Carolina Harbor
Carolina Harbor is a water park at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Included with the price of admission to Carowinds, the water park is owned and operated by Cedar Fair.
| Carolina Harbor | |
|---|---|
| Location | Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
| Coordinates | 35.104339°N 80.93968°W |
| Owner | Cedar Fair |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Previous names | Ocean Island (1982–1988) Riptide Reef (1989–1996) WaterWorks (1997–2005) Boomerang Bay (2006–2015) |
| Operating season | May through September |
| Area | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| Pools | 6 pools |
| Water slides | 31 water slides |
| Children's areas | 6 children's areas |
| Website | Official website |
History
The water park originally opened as Ocean Island in 1982. In 1989, it was renamed to Riptide Reef.[1] For the 1997 season, Paramount Parks invested $7 million[1] in a 12-acre (49,000 m2) expansion and renamed the park to WaterWorks. Another major expansion occurred in 2006 adding a new Australian theme and changing the name to Boomerang Bay, a name shared with several water parks at other Cedar Fair amusement parks. In 2008, Cedar Fair added a 600,000-US-gallon (2,300 m3) wave pool, Bondi Beach, increasing the total size of the water park to 20 acres (81,000 m2).[2] As part of the multi-year expansion at Carowinds, Boomerang Bay added Surfer's Swell and Dorsal Fin Drop for the 2014 season.
On August 27, 2015, Carowinds announced that Boomerang Bay would undergo a major expansion in 2016 and would be renamed Carolina Harbor. The expansion includes a new wave pool named Surf Club Harbor, 2 children splash areas named Myrtle Turtle Beach and Kitty Hawk Cove, a six-story, six-slide complex named Blackbeard's Revenge,[3] and a new play structure called Seaside Splashworks.
On August 15, 2019, Carowinds announced “Boogie Board Racer”,[4] the longest mat racing slide in the southeast. This attraction has 6 separate enclosed, and open to the sun slides.
List of attractions
| Thrill level (out of 5)[5] |
|---|
| 1 (low) 2 (mild) 3 (moderate) 4 (high) 5 (aggressive) |
| Name | Opening year | Description | Thrill level[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barracuda Blasters | 1989 | Fully enclosed inner-tube ride that plunges riders into total darkness | 4 |
| Blackbeard's Revenge | 2016 | Multi-slide complex featuring capsule slides and inner-tube slides. Identical complexes exist at Oceans of Fun, Dorney Park, Soak City at Kings Dominion, Soak City at Kings Island, Cedar Point Shores, Knott's Soak City (Adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm), and South Bay Shores at California's Great America. | 5 |
| Boogie Board Racer | 2021 | A six-lane family Mat Racer water slide. It opened as South-East's longest mat racing slide. | 4 |
| Coastal Currents | 1997 | Lazy river ride | 2 |
| Dorsal Fin Drop | 2014 | 351-foot-long enclosed slide that empties riders into a bowl. | 4 |
| Hurricane Falls | 1997 | Four-person family raft ride that takes riders down four stories of unexpected dips and sharp turns. | 4 |
| Kiddy Hawk Cove | 2016 | An interactive Children's play area with water jets, splash areas and more. | 2 |
| Myrtle Turtle Beach | 2016 | An interactive Children's play area with water jets, splash areas and more. | 1 |
| Pelican Plunge | 2006 | Family-friendly two-person inner-tube water slide | 3 |
| Pirate's Landing | 1997 | Family-oriented, multi-level water fortress complete with slides, bridges, and rope ladders | 1 |
| Seaside Splashworks | 2016 | A multi-level play structure with over 80 play elements, including dozens of interactive spray jets, water guns, net bridges, water wheels, six water slides, and a giant 423-gallon tipping bucket | 2 |
| Storm Surge | 2001 | A complex consisting of two body slides and two inner-tube slides all of which are enclosed | 5 |
| Surf Club Harbor | 2016 | A new 27,000 foot wave pool with 8 massive generators and waves up to 6 feet, and interactive water geysers at the base at the pool | 3 |
| Surfer's Swell | 2014 | 263-foot-long enclosed slide which plunges riders onto a platform that simulates the movement of ocean waves | 4 |
| Tidal Wave Bay | 2008 | 600,000-US-gallon (2,300 m3) wave pool | 3 |
Former attractions
| Name | Opening year | Description | Closing year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Sidewinder | 1997 | A one or two person tube slide that had twist and turns. Closed and removed for expansion of County Fair area. | 2016 |
| Sand Dune Lagoon | 2006 | A relaxation area with pools that included jet sprays and water gushing mushrooms. Closed and removed for the addition of Copperhead Strike. | 2017 |
| Great Barrier Reef | 1982 | A small wave pool that was ocean islands first attraction. Closed and removed for Seaside Splashworks play structure. | 2015 |
References
- "Carowinds History". Carowinds. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- "Wave Pool Part Of Carowinds Boomerang Bay Water Park Expansion". Ultimatewaterpark.com. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- Kulmala, Teddy (August 27, 2015). "Carowinds announces major waterpark expansion, new slides". The Herald. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- "Carowinds on Instagram: "JUST ANNOUNCED for 2020! Experience extreme, supreme water slide racing on Boogie Board Racer - the longest mat racer in the Southeast!…"". Instagram.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- "Roller Coasters | Adrenaline Rush Activities". Carowinds. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- Ratings assigned per Carowinds, where "1" is the least intense and "5" is the most. See their "ride listing". Carowinds. on their website for more specific details.