Carowinds Ride Tombstones
I ran across a few ride tombstones during a SCarowinds event at Carowinds. They were near the Enterprise ride and paid tribute to some of the long-gone rides and attractions. I love it when parks can add details like the Carowinds Ride Tombstones!
Surfer: 1973-1976—The Surfer was a Tagada-style ride that was in the Pirate Island section of the park.
Frenzoid: 1986-2005—Frenzoid was a looping pirate ship designed by Intamin. It was in the Country Fair section.
Speedway: 1973-1990—Originally in the Contemporary Carolinas section of the park, and the queue was under the monorail station. It was renamed Carolina Turnpike in 1980. The Vortex currently resides where the Speedway was.
Smurf Island: 1984-1994—Guests would actually board a boat and travel across the river to Smurf Island, very much like Tom Sawyer Island at the Magic Kingdom. That area is where Night Hawk is.
It’s odd that the Frenzoid is listed. Unlike the others, it’s still there: it’s now called the Southern Star. They should have one for Thunder Road.
Jon–you’re right on the Souther Star. For some reason, I was thinking that it was a different ride. Also, there were many more tombstones, but I couldn’t get a photo of them all because of the tour I was on. Maybe this weekend!
It’s really weird. They took out the Frenzoid in 2006, but put it back in as Southern Star in 2007.
I would love to see more pictures! As a native North Carolinian, I grew up going to Carowinds and enjoy seeing references to the old attractions. I hadn’t thought about Smurf Island in ages! Keep up the good work!