What a busy summer it's been! There have been many things I'd like to post, but haven't had the time. I decided to break my silence with a topic that might interest other parents: How to plan a day at Carowinds.
I decided to take my two girls and their friend to Carowinds for one daughter's birthday. It had been over twenty-five years since I had been, and of course, I hadn't been the one organizing the expedition back then. It seems like nowadays, a trip to any park involves major planning ahead, with "tricks" to learn. The more advanced society becomes, the more complicated everything seems to be. Can't we just "show up" anywhere anymore?!
We had an overall wonderful time, but it took some research and planning on my part. I'm going to share with you what I learned, and hopefully you'll feel confident planning a day at Carowinds.
When I was a kid, Carowinds was just an amusement park. Now, regular admission includes the Carolina Harbor water park. These two parks are connected; you can go from one into another, or you can go into the main entrance of one or the other. Both parks involve considerable walking, so wear comfortable shoes. I didn't get the "fast pass" that gets you to the front of the lines; this is like what you can purchase for more money at Disney World. But first, let's talk about tickets.
I didn't want to pay for any bells or whistles. By design, I'm a simple creature who just wants the basics. A ticket to the park also gets you in to the water park, so that's what I wanted. Besides, how much can you cram into one day? One ticket will cost you around $45, which is a lot, but after going, I believe it's worth it. However, by the time they add processing fees and taxes, it will be $217 for four people. My advice: Forgo the website and check Groupon first! I was able to get four tickets for $159, but only a few hours later, the deal was sold out.
Places like Carowinds will get your money however they can (more about how I learned that the hard way in a moment). You will also have to pay for parking. If you pay at the gate, it'll be $20; you can save $3 by doing it online. I also learned that on Thursdays in summer, parking is free. You can opt to park closer to the main entrance, or at the Carolina Harbor entrance.
The website advertises lockers for rent....at a minimum of $17!! I carried my backpack around, and it wasn't a problem at all. There's no room for backpacks on rides (and most rides don't allow you to have it with you), but at each ride you can place your bag either in a bin, or set it to the side, inside the ride's gate. No one messes with it, and it wasn't a worry for me.
At Carolina Harbor, I also didn't get a locker. There are lounge chairs everywhere, and like at any pool, people leave their towels and bags on them, and no one seems to mess with any of it. I had left my wallet hidden in my car at this point, so I wasn't worried about leaving our things at a chair while we enjoyed the attractions there. We simply moved our things to the next attraction as we hopped around, finding a new chair at each place. The only reason to secure your bag in a locker here is if everyone in your group is going to go down any of the water slides. If not, then someone can just guard everyone else's stuff.
As for taking things into Carowinds, they are fine with water bottles. Our friend ended up having some food in her bag when we went into the water park, and the attendant who checked the bag didn't say anything. When you arrive at either entrance, you'll first have to set your bag on a counter for inspection, you'll walk through a metal detector, then you'll proceed to a gate where you show your tickets. If you want to leave the park for re-entry, there's someone at the gate who will stamp your arm. To get back in, you have to go through the baggage check again, but you don't need your ticket (just your arm stamp).
As for eating at Carowinds, I recommend packing a lunch, leaving it in a cooler in your car, and eating it in the parking lot. It's also a good transition from the regular park to the water park. We chose to drive the van from the main parking lot over to the entrance to the water park, to be closer. Carolina Harbor is open from 12-5, so you have time to ride some main park rides, then cool off at the water park. The main park is open till 8pm, so we chose to return there after the water park. We drove back to the main parking lot, and by that time (around 5:30), there were empty spaces much closer to the front gate.
The food at Carowinds is insanely expensive, a complete racket. I knew this going in, which is why we took our lunch. However, when the girls asked to get something to tide us over and eat our lunch later, I thought, that sounds ok. We went to Sweet Frog, and I can only plead ignorance at the fact that I never considered that what's in that cup can weigh close to a pound! We go there at home, and our bill is usually around $23 (which, for frozen yogurt, is already expensive to me). I saw the sign on the door that said "99 cents an ounce," but it obviously went over my head...like I said, I guess I thought we'd each have about 6-8 ounces.
When the guy rang up our tab, it came to a whopping $46.19, for four frozen yogurts! I gulped and had to ask him to repeat it. There was a moment when I stood there, mouth agape, wanting to reply but no sound came out! I knew that leaving the stuff on the counter and running out wasn't an option, so I paid the bill and we decided to enjoy every bite of the most expensive frozen yogurt we'd ever have (hopefully)!! I had to explain to the kids that they hadn't done wrong in getting what they usually get at home. I was just so shocked, and felt very stupid that I hadn't considered this more carefully. I still wonder if that guy hadn't put his thumb (or entire hand!) on the scale! At any rate, I learned a lesson, and will hopefully keep others from making a similar mistake.
Since we had loaded up on the yogurt, we decided to make that be our lunch, and were able to ride a few more rides. We did go back to the car as planned, as we had left our towels and bathing suits in there. It gave us a chance to fuel up on some snacks (which I was glad we had taken) and drive closer to the water park. We changed in the bathroom there; Carowinds does have ample restrooms, and there are showers and changing rooms at Carolina Harbor. Also, there is free water available anywhere that food is sold. Next time, I'm going to leave my wallet secured in my car, and stick to only the snacks and food we take ourselves. Not taking a wallet inside the park keeps you out of food traps and other enticing money pits, and also avoids worry about it being in your bag. If there's a souvenir you can't live without (and, trust me, there isn't), you can always get the money out of your car and go back in.
So, in summary, we got to the main park at ten (when it opens), went over to the water park around 1:30, dried off and changed at 4:30, ate our dinner (which originally was the lunch we'd packed) in the car, then went back into the park a little after five. Carowinds does allow strollers, and also those fold-up wagons you can get at sporting goods stores. It will seem like there are tons of people there if you arrive right at ten, because everyone has to go through the same gate. However, you'll see that the crowd soon disperses as folks go their own way. We went on a Tuesday in mid-August, and the longest we stood in a line was 15-20 minutes. The staff was friendly, and not once did I feel overwhelmed or unsafe. The lifeguards at the wave pool are outstanding. There is one lifeguard for every ten or so yards, and they watch the crowd like hawks.
That's about it, in a nutshell. If I forgot anything, mention it under "comments," and I'll see if I know of an answer. Carowinds is a fantastic place, and well worth the trip, as long as you do your homework and plan ahead.
