[gadvfreak99]

If you bought Carowinds, what would you do to make it better and bring in a bigger crowd?

I am just wandering.

[coasterbruh]

Hummm...if I brought carowinds what would I do with it...

[MarkD]

I'm sure we've done this before but heck I'll bite.

Keep in mind I am filthy, stinking rich so money is no object. By the way, this would take place in a 2 year period. I am not getting any younger.

1. Go "Universal" and build a multilevel parking garage at the far end of the property. That way I could use the entire parking lot for expansion. I would keep the Bus parking and use it for just that. The entrance and exit roads are already there so use them.

2. Buy back all the land along I-77, past the pottery and build a couple 5 star resorts. Complete with play areas, night life, etc. Give people a reason to stay more than one day.

3. Re-install a monorail to get people back and forth from the new resorts and parking deck. Of course the monorail would have to traverse the park and a "special" car that goes solely to the Water Park and back. So I don't have to see Carolinas best in summer attire.

4. Move all the offices, employee parking and maintenance to the other side of the road behind Hurler. Even more land to expand.

5. Use the employee parking lot and office space to make a REAL water park complete with water coaster and all the new slide types. I would keep the area we have now but would re-arrange things a bit and double the size of the wave pool. Seeing how the water park closes earlier that would add a buffer between the park and the campground.

6. REPAINT Thunder Road!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Put in an automated system the forces the trains to race so we don't have to rely on the ops. The lifts can slow down or speed up to ensure this.

7. Add a nice train to travel through the park so you could relax while traveling from different points without walking.

8. Tear up the new empty parking lot and add a new awesome Flat Rides section. Add in a NEW and UNIGUE only to Carowinds Hyper coaster, Launch coaster and twisted woody. Why not make them record holders while we are at it. Let's get on the map in a big way. There are just endless possibilities with all that room. Maybe a walk thru attraction or and enclosed attraction. Sorry, no Hyper under the bridge.

9. Redo some of the foods and get a couple great restaurants, something not cookie cutter but actual food that is prepared and not frozen. Make at least one of those tall enough to where you can have a panoramic view of the park while eating.

10. Change the summer hours and stay open until at least 11pm. Then, install some awesome lighting so we can enjoy that night time atmosphere.

11. Rip out the flume and rapids and install new, up to date versions. I hate to keep bringing up Popeye and Dudley but those are great water rides.

12. Give Dora some MAJOR plastic surgery. Actually have something to see like maybe a tunnel or two with some animations going on and actually have a faux mountain. Get rid of those cardboard cut outs and please, and for the love of everything that is right please change that song.

13. Either use or loose the Pavilion, period. That thing needs to be utilized at least 90% of the season. Not just for concerts either.

14. Give the kids a REAL car track. How old is that thing anyway?

15. I would swap locations of the Drop Zone and the Sky Coaster. I would have the Sky Coaster swing over the Hurler's first turn. Remember I moved things so there is room to turn it this way.

16. Re-track and re-train the Hurtler.

17. Re-arrange all the games, possibly loose a couple and offer a better variety of prizes. All balls would be given out flat and you could get them pumped up AFTER you exit the park and you would not be allowed back in with it inflated. Period, Amen, end of story, get over it!!!!

18. Redo the picnic areas so they are more pleasant and efficient to use then add better facilities to use.

19. With the installation of a new monorail and the end of the old parking lot I would have to redo the Entrance to make it bigger and grander to make you feel great when entering. I would better pronounce the fact of being in two states, plus it would have to handle a bit more traffic.

20. Make the gift shops worth while. The shops thru out the park would only carry merchandise that is specific to that section they are in. Gone would be the stupid Dollar General Items that are sold and in would be good quality branded items. At the entrance / exit I would make a huge, one stop shop store that offered up the parks best along with memorabilia items specific to Carowinds. Like DVDs of the park and its history, Park pins, magnets, paper weights, etc.

21. Redo the entrance to a lot of the attractions to announce their presence. Most of our lines are in odd places. Along with age of our park and its attractions why not put up some memorabilia showing the history of them and maybe the actual stats?

22. Jazz up the mine train. I don't want it torn down but let's beef it up with some eye candy or something. You've got Vortex and Borg around it witch totally takes away from it being a mine ride.

23. Give our maintenance crews a raise. To me they do a fantastic job on our attractions to keep them running smooth and safe.

