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| Flying Ace Aerial Chase - Great Moderate Thrill Coaster at Carowinds © Katrena |
Flying Ace Aerial Chase
This is a great starter coaster that my older kids particularly enjoy! Kids may ride if they are at least 44 inches tall and must be accompanied by an adult until they reach 54 inches. Although they say this one is in Planet Snoopy, it seems to me to be just outside of the kids' area as you can get to the coaster without going down the walkway into the Planet Snoopy area.
This steel coaster leaves riders hanging for a minute and a half...well, at least their feet are hanging. Riders with shoes such as flip flops do well to take off their shoes as they enter the ride. This ride gets up some speed and is a fun one to try before going to the bigger coasters. Wait times can be fairly long, but my kids tend to want to ride this one any time we go to Carowinds.
One downside of this coaster is a size restriction. I have seen more than one parent wait in line with a child only to realize that the parent could not ride this one because the bar would not lock. This roller coaster appears to be designed for kids and has a fairly small girth. Most of the wait area is uncovered, which is a factor to consider on a hot and sunny day.
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| Carolina Goldrusher - oldest & one of the best moderate thrill coasters at Carowinds © Katrena |
Carolina Goldrusher
This wooden coaster has been around since 1973, making it the oldest roller coaster in the park. There is a reason the Goldrusher has lasted: it is a fun roller coaster that lasts for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Shaped like a train, it features a track that offers several unexpected twists. The part my family likes best about this one is the best part of the ride is at the end as it picks up speed through an open "tunnel." Very fun!
The downside of this coaster is the wait time. Each car has seatbelts and a lap belt, and it takes a while to load and unload, but the waiting area is at least covered. This coaster is located near the Windseeker, and the shortcut walkway under the Nighthawk will take you pretty close to where this roller coaster is located. The minimum height restriction was increased to 48 inches in recent years. Shorter kids who are not quite tall enough for this one might consider the Woodstock Express, a very similar coaster in Planet Snoopy.
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| Ricochet Ride at Carowinds © Katrena |
Ricochet
This ride features 17 curves that riders will swing around at a quick speed. The ride lasts 1 minute and 58 seconds with a minimum height requirement of 44 inches. This one can be tricky if you have less adults than kids because smaller kids must be accompanied by a responsible adult. However, you can usually find a responsible-acting teenager in line that is willing to sit beside a child if needed.
This ride is very popular with quite a few age ranges, and the line tends to move slowly as each car only holds four people. This is a ride you might consider trying earlier rather than later as the line tends to lengthen throughout the day. This is a good starter ride before trying the coasters with a larger hills, such as the Carolina Goldrusher and Woodstock Express.
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| The Scrambler Ride at Carowinds © Katrena |
The Scrambler
This is an oldie but a goodie. Kids who are at least 36 inches tall can enjoy this ride. Be careful to place larger people to the outside, unless you would like to flatten the child beside you – think centrifugal force. You can help shorten load times by ensuring that your car is locked and everyone is seated properly. If anyone tends to get motion sickness, this would be a good one for an empty stomach! It helps if you stare at a specific item directly in front of you as you ride.
The Scrambler tends to have a fairly long wait time, especially if people have paid extra to break in to the front of the line. (Sorry...I just tell it like I see it.) The ride lasts 1 minute and 15 seconds, which might feel short for those who aren't getting sick but might feel like an eternity for those who feel their lunch rising.
The wait area is not covered, so people waiting for the Scrambler tend to get hot and grouchy. This is one of the few rides in this area of the amusement park that the smaller kids can ride, and it is close to the air conditioned building where they have some of the shows. If you have several people in the family, you might want to pick cars that will face each other as they turn so that you can enjoy watching your loved ones who are laughing hysterically or who are ready to puke.
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| Peanuts Pirates Ride at Carowinds © Katrena |
Peanuts Pirates
Children as short as 40 inches may ride this ride. This one is particularly fun to ride if you have a group because the cars will turn around to face each other every few seconds. I would recommend this one before eating or give everyone a little time after a meal because it might cause some motion sickness as it twists and turns, but this one is not as likely to cause motion sickness as the Flying Ace Balloon Race. The last turn can be a bit of a jerk if you are in a car that starts to turn and then suddenly twists the other way, but if you watch the numbers closely, you can determine which ones won't do that and pick a number accordingly.
This ride loads pretty quickly, especially if the ride operators are zipping up and down the hilly sidewalk, so even if the line is fairly long, you probably won't have to wait for too many loads. They have tried to cover the wait area, but it still gets a bit hot and perhaps sunny during certain times of the day. You have a great vantage point of watching the Intimidator roller coaster as you wait to load the Peanuts Pirates ride, and people who are riding the helicopters can watch the Peanuts Pirates from above.
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| Woodstock Gliders Moderate Thrill Ride at Carowinds © Katrena |
Woodstock Gliders
This is one of the few moderate thrill rides that kids as short as 36 inches can ride. Children who are between 36 and 44 inches tall must be accompanied by an adult. This ride has twelve cars, so each load may include as few as twelve people or as many as 24 people. It is a three minute ride, so once you are on, you can enjoy it for quite a while!
Woodstock Gliders can be as thrilling as you would like to make it. If you are good at steering, you can whip the glider quite high and low, picking up a good bit of speed while taking it to the far edges of the cable, but it may be hard to even out the ride if you are weaving and your child decides he/she does not want to weave any more! You can also hold the helm in the center for a fun ride without all the ups and downs. The key to steering well is to go slow, catch the wind, and get in the rhythm.
Sometimes the ride operator will offer a second ride for the glider that goes the highest. That's a nice gesture for that lucky rider(s), but I don't agree with letting anyone ride twice in a row on the Woodstock Gliders because wait times for this ride are some of the longest in the park, especially if gliders are weaving when the ride stops.
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