Exciting NEW Rollercoaster at Carowinds for 2019

Carowinds is now the home of their 14th roller coaster, Copperhead Strike, a double launch coaster with more inversions than any other roller coaster in North America. The new rollercoaster is just one of the many new attractions at Carowinds for the 2019 season.

We will get back to Copperhead Strike in just a moment but first, let me tell you a little about some of the other new things to do at Carowinds this year. 

Blue Ridge Junction

Years ago, Carowinds was the home of Blue Ridge Junction featuring a Carolina mountain feel to the park. Bringing back that same feel with an even better mountain like experience, attendees will be in awe of the many new features!

This seven-acre expansion of the park has over a quarter-million pavers for guests to walk on, has been decorated with over 2,000 plants and flowers, and 3400 gallons of paint and primer was used for just CopperHead Strike and Blue Ridge Country Kitchen alone! The area is beautiful and full of surprises. 

Inside Blue Ridge Junction, you will find new rides including Copperhead Strike and Mountain Gliders. Mountain Gliders was moved from Camp Snoopy and has been switched from having a Woodstock theme to a mountain theme where you can fly like a bird. The ride begins by spinning at a high speed with individual flying carriages flying 28 feet above the ground. Flyers can then maneuver the carriage’s controls by pushing the wing of the carriage different directions to go higher. 

There is also a massive fireplace hearth with a real fire burning. The fireplace is surrounded by rocking chairs to complete a perfect spot for parents and grandparents to relax. Aside from the rides and fireplace hearth, you can also enjoy panning for gold and operating a water pump. 

If the attractions aren’t enough, the foodies will definitely love heading into the new Blue Ridge Country Kitchen. Between the new rotisserie roasted chicken, the beef tenderloin and sausage, roasted potatoes, and even good ole southern collard greens, you will find comfort in the southern foods. They even have a new pizza concoction that you will have to stop by to see for yourself!

Right down from the Blue Ridge Country Kitchen is Granny’s Ice Cream Shop which serves some to die for blueberry soft serve ice cream. You can thank me later!

Now for Copperhead Strike

Carowinds first double-launch roller coaster, that as Lisa Stryker said at Carowind’s Media Day, “has twice the bite”. It is not only Carowinds first but it is the first double-launch coaster in the Carolinas. At a max height of 82 feet, Copperhead Strike includes five, yes, FIVE inversions with max speeds of 50 miles per hour. 

Built by Mack Rides GmbH & Co., Copperhead Strike covers five acres of the new Blue Ridge Junction section of the park. The black and copper coaster may not stand very tall compared to other roller coasters within the park but the 2 minutes, 24-second long ride is none the less exhilarating.

With its half mile track, the ride includes Jo JO rolls, two launches, 360-degree vertical loops, a corkscrew, and an inverted top hat to name a few. It is an action-packed ride which even pauses before launching riders from 0-42 miles an hour within 2.5 seconds.

Fast tight close to the ground maneuvers are tangled with five head over heel inversations, giving it the most inversions of a double launch coaster in all of North America.

16 riders get to climb aboard each of the three trains allowing 1200 thrill-seekers per hour to enjoy Copperhead Strike! Are you ready to be a part of that number?

Beyond the Fun…

Aside from adding an excellent experience for the 2019 season pass holders and single ticket purchasers, Carowinds is also helping North and South Carolina grow in tourism. The Director of South Carolina Parks and Recreation and Tourism, Dwayne Parrish attended the media day at Carowinds. He shared with the media how Carowinds has impacted the tourism growth for South Carolina. It has made a regional economic impact by providing more jobs and tourism growth. Hotels in Rock Hill and greater area have seen a 70% revenue increase since 2010. 

2018 made for the sixth consecutive year of record growth in tourism numbers from 166 million dollars per year of tourist spending in 2010 to a staggering 245 million dollars spent yearly by tourists in 2017 alone. Over those years, Carowinds has added Windseeker, Fury, Carolina Harbor, Camp Snoopy and now the Blue Ridge Junction featuring the new Copperhead Strike rollercoaster. In turn, this growth has helped with both state and local taxes in both North and South Carolina. South Carolina’s motto is “Always something new to discover in South Carolina”. Each year, Carowinds helps keep that motto true by continuing to add new and exciting features to the park.

This year has been the biggest investments that Carowinds has ever put into the park in any one single year since the park opening. Aside from the new Blue Ridge Junction, Carowinds will also be opening a 130 room SpringHill Suites by Marriott later in 2019, along with a 101 room dorm with a recreation center. 

Make a Wish

Each year, Carowinds chooses one non-profit agency to auction off the first rides of the season. This year, Make a Wish of Central and Western North Carolina was given the opportunity. At the Carowinds Media Day, Carowinds presented a check for $10,692 that was raised by auctioning off the first 48 rides on Copperhead Strike! 

Every 35 minutes in the United States, a child who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition is granted a “Wish”. The proceeds from the Make a Wish, Carowinds auction was to help grant a high-cost wish for a local family. Elliot Campers and his family were there along with Make a Wish to receive the check. Elliot had the opportunity to ride front row on the very first train to be launched on Copperhead Strike and had been given an opportunity to fulfill his wish of being a manager for the day at a Cinncinati Reds game. 

I love that Carowinds is far more than just a park for you and I to enjoy but they are also mindful of those in need. They are helping the economy in my very own state and giving tourists visiting North and South Carolina a great experience when they visit!

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