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97-730: WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall (92 m) swing ride at several Six Flags parks. The rides are Wind Seeker models manufactured by Mondial . They opened for the 2011 season at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario , Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio , and Knott's Berry Farm in California . Carowinds in North Carolina and Kings Dominion in Virginia opened their WindSeekers in 2012. The first four each cost US$ 5 million, while

194-440: A $ 30 million roller coaster, a $ 2.5 million water slide, a $ 7 million food complex, and $ 4 million to improve the park's ticket booths and front areas. The same year, the park introduced Dinosaurs Alive! , a 5-acre walkthrough attraction. In 2015, Fury 325 , the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world, opened as another component of the park's previously announced "top-to-bottom" expansion program. A new front entrance replaced

291-477: A 1,087-foot suspended track while dodging a gauntlet of gushing geysers and rain curtains and was the first of its kind roller coaster in the world. SCarowinds, the park's annual Halloween event, is introduced for the first time in October. In 2001, the park introduced three new attractions including Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion , an interactive ghost-busting experience through the former Harmony Hall, Pipeline Peak,

388-531: A 1923 antique carousel built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company is added to The Land of Hanna-Barbera. The Carolina Cyclone was added in 1980 as the first roller coaster in the world to feature four inversions. Thunder Road received new Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters trains. The original themed trains were destroyed after causing damage to the tracks. Rip Roarin' Rapids, a water rapids ride, opens in 1982. In 1982, Ocean Island opens as

485-410: A Chair-O-Plane called Archelon, which was themed to the extinct species of turtle of the same name. Chessington World of Adventures is home to a monkey-themed Chair-O-Planes, named the "Monkey Swinger", that squirts water at riders. This formerly had a theme based on Billy Whizz of The Beano . Paultons Park is also home to a Chair-O-Planes called "The Sky Swinger". This ride opened in 2008 and

582-472: A Christmas event in November and December that previously operated in 2005, was also reintroduced. In 2018, Planet Snoopy was expanded and converted into Camp Snoopy with the addition of six new children's attractions. The following year, Copperhead Strike , a double-launched roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides , was opened in the all-new seven-acre Blue Ridge Junction area of the park and became

679-539: A Wave Slinger. A Chair-O-Planes is featured on the cover of Dave Matthews Band 's 1994 album Under the Table and Dreaming . The liner note credit lists the site of this photo as Sandusky, Ohio , which is the location of Cedar Point . In John Updike 's short story "You'll Never Know Dear How Much I Love You" he mentions a WhirloGig. At the end of the Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode "Short Stuff", Experiment 297,

776-462: A coming of age story set in the world of travelling fairs. It recounts the friendship between a young girl seeking to escape her family and a transgirl from a family of show people . Its title is a play on the Italian name for Swing-Rides ( Calcinculo "kick up the arse"), and refers both to the ride and to the blows and setbacks that girls receive during adolescence. Carowinds Carowinds

873-399: A crab-like alien who was accidentally enlarged by his creator Jumba Jookiba 's growth ray and given the name "Shortstuff", has the ability to swivel his body from the waist up. He was allowed to stay at his enlarged size by being employed as a living swing ride for a carnival as his "one true place". The 2022 film Swing Ride ( Italian title: 'Calcinculo'), directed by Chiara Bellosi, is

970-538: A gift shop. Oaken Bucket was removed. The Heritage Theater was converted into an arcade. In 1984, Smurf Island opens on a 1.3 acre island surrounded by the Carolina Sternwheeler river boat. The Flying Dutchman is removed and the Paladium is expanded. Blackbeard's Revenge, an Arrow-Huss haunted swing ride, is added in 1985. In 1986, County Fair is renovated and Frenzoid, a 360-degree looping Viking ship,

1067-582: A large resort which would include a theme park , hotels , a shopping center , a golf course , and an NFL stadium . The name Carowinds was conceived from the park's original theme of the history and culture of the Carolinas , and is a portmanteau of Carolina and winds , in reference to the winds that blow across the two states. Ground was broken on May 1, 1970, with a planned opening date in April 1972. After numerous construction delays due to weather,

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1164-740: A lawsuit between the two companies. Zamperla also sells a Vertical Swing. The Prater Turm located in the Wurstelprater in Vienna opened in 2010 at a height of 117 metres (384 ft). The Star Flyer , located in Tivoli Gardens , Copenhagen , affords sweeping views of the city's historical centre. The Swing Carousel also located in Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen. Les Chaises Volantes in Walibi Sud-Ouest

