strategy IMO.