[DarK Ei8ht]

So is 7th ward a carbon copy of the asylum?

No, you actually exit through the front of the building now for whatever reason. It isn't the same thing of the Asylum thankfully. Viral/Fury is even worse this year. Silver Scream and Defex were great.

[redrunner97]

Had a ton of fun last night, here's some stuff from my Trip Report:

I went to Scarowinds last night, spur of the moment, and completely unplanned. Our party arrived a little late, around 8:15pm. There was lightning on the way there and we could tell it looked like rain was coming. It rained a little but stopped before we got there. There were a ton of cars leaving the park as we were arriving, and that ended up working in our favor because by the end of the night we did every maze and scarezone (with the unfortunate exception of Defex, because we just didn't have enough time), ate a nice "dinner" of C&P's Famous Crabfries, which lived up to their reputation, and rode several rides. Since the park was practically empty, almost every line was walk-on. A great plus, but the bad thing was that the monsters were so few and far between; a side-effect of the rain mixed with less-than-usual visitors. By the end of the night they started creeping out of the shadows. Overall it was an excellent night!

Here are some highlights:

- New Toll Booth:
I hadn't seen the post about the new toll booth being open tonight, so I was quite shocked to see that we were being directed into it. The workers were very excited about it. It looks absolutely stunning, professional, and classy. One of the best toll entrances I've been though ever. The new road was open too, and I quite honestly can not wait to drive down it again on opening day next season! The views will no doubt be amazing. I didn't get to lay eyes on the new drop-off area, but I can't imagine there not being a long walk to the entrance, although to be fair the new entrance plaza will be pushed out, so it might not actually be that long...

- Plantation House:
Seeing as this will be the last season the NC/SC border (as it is now, with the house in the background) will be there, we decided to take a picture on it. It was a great pic, and something I wanted to do with my dad desperately before he passed a few weeks ago. It was a nighttime picture, and I hope to return before the end of the season to get a daytime shot and some pics of the plantation house before its gone forever. It'd be cool to get exact copies next season, with the new entrance plaza in the background.

- 7th Ward:
I was a little worried that 7th Ward might be just a carbon-copy of Asylum, the only difference being a new name. Thankfully, my fears weren't realized. It was themed, I would say, even better than Asylum. The entrance is now where the exit was, and thus the exit is through the former-entrance. It was a bit strange, but I imagine a packed park would give great views from the queue of scared park-goers exiting a great maze! Last night it was borderline desolate, so we just walked right in. When they say its a new attraction they are absolutely correct. The theme of a mental institution is the only similarity, that and a few re-used props. The exterior 7th Ward facade looked great, but the name didn't really pop in the signage.

- Bloodyard:
A vampire junkyard. Not quite like Feeding Frenzy, and not in the same location either. Its near that big steel box by the Carolina Cobra, rather than in the covered greenery pathway. There was no heavy-metal headbanging vampires, or at least none that I saw. Maybe that could give it a little something extra, like Feeding Frenzy. It was alright. Nothing amazing, but definitely fun.

- Viral:
The absolutely worst maze for years now. Some kind of Area 51 thing would go great here and could utilize some of the current props and be 10x's more fun. IMO.

- Last Laff:
In the cemetery of forgotten past attractions, Last Laff is mentioned. I wonder if that could be a sign that this will be the final season of the Last Laff maze? There is no date mentioned on it's tombstone, so if it does move soon, maybe the area will be turned into a Dark Ride like rumored, or even torn down to make room for 2016's "Big Splash"???...
Anyway, if it does get the axe (no pun intended), a cool new theme that would fit the County Fair area nicely is a Freak Show. They could incorporate clowns and monsters into a great maze to fit the area very well. Last Laff this year wasn't as great as it usually is. They took a good bit out from what I recall the last few seasons, like the swinging clowns for example. I still miss Camp Killauee, or whatever, and Slaughterhouse btw... wink wink, If you're listening Carowinds...

- Hurler:
I got to ride the Hurler for the first time since the re-tracking. It was really smooth at the beginning, and leaning into the more rougher sections in the 2nd half really made the whole experience better, but I still hope they continue re-tracking if they can. King's Dominion's Hurler gives ours an even worse reputation, as theirs is much rougher.