1261-522: A minimum of 100 feet (30.48 m) tall, with several even surpassing 200’ (60.96 m). The Texas and New England Six Flags parks have Sky Screamers measuring 400’ (121.92 m). North American swing rides include: Spinner had dismantled when the Genting Outdoor Theme Park closed since 1 September 2013 to make way for the world's first 20th Century Fox World , which was completed by 2021. The Metalocalypse episode "Motherklok" features

1358-642: A result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States . The park hosted a new holiday event, however, called "Taste of the Season" from November 21 – December 20, 2020. The event featured food, live shows, and other holiday activities throughout the park, as well as a select number of amusement rides. The park returned to normal operation in May 2021. In 2021, Boogie Board Racer, the longest mat racing slide in

1455-449: A rider had to extend his leg to stop the seat in front from hitting him. In another, a seat collided with the kneecap of a rider who had closed their eyes. Official explanations suggested that the hydraulic dampers could fail under high winds: apparently, high winds and the imbalance arising when some swings are full and others not could cause the swings to collide. On June 29, 2011, Jennifer Valentyne of Breakfast Television Toronto rode

1552-505: A second, larger wave pool was added to Boomerang Bay due to increased popularity. Yo-Yo, a flat ride from Carowinds' former sister park Geauga Lake , was also added to the park. The Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator is closed and removed. The following year, Carolina Cobra was also relocated from Geauga Lake in the spot formerly home to the Flying Super Saturator and includes new trains. Multiple pathways were repaved and

1649-486: A separately ticketed attraction between Thunder Road and the White Lightnin' roller coasters. The water park was not owned by Carowinds, and included a 700,000-gallon, 25,500 square foot wave pool that featured waves reaching heights of five feet. The complex also featured other standard water park amenities including picnic and sunbathing areas, shower and changing facilities, a snack bar, game room, raft rentals and

1746-531: A sold-out crowd at the Paladium in 1993 during a stop on their I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour. Screaming Trees played there with Soul Asylum in '93. It had Virginia's Dave Matthews Band in '93, UK's Depeche Mode with Stabbing Westward in '94, Athens GA's B-52's in '94, Billy Ray Cyrus in '95, Blues Traveler in '96, Coolio in '96, UK's Duran Duran in 2000, Weird Al Yankovic in '00, Smash Mouth in '00, Sugar Ray in '00, and 311 in '04. Atlanta Christian rapper Lecrae performed there in 2014 (for Rock

1843-546: A three-story climbing structure, and Kids' Studio, an outdoor amphitheater for children's shows. On June 30 of the same year, a skycoaster ride called Skycoaster opened in the Wayne's World section. Drop Zone: Stunt Tower was also added in 1996 in the same area. The park hosted 1.8 million visitors, making it one of the largest tourist attractions in the Carolinas. In 1997, to celebrate the park's 25th anniversary, RipTide Reef

1940-525: Is a Zierer model. Butlins is home to three Chair-O-Planes, one at each site, located at Butlins Minehead , Butlins Bognor Regis , and Butlins Skegness . Butlins Minehead is home to a Zierer Wave Swinger, and the other two resorts manufacturers are unknown. Most of the traditional-style swing carousel rides in North America are found in amusement parks, as well as at many seasonal fairs and carnivals. They are usually made by Zierer (which calls

2037-528: Is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina . Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation , the park first opened to the public on March 31, 1973. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77 , with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina . The park has a sign telling guests where

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2134-575: Is a Wellenflieger named Spinnvidle (“spin-wheel”) that has been in-operation since 2012. Spinnvidle is the first of its kind in Norway with double seats. The Swedish name for Swing ride is Slänggunga or Kättingflygare . At Gröna Lund , Stockholm , a swing ride with the name "Eclipse" can be found. With its 121.9 metres (400 ft), it shares the "world's second tallest" title with SkyScreamer in Texas, North America. The biggest amusement park in

2231-585: Is a Zierer model from 1987 which was relocated to the park in 1992. In Germany, swing rides are often found on fairs , Volksfests like the Oktoberfest and traveling funfairs . But swing rides are also common in amusement parks . Most of the German swing rides are from Zierer. Some of these include: In Italy , most swing rides travel with fairs . The ride is called " Seggiolini volanti " ("Flying chairs") or " calcinculo ", which literally means "kick in

2328-473: Is a little patchy but is thought to have been built in Germany in the 1920s and imported to Britain with a blank canvas. It's generally the case that British roundabouts run clockwise, whereas their Continental and American counterparts run anti-clockwise. The Chair-o-Plane certainly runs the right direction to be a British-built ride, but it may have been adapted by an early owner. Adventure Island has

