[jeffdavis]

Thanks all! Wasn't really thinking of boomerangs since they aren't full circuit, nor those vertical circle rides since they don't really have a traditional layout, but those trains are exactly what I was thinking of.

As far as knocking it out of the "family" category I think the backwards seats would be thrill seats but the forwards seats might be suitable for more people and fit the "family" category.

Firechaser got me thinking about this as I got my first ride on it last week. It seemed fun but tame and suitable for a much wider range of guests.

[tarheel1231]

Yet another concept for renovating Carowinds' Plaza. Crossroads:

2018-03-27 (1).png (1.08 MiB) Viewed 6357 times

CHANGES:

1. Compass: In the circular area that used to have a planter, I would place a compass mosaic with the cardinal directions facing the appropriate directions.

2. Tradewinds: I would rename Premiers to "Tradewinds Gift Emporium" as a nod to the reason for Carowinds' name (The Carolinas and the Winds that blow across them). The facade would be transformed into one resembling the architecture found on the coasts.

3. Fountain: I'd move the Three-Point Challenge somewhere else within the park, and replace it with either a fountain area or a floral clock. Anything that's aesthetically pleasing.

4. Plaza Stage: I'd replace the current stage with one slightly larger and less portable-looking.

5. Restaurant: Ideally, I'd like to see either a full-service restaurant here or a Showmars, but ultimately, I'd want anything that replaces the art deco architecture.

6. Tarheel Textiles: This one's named after me! I've shared this idea before, but I would demolish Personali-Tees and Crave and replace them with one clothing store themed to an old Carolina textile mill. Graphic Tees and Airbrush Tees at the same location.

[coasterbruh]

So you're saying to expand the current eatery cause I don't think a full service place can fit in the current layout.

[tarheel1231]

Yeah looking at it on google maps, it looks far too small. Tbh I get the feeling they’re done with remodeling the plaza as of now. I have no insider knowledge of this but it seems to be the case.

[redrunner97]

All this talk of PROJECT ALPHA inspired me to go pull this old wishlist item out again, especially since it could very likely end up being a wooden rollercoaster. But the real reason I keep going back to this idea of mine is because every time I read "Project: Alpha," my mind immediately goes to the alpha male of a wolf pack...

ARROWHEAD - GCI WOODEN COASTER
A GCI woodie in the vein of Mystic Timbers and Gold Striker; sporting classic white supports and a natural wood color track, like so many classic wooden coasters of the past. That's what this ride is: a celebration of the past as we progress into the future.

Arrowhead is themed to the Cherokee Indians of the Carolinas. More specifically, it tells the fabled tale of the battle between native warriors and the evil "Raven Mocker"—a wolf-like sasquatch who tormented the natives and sought to bring death to the tribes.

The train whips around the track like a blazing arrow, speeding towards the beast! The final break run is housed in an enclosed section where flickering red lights (which shaman's believed symbolized the spirits of fallen warriors) are projected all around, accompanied by traditional Cherokee flute music, celebrating victory over the monster.

Maybe even add a visual effect like Mystic Timbers and show a medicine man sitting at a fire, standing watch to protecting the tribe, set to native music? Either way, something like Arrowhead would be a fun way to acknowledge the history of this great land we call The Carolinas, and its original inhabitants.

Currently, the section of the park known as "Crossroads" is actually just three generic areas put together. Change the rest of that section to something else, but keep the name "Crossroads" here (for the spot in front of White Water Falls where Arrowhead would hypothetically go). There's basically an actual crossroads here, thanks to the path dividing the lake. Incorporate Windseeker & the newly relocated Flying Eagles and transform it into a place where the past and future of the Carolinas collides—the actual "Crossroads".

[tarheel1231]

Looking at google maps, the park has about three acres of undeveloped land behind Thrill Zone. That's a sizeable amount of unused land that's already inside of the park.

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The only problem is that's it's separated from the park by

1. The backstage areas behind Carolina Cyclone
2. The path between Hurler and Drop Tower with a utility shed.

So I was thinking you could reroute the paths in Thrill Zone, relocate some of the buildings from behind Cyclone, reroute the maintenance road behind Drop Tower, and you'd wind up with this:

ReroutedPath.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 6164 times

Once you've opened up a pathway between Cyclone and Drop Tower, you could have a nice pathway leading to a new coaster. Maybe a nice multi-launch similar to Helix. It could even use some of Hurler's infield as it's not seeing much use at the moment. I made a mockup layout (I just doodled a path):

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[redrunner97]

I hope this upcoming season will finally be the year that the park gives Carolina Cyclone some much-need TLC.
And not the kind of TLC they gave Thunder Road.

Here are some things I think would really improve the look (and feel!) of this classic coaster:

- New Color Scheme: I'm say go with orange track and blue-grey supports for a "sand and seafoam" kind of vibe. There's also not currently an orange coaster in the park since Flying Ace became Kiddy Hawk.

- New Sign: I'd love a flashy new sign for this ride, something more modern in design (see my avatar for a more specific idea of what I have in mind); the original sign could be mounted inside the station.

- Enclose the Helix: Enclosing the helix would be really cool, and adding a storm sound effect inside would add to the whole cyclone motif.

- New Trains: Those fancy Cobra-style trains with the vest restraints are way more comfortable and would certainly make for a smoother ride. Even if none of the other stuff happens, I really hope this does.

