During last week’s trip to Dutch Wonderland, Sam and I decided we were going to head down to Carowinds the following week to meet up with Greg and his family on Wednesday, August 11. We booked a hotel for a couple of nights just outside the park, but I had an idea for Sam and I – visit Myrtle Beach and stop at Pavilion Park, Funplex, and Family Kingdom as well. Each of the entries in this blog series will cover those stops, with the final two both covering different days at Carowinds.
Until this trip I had only visited Carowinds a total of two times – once in 2013 and once in 2018. Greg had only been once in 2014 and Sam had never been. All summer long, Sam and I have toyed with the idea of heading down to the Carolinas so she could experience Fury 325. I needed to get back so I could grab the Copperhead Strike credit. When Greg mentioned that he was headed down Carowinds and to see his family during our trip to Dutch Wonderland, Sam and I invited ourselves to tag along. I booked a hotel and plans were made.
You’ve already read about our stops through Myrtle Beach the day before in Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series. Now it’s time to focus on portion of the series why we went down to the Carolinas to begin with – Carowinds.
A Day with Family & A Day with Friends
Heading into this trip Sam and I knew that Greg would be visiting the park with his family. Along for the trip was his sister Ashley, brother in law, Kevin, and cousin, Stephanie. I’m happy the four of them were happy to have us along because we couldn’t have asked for better company. Whether we were riding coasters, shooting ghosts on Boo Blasters, or just sitting in the shade and taking a break, we all got along like we’ve known each other for years. I’m glad we were able to scoop up all the ride photos and ones taken as we entered the park for everyone too. My season FunPix pass has been well worth the money, especially since it got Greg discounts on a bunch of new photo keychains. He cleaned up on this visit.
Almost All of the Coasters
We couldn’t have asked for a better day with the crowds. We came close to riding every coaster at the park had it not been for the storms that moved into the area during the final hour of operation. Thankfully, Sam and I were able to return the following day to get her last two credits, which I’ll cover in this series fifth and final installment.
Fury 325
Our first ride of the day was Fury 325. We went right to the ride seeing trains dispatch with empty rows while walking into the park. We were assigned a middle row and made our way up the 325-foot tall lift and embarked on the 3 minute, 25 second journey.
This coaster was every bit as intense and fun as I remembered from my 2018 visit. Tons of speed, good pops of airtime, and that hand chopper moment with the support pole is still one of my all-time favorite chopper moments.
Sadly, we only had time to ride Fury 325 one time on the day. We wanted to save a re-ride as a last ride of the day, but a storm nixed that plan. It shut down most of the park’s rides. I’m just glad we got it in early.
Copperhead Strike
Since Copperhead Strike’s addition, I’ve heard mixed reviews from fellow enthusiasts. It was always a coaster that I wanted to experience, but was never one I was in any hurry to go ride. Man, had I known… Had I known that the theming of this ride would be so good. Had I known that the hangtime would be unmatched. Had I known that it would have some intense pops of airtime. Had I known that the trains would be so comfortable. Had I known…
We ended up getting two rides on Copperhead Strike, although we were one train away from a third ride when the storms closed it down. Those two rides were still enough for me to begin debating whether Copperhead or Fury is my favorite coaster at the park. Sam says Fury and Greg says Copperhead. As for me, I couldn’t decide. Well, not until I got in a couple more rides on it the next day that is. Be sure to read the fifth installment in this series to find out which coaster I went with.
Afterburn
For years I have been singing the praises of Afterburn to Sam. Since she began her trek into becoming an enthusiast and getting over her fear of coasters last year, one ride model she’s really enjoyed are Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) Inverted Coasters. I guess that’s fitting with a site name like, “We Were Inverted,” huh? Anyhow, Great Bear at Hersheypark was her initial favorite when she barely had any credits to her name. Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) took that spot after riding it her first time. And finally, Dorney Park’s Talon was always a favorite for her. Now she’s added Afterburn to the list.
Afterburn has never given me a bad ride. It certainly has a bit of bite to its elements and I love its interaction with the nearby landscaping. Both the trees and the trenches it passes by and through make this coaster feel so much faster. This is a must ride for anyone visiting the park.
Intimidator
Between our Myrtle Beach stops and the new credits Sam was grabbed at Carowinds, she managed to catch up to Greg. Greg had shared with me prior to our trip that he wanted to make Intimidator his 125th credit. Well, not only did he make it his 125th, but so did Sam. The two of them realized this was possible later in the day and decided to make it happen on the same ride, together.
Aside from looking amazing with its fresh paint, I feel like this coaster gets too much hate. I see it called “Intrimidator” all the time due to its trim brakes. Even Chris D. told me it can make or break the ride experience. Well, we heard those trims, but didn’t really feel them at all. Candymonium at Hersheypark literally grabs the train hard on its trims. That’s not what we experienced here, nor the following day when we grabbed two more rides. Were we just lucky?