- Thunder Road:
Rode the left side (commonly called the NC side by many, even though neither are on a specific side). It was very smooth and the first drop is still a killer. I hope they continue re-tracking over the 2014-15 offseason. Once again, I relay ,y big request to Cedar Fair and Carowinds PLEASE PAINT THUNDER ROAD AGAIN! Its been called a pipe dream, but it could still happen. Its a classic coaster and it would look amazing restored to its former glory for it's anniversary, and would make a fantastic addition with the new entrance and toll plazas. Bringing back the Old Southern theme one step at a time!

- Intimidator & More:
The last ride of the night for us. We boarded the final train to exit the station instead of hitting up the only other maze we hadn't done yet, which was Defex (and I heard Defex was phenomenal this year too). There were only a few of us on the last train, and as it ascended the lift hill, I head someone exclaim that they couldn't wait for Fury, since it will be almost 100 feet taller. The GP knows whats coming, but I can't imagine they're as excited as we are. We've been waiting a long time for something of this magnitude. And it's finally happening! Afterburn was fun, Carolina Cyclone was running a lot smoother than usual, Carolina Cobra was excellent as well. I think Cyclone would benefit greatly from receiving Cobra-style vest seating. Its just so superior, and much more comfy.

Overall, like I said, it was an exciting night. I plan on coming back in the coming weeks, probably more than once.

If Scarowinds needs anything to make it better in the future, I would have to say:
- More chainsaws, the realer kind.
- More mazes and scarezones.
- Wider variety of themeing. Aliens, pirates, cavemen, ghosts, etc. Its lacking and there are endless maze/sz ideas.
- Extended hours, if at all possible.

[coaster129]

No chainsaws!

[Tawny71]

So sorry about you losing your dad, redrunner97.

Thanks for the trip report!

[FamousAmos]

Thanks for the report! I hope to go this year.

[Merthecat]

Some random thoughts...

I'm surprised to hear that Bloodyard has been moved.

Hopefully this year won't be Last Laff's last laff ( ); I like that maze.

I really hope next year gives us a bigger selection of haunts.

[redrunner97]

So sorry about you losing your dad, redrunner97.

Thanks for the trip report!

Thank you for your condolences.

[arby]

Yeah, sorry to hear about your dad, redrunner97.

I had a good time Saturday night despite the rain. Too bad we had a trip to Atlanta planned for yesterday so we couldn't stay until closing. I bet the park was empty from the rain as the night went on.

Areas for improvement from my perspective: As someone previously mentioned, Viral was disappointing. The storyline is really lacking although the staff tried to make it interesting. Blood Yard was also disappointing as I thought Feeding Frenzy was much more active and exciting. There wasn't enough going on. I expected more blood.

I also think they need more shows.

With that being said, I have a feeling a lot of resources have been taken up this year with Fury 325 and the expansion. I expect that we'll see a nice revamp of SCarowinds in the upcoming years to bring it back up to the level of the new park. With that expectation going into it, I had a good time.

[Merthecat]

Do you guys think it will be very crowded this Saturday? I'm debating whether to go that night or Friday (I might not get the chance Friday).

[IsaacMcCalla]

It will definitely be packed saturday, friday would't be as bad, but it is usually still packed

[Merthecat]

That's what I was afraid of...hopefully I can go Friday instead.

[IsaacMcCalla]

yeah i should be going friday, so if you don't go friday i can tell you how packed it was.

[coasterfreak]

I kind of hate that they're not having Scarowinds on Sunday nights this season. That was always the best night to go because it wasn't nearly as crowded. That is also probably why they're not having it on Sundays this season.

[JEdMc91]

I kind of hate that they're not having Scarowinds on Sunday nights this season. That was always the best night to go because it wasn't nearly as crowded. That is also probably why they're not having it on Sundays this season.

Scarowinds is open every Sunday in October

[LemondsHead]

yea, hopefully next year after f325 is built, scarowinds will be revamped and hopefully be to the level of the other parks like ki or kd, which means MORE MAZES!