EDIT:
I'm picturing something similar to the color scheme of Corkscrew at Michigan's Adventure, only with completely orange track:

[redrunner97]

CAROUSEL PARK looks so much better than Vortex Plaza ever did. But I believe there is so much more that could be done within that space to continue its transformation into a unique area all its own.

CAROWINDS CHARACTER MEET AND GREET
For starters, I think Scrambler should be moved to either Crossroads (maybe in Yo-Yo's spot?) or County Fair, if there's room of course. In it's place I would love to see an area designed like the town hall of Carowinds, where guests can meet and take pictures with Granny, Mayor Higginbotham, Patti Cakes, Deputy Willard D. Danger, etc. and buy retro souvenirs or even plushes of the park's original animal mascots.

CAROWINDS THEATRE REDUX
Next, the Carowinds Theater would get a complete exterior makeover to make it look more Southern and traditional, almost like how the Grand Ole Opry used to look. It would give it an old south flare and continue this area's theme.

HILLBILLY JALOPIES
The park would have to remove Vortex to make room for this last idea. But that's fine; Vortex is short, painful, slow to load, and sitting on valuable lakefront property—so it's gotta go eventually... anyway, in its place comes the new and improved HILLBILLY JALOPIES!

Winding around beautifully landscaped greenery (bright grass, stylish hedges, colorful patches of flowers, etc.), the antique cars make their way out to the lake and back. Along the way, they pass by animatronic versions of the park's original animal mascots playing banjo music and singing the Carowinds theme song from the '70s (similar to the Singing Mushrooms over at King's Dominion). Maybe there are even some small sets along the path showcasing other locations from the "town" of Carowinds where the mayor, deputy, and granny are from (like the schoolhouse, jail, church, etc.)?

I think this would completely transform this entire section into a centerpiece of classic attractions and simultaneously continue Cedar Fair's trend of making Carowinds into more of an actual THEME park.





http://www.gouldmanufacturing.com/antiqueautoride.html

[tarheel1231]

I'd really love it if there was a show at the park that was an attraction in and of itself, rather than it being a traveling show like Cirque, or live music like Harmony Hall. Something like Mystery Lodge at Knott's would be a great attraction.



I think the ideal location for an attraction like this would be where Boo Blasters currently is. A show about a Haunted Charleston Mansion/Theater with holographic projections, projection mapping, and fog effects would be extremely fun.

[redrunner97]

Got it already homeboy ^ bring back PHANTOM OF THE OPRY, even if it's just in-name-only!

It was a show that used to play at the old Harmony Hall (currently Boo Blasters) back in the early '80s.

[tarheel1231]

PHANTOM OF THE OPRY

This name is perfect! Please Carowinds, pretty please??

[redrunner97]

PHANTOM OF THE OPRY

This name is perfect! Please Carowinds, pretty please??

What do you think about a Triotech dark ride of the same name inside Boo Blasters?

Obviously it wouldn't be as much of a thrill ride as the one up in Canada, but it could add some fun mythology to the lore of Carowinds, like what Voyage to the Iron Reef did for Knott's Berry Farm.

I could just see Granny wagging her finger, telling folks not to go in there because it's haunted!

[tarheel1231]

The problem with adding a Triotech in Boo Blasters' building IMO is that it would be too short. Iron Reef's building is three times larger, so at the most, you'd probably be looking at a 2 minute dark ride vs. a 4 minute dark ride. Then there's the issue of capacity, and how you'd be able to squeeze a fleshed-out dark ride into a building the size of Boo Blasters.

On top of this, the park now has Plantz vs. Zombies. While it isn't really a traditional dark ride, the capacity is much higher and it has a longer duration than Boo Blasters. So another shooting attraction in that building would feel redundant IMO.

A theatrical attraction's capacity would be much higher than Boo Blasters, and it would require less maintenance than a traditional dark ride. That's why I think something like Mystery Lodge would be great for that building.

[arby]

I agree with you. If we were ever to get a Triotech dark ride, it needs to be in a much larger building.

[tarheel1231]

Red, I know you're gonna crucify me for this, but here it goes:

Blue Ridge Junction

Kinda stealing this idea from Dollywood, but this is how I would re-do the boardwalk area. It would be themed to a ski resort and these would be the new or altered attractions:

Zamperla Samba Tower:



The ride pad would be located over Carolina Cyclone's final helix and it could be themed to either balloons or some type of helicopter-rescue attraction.

Zamperla Disk'O



This would replace Sweet Frog's current location and be themed to a Half Pipe.

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As far as exisiting attractions go, this is what I would change:

-Carolina Cyclone would retain it's name, but instead of being themed to a hurricane, it would be themed to a blizzard. Track painted a light, smokey blue with silver supports (think Drachen Fire).
-Ricochet would be renamed to "Blue Ridge Blitz" and it would be extensively rethemed to a ski course. Think something like Goofy's Sky School, but with ski theming. Track would be painted white, supports light blue, maybe some fiberglass ice hear and there. The tower over the station would be painted brown, and themed to a lookout tower on the course. The station itself would be rethemed to a ski-lodge.
-Chickie's and Pete's would remain in it's spot, but instead of having mementos and pictures of Carolina sports teams, it'd have pictures of random ski resorts to match the atmosphere.
-Carolina Goldrusher would not be altered with the exception of some new signage and possibly some new trains.