2425-475: Is added to the area. In 1987, Carowinds purchases Ocean Island. Vintage Jalopies is removed and the Panorama Vision theater is converted to an arcade. The following year, White Lightnin' is removed due to continuous maintenance downtime. The Balloon Race flat ride and WhiteWater Falls, a 45 foot tall water attraction is added. In 1989, Ocean Island is renamed to RipTide Reef and expanded to over 6 acres on

2522-531: Is an annual Halloween attraction and is presented on select nights in September and October, as well as the first weekend in November. The experience includes numerous haunted attractions and incorporates most of the existing park rides into a nightmarish experience. The Paladium is an outdoor amphitheater located at Carowinds. It opened in 1975 and was the Charlotte area's premier outdoor concert venue until

2619-540: Is demolished. For the 2017 season, the expansion of the County Fair area saw the addition of four new rides: Electro-Spin (a Mondial top scan), Zephyr (Zierer Wave Swinger), Rock N Roller (Mack Rides Music Express), and Do-Si-Do (HUSS Troika). Carolina Cobra was re-themed and renamed "The Flying Cobras", with a new blue and white color scheme. The park also announced that the Wings restaurant would be expanded. WinterFest,

2716-547: Is expanded into WaterWorks, doubling its size to include 12 acres at a cost of $ 7.5 million. In 1998, ZOOM ZONE opens in Animation Station. The expansion adds three new attractions: Taxi Jam, Chopper Chase and Road Rally and increases the size of the area by 3.5 acres. The addition of Top Gun: The Jet Coaster in 1999 became the single-largest investment in the park's history at a cost of $ 10.5 million. In 2000, The Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator takes riders along

2813-526: Is hidden which is to counteract vortex shedding vibrations. Vibrations due to vortex shedding occurs at the critical wind speeds where the vortexes in the wake of the structure coincides with the structures natural frequency which causes resonance. The tuned mass damper adds damping which limits the vibrations. All the WindSeekers have speakers mounted to the inside of the gondola structure. They play 18 different tracks, among which are Hedwig's theme from

2910-466: Is one from the seat to the restraint bar in case the lock on the restraint bar fails. After the operators determine that it is safe to proceed, the gondola rises to the top of the tower to a musical accompaniment, beginning to spin slowly around the central tower and picking up speed as it ascends further. By the time it reaches the top, it is rotating around the tower at its full speed of approximately 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). The gondola remains at

3007-687: The Harry Potter films, the theme songs from E.T. , Star Trek: The Motion Picture , and Superman , as well as songs from Flight of the Valkyries . At Cedar Point and Kings Island, the WindSeeker sign changes colors during night operation. At Cedar Point, as the gondola makes its way up the tower, the LED lights at the top of the tower go out, making the tower invisible, though the LED lights on

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3104-466: The Carowinds web site had six different QR codes , each of which led the user to a website giving a clue as to what the 2012 attraction might be. When all six clues were put together, they made a picture that read "Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters, fun soars to new heights... August 24". On August 24, 2011, it was officially announced that Carowinds would receive

3201-541: The Nordic countries is Tusenfryd (lit. “daisies”), located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) outside the capital city Oslo, Norway . Tusenfryd features a Wellenflieger called Sverrehusken (“swear the chairs”) that has been in-operation since 1988. Sverrehusken was the first ride of its kind in the Nordic countries. At Kongeparken (lit. ‘the royal park’), located 10 km outside the third-largest city in Norway, Stavanger ,

3298-548: The Spanish California theme of the Fiesta Village section of the park. The tower at Knott's had no lights at the top. The ride's sign had a Mexican theme and did not light up. Riders sit in one of 64 seats placed around a central tower, which brings the gondola up and down. A restraint bar is fixed over the rider's lap to keep them firmly in their seat. There is no seat belt across the rider's lap, but there

3395-494: The "impressive nighttime spectacular from anywhere in the park". He reported having thoroughly enjoyed the ride at Knott's Berry Farm and said that he would ride it every time he visited the park. Tom Sherer of the Sandusky Register praised Cedar Point's WindSeeker for having one of the best views of the park and commented that it "isn't as extreme as a lot of people fear, unless you're afraid of heights." He criticized

3492-529: The 2012 season, all of the WindSeekers except Kings Island's experienced incidents in which the ride stopped, stranding riders in the air. Two such incidents occurred in September at Knott's Berry Farm, in one case leaving riders stranded at the top of the ride for nearly four hours, prompting the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to order the ride shut down indefinitely on September 19 pending investigation of both

3589-574: The 2023 season. Carowinds began year-round operation in 2023, including limited park operation on weekends in January and February and Flights & Bites, a seasonal offering in Harmony Hall. The park also celebrated their 50th anniversary with limited time entertainment offerings, unique food and beverage, and vintage merchandise. In accordance with their 50th anniversary milestone, Carowinds announced its new Aeronautica Landing area will open for

