[Techedchart1551]

I think if you made it a mix of indoor and outdoor seating (seating on deck and in the three floors inside- one of the floors would be a kitchen, though.) cedar fair might pour some money. I think it'd be more indoor seating than outdoor seating, most of the tables being on the top two floors and maybe a few tables on the deck.

[RollerBee]

A floating restaurant could be built with indoor seating.

However let’s be realistic if Cedar Fair/Carowinds we’re going to build a riverboat to serve as a restaurant it wouldn’t be an actual boat, it would be built like the former Hook’s Galley at Disneyland was. A building built in a pond to look like a riverboat.

[Techedchart1551]

Yeah, it wouldn't float, it'd be a building that looks like it's floating.

[uscbandfan]

You do know that the Sternwheeler was on a track. Even if it was floating a bit above the track, there is no reason to believe they cant put it in shallow water and ground it underneath. (The USS Yorktown appears to be floating in Charleston harbor but the hull is actually encased in cement 15 feet deep.)

Besides, for them to (economically) make it into a restaurant, they would have to add a ton of utility improvements which would have caused it to be on a rigid foundation anyway. Even then, probably would be cheaper to actually build a building.

I would have been all for it though. Cool idea.

[Chris]

This idea is so out there.
The reason people were disappointed in the removal of the Carolina Sternwheeler is because of its history. Simply rebuilding a boat restaurant and calling it the Sternwheeler won't bring back the history just like building a wooden coaster and calling it Thunder Road isn't going to do much for the 'RollerBees' of the world who just want Thunder Road back.

[uscbandfan]

So true. I was saying I would have been good with it at the time.

Today, they can still convert the RRR land to a lake with a path all the way around with a few flats and implement the restaurant overlooking the lake like was described in another post. The back of the restaurant would face the back of the Starbucks building with two restaurant levels facing the lake and the Fury hill. It could still be called the "Carolina Sternwheeler" and have photos of the old ride prominent throughout. Maybe even work the sternwheeler likeness into the logo with the name or use the original likeness of the sign for the ride as the restaurant sign.

The path around the lake would give access from the Fury area and would also fork and climb up to the spot between the bridge and Starbucks to give access to the area from the park entrance with a second story entrance into the restaurant from there and a first floor entrance from the lake-side path. (Also doing that would allow the restaurant to open prior to the park opening because of the access from up at the bridge.)

[RollerBee]

This idea is so out there.
The reason people were disappointed in the removal of the Carolina Sternwheeler is because of its history. Simply rebuilding a boat restaurant and calling it the Sternwheeler won't bring back the history just like building a wooden coaster and calling it Thunder Road isn't going to do much for the 'RollerBees' of the world who just want Thunder Road back.

Chris, hit the spike directly on the head.

Even rebuilding a perfect replica of Thunder Road wouldn’t feel the same, the sentimental value wouldn’t be the same. It would just be playing on nostalgia.

Somethings should just be left in the past; Thunder Road, the Plantation House and the Sternwheeler are some of those things in my opinion.

[uscbandfan]

How about something like this for keeping at least a little of the nostalgia in place. put up a lakeside restaurant with deck seating and balcony seating overlooking the lake and a nice boardwalk extending around on the opposite side of the lake from the paladium tying into the path around the other side and to Fury's area.

Relocating the access road to between RRR and the Paladium would give access to the area from Fury. I have also come up with a way of preserving the access road to the pizza joint and to starbucks. See image. Might would also be cool to have a row of shops (akin to Barefoot landing or Boardwalk at the Beach) between the access road and the boardwalk behind the pizza joint..

An island could be put into the lake or some ground used for a flat or two near fury's hill. Add a fountain or two.

We get a restaurant, more shops for Carowinds, a place for a few more flats, a nice lake and water feature, another access to Fury's area, not to mention some nostalgia... a win, win, win, win, win in my opinion.

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[coasterbruh]

Annnnndddddd . . . We have another wish list thread.

[Edwardo]

Yeah, it wouldn't float, it'd be a building that looks like it's floating.

The origional Sternwheeler didn’t float either. It was on a track...

[RollerBee]

Yeah, it wouldn't float, it'd be a building that looks like it's floating.

The origional Sternwheeler didn’t float either. It was on a track...

It was on a track but the track guided the sternwheeler, it did float above the guiderail. That’s why the sternwheeler had a dry dock, which is where the sternwheeler was built and parked.