Some Brief Notes on Other Coasters Experienced
I could go on and on about every coaster experience in this blog, but I made an effort to keep these trip reports on the shorter side earlier this year. I’ve already spotlighted more than I typically do, but I feel strange not at least mentioning some of the other coasters we rode. What I’ve decided to do was just a few bullet point about each coaster to wrap things up:
- Carolina Goldrusher – I’ve always enjoyed this mine train. Our entire group had a blast on it as well. It’s certainly aged better than some of the others.
- Flying Cobras – So far Sam has ridden three Vekoma Boomerangs – Sidewinder at Hersheypark, Sea Serpent at Morey’s Piers, and now, Flying Cobras at Carowinds. All three feature the new trains. Talk about luck. I can’t wait to get her on a classic banger.
- Hurler – It was strange riding Hurler after all my rides on Twisted Timbers. Sam was excited to give it a try and said it was neat to see how Timbers stuck to the same footprint since she never got to ride the Kings Dominion clone.
- Kiddy Hawk – Sadly Greg was not able to make it on this ride. The belts that come up from underneath just aren’t long enough. He didn’t miss much though as this thing is one of the least enjoyable rides at the park. One day he’ll get the credit, I’m sure.
- Nighthawk – Ouch! It sounds like someone is banging pots and pans together for the entirety of the ride duration. It’s always been the best looking Vekoma Flying Dutchman, but for me, it’s always been the least enjoyable. Oh yeah… Has anyone else spotted those Firehawk trains laying under the lift hill of Fury 325?
- Vortex – The ride ops on this ride were some of the rudest I’ve ever experienced. I’m not sure if it’s park policy on how they load this ride, but it makes absolutely no sense. It’s not something I’ve seen any other park with a B&M Stand Up Coaster do either. They have the seats rise to their max height and make you climb up into them. Sam couldn’t get up into her seat, so I was trying to pull it down like I’ve done on every stand up. That’s when the ride dispatcher said over the intercom, “Just jump,” in a rude tone. Then another ride ops says to us, “This isn’t a sit down coaster.” Yeah, no shit! Sorry, but come on. Every other stand up coaster I’ve been on, and I’ve been on quite a few, you pull the seats down and get into them with your knees slightly bent. Not at Carowinds, apparently. And this train took about 10 minutes to load, going row to row ever so slowly and leaving the second train out to cook in the sun.
- Woodstock Express – Always fun little coaster to ride, whether at Carowinds, Kings Dominion, or Kings Island.
Final Ride Counts
Afterburn (1: G, P, Sa, St)
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill (1)
Carolina Goldrusher (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Copperhead Strike (2: G, P, Sa, St)
Flying Cobras (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Fury 325 (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Hurler (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Intimidator (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Kiddy Hawk (1: K, P, Sa, St)
Nighthawk (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Vortex (1: G, K, P, Sa, St)
Woodstock Express (1: G, P, Sa, St)
A: Ashley | G: Greg | K: Kevin | P: Patrick | Sa: Sam | St: Stephanie (Ashley & Kevin spent a few hours in the waterpark)
An Early Ending, but Great Company on Copperhead
As I mentioned above, we missed riding Copperhead Strike for a third time due to weather. We were trying to get Kevin a ride being he was in the waterpark when we rode it earlier in the day. It just wasn’t meant to be though. With about 45 minutes left before the park closed, we elected to stay on the platform and see if the storm would pass. It did not.
As much as we would preferred to ride, the staff on Copperhead made the evening one to remember. They asked us about our favorite rides, threw out some Carowinds trivia questions for those left in the station, and engaged us in conversations. I passed out a few of the site’s business cards once it was only Sam, Greg, and myself left on the platform. They were great people! I hope you all see this and know how much we appreciated your interactions with us and for making something fun out of something disappointing.
Stephanie, Kevin, and Ashley had already left the park, but Sam, Greg, and I took our good old time making our way to the exit. We managed to grab a ton of great pictures with the dark, stormy skies. You can see a bunch of those in the gallery below. This trip report’s photo gallery is by far the largest one I’ve published to date. I didn’t even share all the amazing photos either. There were just so many.
Speaking of great pictures, you’ll be seeing even more of those in the fifth and final installment in the Carolina Coasters series soon. Sam and I spent a few hours at Carowinds on Thursday as well, getting in her remaining credits as well as some re-rides on our favorites. As for Day 1 at Carowinds though, talking about some great rides, great photos, and even better company! What a day!
Carowinds Photo Gallery - August 11, 2021
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Copperhead Strike
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Afterburn, Carolina Goldrusher, Copperhead Strike, Flying Cobras, Fury 325, Hurler, Intimidator, Kiddy Hawk, Nighthawk, Vortex, Woodstock Express
Greg
Admiral
New Credit(s): Carolina Goldrusher, Copperhead Strike, Fury 325, Intimidator, Nighthawk, Woodstock Express