3686-399: The 27-acre Carolina Harbor water park. Based on a Coastal Carolinian theme, it features 15 rides and attractions. It originally opened as Ocean Island in 1982, the water park has also been known as Riptide Reef (1989–1997) WaterWorks (1997–2006), and Boomerang Bay (2007–2015). On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced an expansion for the area that added five additional attractions and resulted in

3783-453: The Fiesta Village area. Members of the general public have also applauded the addition. Swing ride Hollycombe Steam Collection has a chair-o-planes adapted from a bomb damaged roundabout in 1944. A Chair-O-Planes premiered in Germany in 1972, designed by Zierer and built by Franz Schwarzkopf , brother of Anton Schwarzkopf . In 1974 the first portable unit debuted under

3880-528: The Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker. On September 7, the ride stalled for nearly three hours, and on September 19, it stalled again at the top of the tower for three and a half hours. Both incidents prompted Cedar Fair to close all other WindSeekers until an internal investigation is completed. After the investigation was complete, all WindSeekers reopened except Knott's' model which was dismantled by December 11, 2013, to be sent to Worlds of Fun. Throughout August 2011,

3977-678: The Netherlands during the late seventies. It had gondolas travelling around the outside of the ride. When moved to Dreamland in England (then called "Bembom Brothers"), it was reconstructed into a Chair-O-Plane and named Heatwave. Leaving Dreamland, it opened in Lightwater Valley in 1998 where it operated until 2003 when Henk Bembom moved Heatwave to his new park, Loudoun Castle, where it was renamed "The Plough" and painted green. The park has been closed since 2010. Until 2016, there

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4074-561: The Nordic countries is Liseberg , in Sweden's second largest city Gothenburg . Liseberg is the home of a Swing ride named " Slänggungan ". Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Scotland claimed that its moon-shaped ride, "The Plough", was the largest Chair-O-Plane in the world. The Plough was originally called Apollo 14 and was owned by the Bembom family, operating in their Ponypark Slagharen in

4171-469: The Paladium hosted Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . Eddie Money played there in '84, INXS played there in '84, John Denver played there in '86, Robert Palmer in '88, and The Glenn Frey Band with Joe Walsh played there in '93. Tears for Fears played there in 1990, and C + C Music Factory performed there in '91. In '91, Chapel Hill native James Taylor played there. Bon Jovi played to

4268-743: The Southeast, opened in Carolina Harbor. Retirement of the Rip Roarin' Rapids ride was also announced, along with the closure of the Dinosaurs Alive! attraction, to prepare for future development. In July 2022, Carowinds announced the closures of Plants vs. Zombies 3Z Arena, Yo-Yo, and Southern Star attractions. As part of the new Aeronautica Landing area of the park, Air Racers, The Airwalker, Gear Spin, Gyro Force, Hover and Dodge, and Wind Star were announced as their replacements for

4365-459: The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland for her "Live-Eye" spot on the show. When the swings reached the top of the tower, the seats began swinging and hitting each other. As the ride continued, Breakfast Television hosts Kevin Frankish and Dina Pugliese asked whether the seats were supposed to touch each other, but received no response. Additional problems were discovered when the ride opened to

4462-502: The WindSeekers at Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, and Kings Island began in late October and early November 2010. To install them, Canada's Wonderland's Jet Scream ride was removed and Cedar Point's Ocean Motion was moved to the former Demon Drop site. Construction was scheduled to begin around the same time at Knott's Berry Farm, where the Sky Cabin observation tower was to be removed to make way for it. On January 7, 2011, however, it

4559-580: The addition of Scooby-Doo in 1975. The Wagon Wheel and The Waltzer flat rides were also added to the park. A small carousel was added to the Carolina Crossroads area. In 1976, Carowinds opened Thunder Road , a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters racing wooden coaster designed by Curtis D. Summers. It was the largest and most expensive ride built in Carowinds' short three years of existence, at a cost of $ 1.6 million. The trains were relocated from

4656-507: The bottom". Two people sit in contiguous seats, and the one sitting behind kicks or pushes their partner higher in the air, in order to reach a "tail" suspended beyond normal reach at a point in the ride's rotation. Any individual who manages to grab the tail wins a free ride. Attractiepark Slagharen located the same Chair-O-Plane as Loundoun Castle. Some Swing rides in the Netherlands: The second-largest amusement park within

4753-406: The cables causing the ride to come to a complete stop just over halfway up the tower. Because the electrical cables had been damaged, Cedar Point employees had to manually bring down the gondola. Riders were stuck on the ride for over an hour and no one was injured. WindSeeker at Cedar Point remained closed until the cause of the accident was found and fixed. The ride reopened on June 5, 2012. During