24. Beef up the hiring process and get some people who are actually happy to be there. Go recruiting at the local schools / colleges and maybe even offer buses to pick you up and take you back to a certain location like a car pool lot or something. Believe it or not I used to go into fast food stores, Wal mart etc. and look for those people and try to get them to come work for me. 20 years at Myrtle Beach and we always had a great friendly crew at my stores.

25. I know this is way down the list but let's bring back a little more Carolinas to the park.

26. Add a few more movies to the Action Theater and have them show at alternating times during the day. I would also make sure both sides are always open.

27. Expand Scarowinds to include a Wednesday night. Surley I can find people to work that one night and I'm sure attendance would back that up. I have lost people to go with me because the park is just way too crowded on the weekends and many have wondered why not a mid-week venture. I would also envolve the entire park so there were no dead ends. AKA, the walkway from Cyclone to Wings.

28. On the season pass I would make sure they were scannable like a credit card and it would automatically deduct 10% for food and merchandise. And at the very least I'd open the park an hour early on Saturdays for Pass members only.

29. More to come? Hmm...

[bgwfreak]

My choices:

1) I would redisgn the parking lot for sure.

If money was no object, I'd buy the mall and level it and move parking over there and expand the park. Make a whole new section starting where the current back gate is.

2) I'd redesign the traffic light and the whole exit from the parking lot. The thing is a bottleneck and it is a huge mess on a busy days like July 4th. I'd also retime the traffic light so that it would let more than 3 people out at a time!!!

3) Hyper under the bridge. You knew that was coming.

4) More flats - A good frisbee and top spin would be very popular at the park. They are also fun for people to just sit and watch as well. Just go watch Tomb Raider at KD and see how many people are just sitting and watching.

5) Buy some new swings! I'd really prefer a Yo-Yo set than the older design, but either would be fine with me. Install them back where our swings used to be.

6) Buy a GCII coaster that's even better than Thunderhead. Period. End of story.

7) Take out Vortex and install a new B&M floorless that's very tight in that same spot but still has a lot of inversions. I'd say remove Cyclone, but it doesnt' take up that much space.

Sell off the park because it's in too much debt from all the rides I just bought! lol j/k

[Jonathan]

[MarkD]

^

Knew that was coming.

[chargercrazy]

I think I'd have more than one coaster go under the bridge . . .

[bgwfreak]

Ooooooooooh... Dueling Dragons under (and over) the bridge.

Have the loops wrap around the bridge. :rolleyes:

Carowinds for the most part is a very nice park, it's no Busch Gardens but it's still a very nice park.

It really only needs a few things in the rides department to me and I've already said them before of course so I won't repeat myself.

On top of the ones I said earlier, I'd add a train back into the place. Heck, buy ours back from Neverland! Michael Jackson could use the money.

[montumax]

I'd demolish the bridge.

[bgwfreak]

YOU ARE HEREBY BANNED FOR TRYING TO REMOVE OUR BELOVED BRIDGE.

[coasterdude89]

Your list is awesome Forseer....parking deck, resort, etc..

Make Carowinds like the original plan called for.. the "Disney World of the South."

Everyone is making good points.

I would definitly do something with the water park..come on now...get some new slides and theme it some more.

More flats, monorail, chairlift or trams or something to get from one side to another.

Seperate entrance for water park...who wants to walk all the way from North/South gate.

And much much more.

Carowinds is great.....but it could be a lot better...it really has a lot more potential than other parks.

Great location, two states, plenty of surrounding land, etc..

[coasterdave]

1) I would make the height to ride some rides higher so it was tick people off and they could complain more.

2) Would book some Death Metal Festivals.

3) Would see if the Adult Film Industry Awards would do their annual show at the park.

3) Maybe introduce some new Adult Attractions (Strippers and maybe a Donkey Show)

4) I would tear that dang bridge out just for the heck of it.

5) Would have K-Fed do Nightly shows and maybe have Baldy open a hair saloon.

6) Maybe bring some pieces of that crappy CCI that got what it deserved at Myrtle Beach to the park to hand out to unlucky guests. No need to pay 40 bucks for it guys.

7) Would name the Banned Guy the new GM.

Thought I would make a list to get a laugh from some people.

[montumax]

Make it speedos only in the waterpark.

[gadvfreak99]

Wow, you guys have some really good and interesting ideas, also some ideas do amuse me a lot.

I would first by starting to add a B&M Hyper. They are really fun.

[bgwfreak]

Make it speedos only in the waterpark.

Especially if they are 350lbs and up.

Oh wait, that's SFKK.