[davlow06]

I did some searches and didn't find anything that answered my questions, so I will post here and let you Carowinds experts chime in.

I have been to Carowinds one time this year and love most of the changes and upgrades to the park, but when walking through the Carolina Boardwalk section, it didn't feel as beach-like as it used to. It may have just been the day or the time I was going through it, but in the past, even just last year, you always heard Carolina Beach music being played, like General Johnson and the Chairmen of the board, and I didn't hear anything like that when we were there this year. I wondered if they were making some changes to it and if anyone else noticed.

[RollerBee]

Hmm, I remember the Boardwalk music but I haven't paid attention recently to what is playing. Honestly on Monday I only remember hearing annocements and the visit before that they were having problems with the park sound system and completely cut the music off.

[arby]

I agree with you, davlow06. I lived on the coast of North Carolina for 13 years before moving to Charlotte and frequently attended the Beach Music Festival on Emerald Isle. I appreciated hearing beach music in that area but I haven't heard it this year. Chairman of the Board -

While I love fresh paint on roller coasters, repainting Ricochet took away from the beach feel. If you've spent any time at the beaches, washed out paint is common (probably because of the high humidity and higher salt concentrations in the air). While I like Chickie & Pete's, it also takes away from that area. I miss the smell of seafood in that area since there are also some great seafood restaurants on the coast.

With that being said, Carolina Boardwark is one of the best themed areas in the park so hopefully that continues to improve.

[davlow06]

I hope it improves, too, Arby. If Carowinds is trying to theme the park to certain areas of the Carolinas, this doesn't seem to be heading in the right directions. I agree with what you said about the area, too. The smell of seafood, the beach music, just the entire feel of the area. I didn't notice the shark hanging up when I was there either, but I could have just missed it.

I'm surprised more people haven't joined in on this topic. Maybe most Carowinds visitors aren't really beach people and don't care that much about it.

[Littlegiles]

I really take Carowind's theming with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, they just aren't the park with heavy, immersive themes. I wish they were. Isn't Dockside Fries still open in the Boardwalk area? They serve fish and shrimp don't they?

Were is the hanging Shark? How do I miss these things?

[Jay]

The hanging shark was removed last year when Chickie and Pete's was being built. I know I have a pic somewhere...

Found one.. This was during Scarowinds so there is a skeleton in it's mouth.

2015-05-28_10-18-10.jpg (611.71KiB)Viewed 4505 times

Found.

[RollerBee]

We still a themey park, I could have sworn we became an amusey park.

[Littlegiles]

Thanks Jay. I don't know why I don't remember that shark at all. I like it. I wish there were more, cute, photo spots like that around the park. There are a few signs to put your face in and the covered bridge area is always a nice place for a group photo, but I wouldn't mind some more areas like that.

Wonder if the shark still exists. If just sitting in storage, I would be happy to take it off their hands. It would be fun by the pool. HAHA

[aoriole19]

I always liked the Carolina Boardwalk section. I was describing Carowinds to my boyfriend's family from Vermont, and told them how the original idea of the park was to represent the Carolinas, and the only good example I could come up with was the Boardwalk. I told them how the music, food, decorations, etc. made it feel beachy. No other section of the park s really themed in my opinion and none of it represents the Carolinas. The County Fair? Sure, it has some games but it's not really themed to a fair. Thrill Zone? That's not Carolina related at all. Now especially with the Boardwalk being changed, how does the park even fit the theme of the Carolinas anymore?

[jeffdavis]

^ There is some theming in the rides, at least in the names and some of the features, that pertains to the Carolinas:
Goldrusher = Gold mining was big in Western NC
Thunder Road = Moonshine running was part of the history of the Carolinas
Intimidator = Dale Earnhardt, from Kannapolis, NC
Fury 325 = Hornet theme from Charlotte in the Revolutionary War

[davlow06]

Sure, they use some of the names of things in the Carolinas, but they do seem to be dropping the themes from certain areas of the park.

Rollerbee, we can still be a themey park even if it's an amusey park!

Jay, thanks for the update on the shark and the picture. I know that I have a picture of me posing with it from a couple years back.

Whenever I wanted to rest, the Carolina Boardwalk was always where I enjoyed hanging out, for the music and atmosphere. Yeah, it looks like it's going away, but I sure enjoyed it while it was something Carowinds cared about.

Like I said, I like a lot of the new things Carowinds is doing, and they seem to be going in the right direction, but there are things I miss.

[super7]

The Carolina Boardwalk theming never was that great. How do you theme something to a beach with no water? Half the buildings are still Frontier buildings. When that area was Frontier Outpost, it felt authentic and everything was in sync.

Fortunately, the Goldrusher is one of the few things left in the park that is almost 100% the way it originally was. The building and ride are still 100% frontier, except the postcard sign at the entrance. The only thing missing from its original feel is the nice water of the sternwheeler that sat beside it.

The cable skyway building (also still mostly frontier style) style is one of the most interesting buildings in the park to look at.

[cwgator]

Paramount should have left that area as Blue Ridge Junction and made Carolina RFD the Boardwalk since it's bordering the water park after all. It's never too late for this to happen...lol Carolina Cyclone and Carolina Goldrusher's buildings really don't scream beachy to me. If they had altered them to match that kind of theme perhaps, but I really didn't get it when I came in 2008...outside of the lighthouse..and the boardwalk through the main path.

[jeffdavis]

Has the shower always been in the middle of the boardwalk area? It's just like the ones you would use to wash off sand leaving the beach. And it works, for whoever wants to get wet there.

[RollerBee]

Yes, it was been there since the boardwalk was built.