4850-412: The cables from moving around. At the top of the tower, winds were reportedly strong enough to push the electrical cables out of the socket on the tower causing the cables to move around freely. According to a rider riding WindSeeker at the time of the accident, as the gondola made its way back down the tower, the cables got stuck in the rotating gondola. The plastic casing began to be ripped apart as well as

4947-435: The decision to keep the Sky Cabin at Knott's Berry Farm and to place its WindSeeker elsewhere, their WindSeeker was to have the same color scheme as others. Also, instead of there being the red "UFO" on the top of the tower, original promotional materials show that a large purple "K" was to be placed on the top of the ride. The ride opened in mid-August 2011 after three months of delays. In late 2011, Fast Lane became available on

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5044-451: The defunct Jetstream roller coaster at Chicago's Riverview Park . White Lightnin', a Schwarzkopf launched shuttle roller coaster, opened in 1977. The Witchdoctor was relocated to Pirate Island and renamed Black Widow. The Waltzer is removed after a year of operation and Wagon Wheel is moved into its place. Trams are added to the parking lot. In 1979, a $ 3 million expansion adds the County Fair area, which contains four new rides. Additionally,

5141-503: The famous beaches of the Carolinas. Included in this area is the parks 11th roller coaster, Ricochet . After the success of Woodstock's Air Rail at sister park Kings Island , Paramount decided to build a clone at Carowinds in 2003 as part of the Happy Land of Hanna Barbera's transition into Nickelodeon Central. In 2004, Nighthawk (then known as Stealth) was relocated from California's Great America and opened as BORG Assimilator in

5238-405: The fifth WindSeeker, and on September 1, 2011, Kings Dominion officially announced that the sixth would open at the park in 2012. The WindSeekers at Carowinds and Kings Dominion have the same appearance as those at Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, and Kings Island and opened in 2012. Their construction started in early November 2011, after the parks closed for the season. At Carowinds, a section of

5335-513: The first WindSeeker to use the Fast Lane program. The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was originally scheduled to open on May 8, 2011, one week after that of Kings Island. On May 24, 2011, after problems were discovered during testing, Canada's Wonderland announced on their Facebook page that it would open to the public later that day, but it was quickly closed again when further mechanical problems were discovered. From May 24 to mid-June 2011,

5432-434: The first time in April 2023. Aeronautica Landing, the centerpiece of Carowinds' 50th anniversary celebration, pays tribute to the Carolinas' spirit of invention and the history of flight. The new area opened on April 7. Year-round operations were discontinued at the end of the season. On July 1, 2024, a merger of equals between Cedar Fair and Six Flags was completed, creating Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. As part of

5529-518: The first to be tested. It was discovered during testing that the swings could rock back and forth once rotation reached full speed, and were close to hitting each other in some cases. Therefore, hydraulic dampers not included in the original design were added to all four WindSeekers to reduce this rocking. Nevertheless, there were still incidents: on June 14, 2011, the swings on Cedar Point's WindSeeker began to sway in different directions, and some seats almost collided with each other. In one reported case,

5626-505: The fourth at Knott's Berry Farm in August 2011. The following season, the fifth WindSeeker opened at Carowinds' on March 31, 2012, along with the sixth at Kings Dominion on April 6, 2012. On September 21, 2012, Cedar Fair announced the temporary closure of all WindSeekers in response to two incidents at Knott's Berry Farm. All the installations, excluding Knott's Berry Farm, later reopened. The Knott's Berry Farm installation remained closed and

5723-451: The gondola remain lit. When the gondola comes back down, the lights at the top of the tower come on again. At Canada's Wonderland, the LED lights at the top of the tower remain on throughout the cycle, keeping the tower visible at all times. The WindSeeker at Knott's Berry Farm differed from the other five in several ways. Rather than white, blue, and green on the tower, Knott's adopted a color scheme using orange, purple, and yellow to reflect

5820-495: The lake was filled near Nighthawk during construction to accommodate the ride's large footprint. At Kings Dominion, El Dorado was removed at the end of the 2011 season to make room for WindSeeker. Much like El Dorado, WindSeeker would sit in the same former spot as Hypersonic XLC . The first WindSeeker tower piece was installed there on January 20, 2012, and at Carowinds on January 23, 2012. Carowinds soft-opened their version on March 30, 2012, to media and invited guests; it opened to

5917-432: The land previously occupied by White Lightnin'. Black Widow is removed the same year. In 1990, Gauntlet, a prototype thrill ride, was added to the park. The following year, the Paladium becomes a stand-alone concert facility- separate from the theme park with an expanded seating capacity of 13,000 after a $ 4 million renovation. In 1992, Kings Entertainment Company was acquired by Paramount Communications and Paramount Parks

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6014-494: The landscaping around the park was also improved. Nighthawk is repainted from black and green to yellow and blue. It is announced that the Powder Keg Log Flume located near the front of the park would be removed for future development. In 2010, Intimidator , a 232-foot tall roller coaster, opened in the space formerly occupied by the Powder Keg Log Flume. A portion of the parking lot is re-configured to accommodate

6111-463: The length of time riders were stranded and the actual causes of the incidents. Two days later on September 21, Cedar Fair announced the closure of all other WindSeekers to conduct an internal review. The company said that until the review concludes, none of the rides would operate again. The rides remained closed through the remainder of the 2012 season at the five seasonal parks but reopened at all parks in 2013, excluding Knott's Berry Farm's version which

6208-406: The location of the ride beside Lake Erie and the hot summers, the lights on the ride attract massive "clouds" of bugs. He felt the ride cycle might be too short for the type of ride, particularly the time spent at the top. On July 13, 2011, Nick Sim, also from Theme Park Tourist , reviewed the ride at Kings Island and made similar remarks. Los Angeles Times blogger Brady MacDonald complimented

6305-472: The location previously home to Smurf Island. Nickelodeon Central was expanded in 2005. On January 27, 2006, the Dayton Daily News reported that CBS Corporation (successor of the original Viacom ) was interested in selling the entire Paramount Parks division, including Carowinds; CBS stated that amusement parks did not fit the company's new strategy. On May 14, 2006, Cedar Fair announced it

6402-465: The many minor problems all WindSeekers had in 2011, the first major accident occurred on June 2, 2012, on the Cedar Point installation. According to numerous news and rider reports, WindSeeker operated normally as the gondola made its way up the tower. Attached to the tower and gondola are a set of electrical cables that are located inside a plastic casing and are secured by two side panels to prevent

6499-406: The merger, a new corporate headquarters was established in Charlotte, North Carolina, relocating Cedar Fair operations from Sandusky, Ohio , and legacy Six Flags operations from Arlington, Texas . Charlotte previously served as the headquarters of Paramount Parks, prior to its acquisition by Cedar Fair. The main entry area of the park. Included in the price of admission to Carowinds is access to

6596-400: The name WindSeeker , pointing out that the ride closes in high winds. Another reviewer called the view from Knott's Berry Farm's version "simply breathtaking" and urged readers to "get a ride on it as soon as you can". The same reviewer, however, also criticized the choice of music, suggesting that the park should have used "themes from more 'southwestern' films" to fit with the overall theme of

6693-423: The name changing to Carolina Harbor. Carowinds re-introduced WinterFest for the 2017 season. This seasonal holiday event features seasonal holiday decorations, tree lighting, Christmas carolers, homemade crafts, a themed parade, and select rides. The park previously had Winterfest in 1983 when owned by Taft Attractions and again in 2005 when owned by Paramount. In September 2000 the park introduced SCarowinds. It

6790-463: The name was changed to Boomerang Bay in 2006. The addition of a heated lagoon and a children's water slide were among the changes made to the existing water park. In January 2007, a new logo was unveiled featuring the trademark Cedar Fair flag on the letter I in the Carowinds name, removing Paramount altogether. The Carolina Skytower was repainted to feature the colors of the American flag. In 2008,

6887-891: The opening of Blockbuster Pavilion, now PNC Music Pavilion , in 1991. It lost most of its major acts to the Uptown Amphitheatre at the NC Music Factory (now the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre at AvidxChange Music Factory ) when it opened in 2009, and now hosts mostly Christian bands. Admission to the Paladium is separate from admission to Carowinds. Styx performed there in 1975, NC's Charlie Daniels Band played there in '76, Jimmy Buffett performed there in '76, and B.B. King played there in '76. Johnny Cash played there in '78, The Beach Boys played in '78, and The Allman Brothers Band played there in '79. In 1980,

6984-582: The original North Gate entrance of the park, the parking toll booths were replaced and expanded, and the parking lot was re-configured to accommodate the new entry plaza. Thunder Road is closed and demolished to make way for future development. In 2016, Boomerang Bay was re-themed and expanded into Carolina Harbor , removing the Australian theme. The expansion included a new six-slide complex, a new wave pool located on land formerly home to Thunder Road, and several new splash areas for kids. The original wave pool

7081-438: The other seven tower pieces because it supports the rest of the tower. On top of the eighth tower piece, there is a steel platform where workers and mechanics can observe the operation of the ride and perform maintenance. Above this platform is an element called the "red UFO" or the "Crown". The gondola itself has a number of parts. In the middle of the structure there are wheels that allow the swings to rotate as they go up and down

7178-528: The park eventually opened on March 31, 1973, under the ownership of the Carowinds Corporation, a consortium of local investors headed by Hall. The first season brought in over 1.2 million visitors, but attendance at Carowinds was curtailed by the 1973 oil crisis , and plans for the proposed resort were put on hold. Sagging attendance and mounting debt forced Carowinds Corporation to merge with Taft Broadcasting in early 1975. Taft originally ran

7275-489: The park through Family Leisure Centers, a joint venture between Taft and Top Value Enterprises (owned by the Kroger supermarket chain). It was later transferred to a wholly-owned Taft subsidiary, Kings Entertainment Company . Taft Broadcasting brought new life to the park with its Hanna-Barbera characters and several rides aimed to appeal to younger guests. Carowinds added its second roller coaster, and first wooden coaster, with

7372-482: The park's 14th roller coaster. Blue Ridge Junction was constructed in the area formerly occupied by WhiteWater Falls, Sand Dune Lagoon and Thunder Road 's former station. A 130-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Carowinds' first on-site hotel, opened near the park's toll booths. Blue Ridge Country Kitchen opens in Blue Ridge Junction. Carowinds did not open for normal operation during the 2020 season as

7469-571: The park's main entrance to the park's central hub. In 1994, Wayne's World, a new three acre themed area that re-creates the Hollywood set popularized in the Paramount motion picture of the same name, is added to the northwestern corner of the park with the Hurler roller coaster as its centerpiece. In 1995, Animation Station introduces an interactive experience for kids featuring The Power Station,

7566-435: The park. All references to Paramount-owned movies were removed immediately, with the exception of Nickelodeon Central, as Cedar Fair did not own the rights to use Paramount property. Several rides were renamed and rethemed, including BORG Assimilator (now known as Nighthawk), Drop Zone: Stunt Tower (now known as Drop Tower), and Top Gun: The Jet Coaster (now known as Afterburn). WaterWorks was expanded by four additional acres and

7663-407: The public on March 31, 2012. Kings Dominion officially opened their model on April 6, 2012. On August 30, 2013, Worlds of Fun announced that they would be adding SteelHawk, the relocated WindSeeker from Knott's Berry Farm. All six WindSeekers consist of the same parts in an identical structure. The 301-foot-tall (92 m) center tower is made up of eight parts. The base section is different from

7760-482: The public. The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland underwent repairs for just over a week when it was discovered that one of the 32 pairs of seats had been removed for an unstated reason. They were replaced and testing began shortly after. In another case at the same installation, riders were stuck at the top of the WindSeeker tower for 20 minutes when the swings did not come down. Since these incidents, ride operations are suspended during high winds or heavy rain. Aside from

7857-411: The remaining two each cost $ 6.5 million. Cedar Fair (now Six Flags ) relocated the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker to Worlds of Fun in 2014, where it reopened as SteelHawk . The three-minute ride features 32 suspended twin seats – 64 seats total – spinning around a central tower. A lighting package was installed on all four WindSeekers, consisting of LED light strips mounted on the arms that support

7954-490: The ride was intermittently closed because of a variety of problems, most of which have since been resolved. At the beginning of October 2011, the hydraulic dampers used on the Knott's Berry Farm model were added to reduce the amount of swing movement even more. Cedar Point's WindSeeker was originally scheduled to open on May 14, 2011, two weeks after that of Kings Island. After almost a month delays in construction and testing due to bad weather, it opened on June 14, 2011. Before

8051-518: The ride ‘Wave Swinger’), although some are made by Bertazzon (which calls the ride ‘Swing Carousel’) or Zamperla (which calls it ‘Flying Carousel’ or ‘Lollyswings’). In recent years, many American amusement parks have opened towering (and considerably more thrilling) models, such as the WindSeeker (by Mondial ) or the Sky Screamer (by SNS ). These high-thrill swing rides are normally

8148-553: The ride's layout. Nickelodeon Central was also replaced by Planet Snoopy , introducing the Peanuts characters to the park. For 2011, the park saw general cosmetic improvements. Vortex received a new red and white color scheme, new picnic shelters were constructed in the Plaza Pavilion area, Thunder Road and Hurler had portions of their tracks reconstructed, and new seat walls, newly planted shade trees, and additional greenery

8245-594: The same partnership. Since then Zierer has built about 200 units. Other manufacturers have followed creating their own versions of the Chair-O-Planes, including Zamperla , Chance Rides , Grover Watkins, Bertazzon , Preston & Barbieri , Vekoma , and Sanoyas Hishino Meisho . In the late 2000s, Austrian manufacturer Funtime developed the world's first tower swinger, known as the Star Flyer . Mondial followed with their WindSeeker , resulting in

8342-602: The state line lies. It was constructed at a cost of $ 70 million following a four-year planning period led by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Carowinds also features Carolina Harbor , a 27-acre (11 ha) water park that is included with park admission. Annual events include the Halloween-themed SCarowinds and the Christmas-themed WinterFest. Carowinds was announced on October 10, 1969, and originally planned on being

8439-430: The swings and, with the exception of SteelHawk,) colored floodlights to illuminate towers from above. WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was the first of the four parks to open on May 24, 2011. Problems soon after the ride opened led to a closure for repairs; it reopened several weeks later. The second WindSeeker opened to the public at Cedar Point on June 14, 2011, followed by the third at Kings Island on June 21, 2011, and

8536-429: The top of the tower for just over a minute before starting its descent and immediately beginning to slow down. By the time it reaches the bottom of the tower, all rotation ceases. One cycle of the ride lasts three minutes. The four WindSeekers opened in 2011 are based on the same prototype design by Dutch amusement ride manufacturer Mondial Rides. The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was the first to be completed and thus

8633-418: The tower. The gondola is raised and lowered by cables linking the gondola structure to four sets of yellow wheels, each attached to a different section of the steel platform at the top of the tower. Hydraulic dampers that were not in the original design were added to all the WindSeeker installations to reduce the movement of the swings while in operation. Inside the "red UFO" or the "Crown", a Tuned Mass Damper

8730-415: The world's tallest enclosed body slide and increases the size of WaterWorks to 13 acres, and the park's first 3-D attraction, 7th Portal. Plantation Square, the park's entrance area, is remodeled into Paramount Plaza. The Wayne's World theming is removed and the area is converted to Thrill Zone. The following year saw the addition of Carolina Boardwalk, a newly themed area that takes guests on a walk through of

8827-531: Was a Chair-O-Plane ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire . Called Twirling Toadstool it was set in a fantasy themed area of the park called Cloud Cukoo Land, it was themed as a giant mushroom. This was formerly themed as a prehistoric dinosaur-type ride and located in an area called Ug Land. You can also find a Chair-O-Plane at Carters Steam Fair which is one of the largest vintage travelling funfairs including some steam driven rides. Their ride's past

8924-463: Was announced that their WindSeeker would not replace Sky Cabin but instead be located in the Fiesta Village section of the park. Work began almost immediately after this announcement. Kings Island's WindSeeker was originally scheduled to be the first to open, on April 30, 2011, but the opening was delayed because of bad weather and eventually took place on the morning of June 21, 2011. It was

9021-400: Was eventually relocated to Worlds of Fun . On their Facebook pages throughout August 2010, several Cedar Fair amusement parks hinted frequently at a new ride to be opened in 2011. On August 24, 2010, Canada's Wonderland , Cedar Point , Kings Island , and Knott's Berry Farm all announced that they would be adding a Mondial WindSeeker, to open sometime in spring 2011. Construction of

9118-456: Was formed, with the corporate headquarters a few miles away from the park in Charlotte. The same year, Carowinds introduces the Vortex stand-up roller coaster. The park's name was changed to Paramount's Carowinds in 1993. Movies and television shows from various Paramount Pictures were introduced into the park, including Days of Thunder. The Paramount Walk of Fame was constructed on the path from

9215-407: Was interested in acquiring the five Paramount theme parks from CBS Corporation. The acquisition was completed on June 30, 2006. Although Cedar Fair continued to use the Paramount's Carowinds name through the remainder of the 2006 season, and had a ten-year option to continue using the Paramount pre-fix, it began to phase out the Paramount name in press releases, the park website, and signage within

9312-423: Was planted all around the park. In 2012, WindSeeker, a 301-foot tall swinging flat ride, opened in a filled portion of the main lagoon near Nighthawk. The park also continued to add more shade structures and replaced asphalt pathways with brick pavers throughout the park. On August 26, 2013, Cedar Fair announced a $ 50 million investment plan to expand Carowinds over three years starting in 2014. The expansion included

9409-422: Was relocated to Worlds of Fun . One week after the officially opening at Cedar Point, attraction reviewer Brian Krosnick of Theme Park Tourist submitted an online review saying that it was "truly breathtaking". The review applauded "the inclusion of on-ride audio and such an exemplary lighting package", commenting that it was "more than anyone expected or could've asked for". Krosnick pointed out that, because of

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