Photo Trip Report June 8th-15th: (Part 1)
I finally have made a trip back to my hometown and original home park. I've been gone way too long. My partner and I arrived on Monday, June 8 and stayed until the 15th. The main reason for the trip was Carowinds. I also wanted to finally show him around the city I grew up in and visit some friends I hadn't seen since I moved away.
Monday, June 8th
The excitement was just so much for me I didn't get but maybe an hour or two of sleep before we finished packing up the vehicle and got on the road about 2am. It's usually a 6 1/2-7 hour drive from Gainesville, but with stops it's a bit more. Along the way we stopped for gas/rest/bathroom breaks...pretty much the norm. We also stopped for breakfast in Walterboro, SC at the Bojangle's. From there we came straight on to Carowinds for a couple hours to process our season passes and I got a few rides in.

I really like the new parking toll plaza. It's a great addition.

We were able to park pretty close to the entrance since the park wasn't forecast to be busy. We purposely planned this trip while Charlotte schools were still in session just so it wouldn't be as busy. Worked like a charm. This was the longest line I stood in all day coming up...the bag check/metal detector wand check line. While I love the new entrance, this kind of threw everyone off and several people were trying to go in the exit and was a bit confusing. I'm sure they will get it together before the real summer crowds hit.

I'm really loving the new entrance. It's so open now.

My original plan was to hit up Carolina Cobra, Intimidator and then Fury 325 since those are the 3 credits I needed. That would have made Fury 325 my # 80. Well Carolina Cobra was not in operation at the time. I did see it running/testing from the front of the park, but they had it blocked off. Oh well...It's just a list....lol

I'm all late to the Planet Snoopy party. I love how this area looks now. I honestly hated the Nickelodeon theme. I'm 38 so having grown up with it as Hanna-Barbera and see it Nick Central before this turned my stomach. Of course I understand it was geared to children who know and loved those characters. I'm just glad they have Snoopy and the other Peanut's characters since I grew up watching those.

I finally got my first ride on Intimidator. It's credit #78. I did enjoy the ride. It didn't make my top 10 (made #11), however I do place it between Apollo's Chariot and Goliath (SFOG). This first ride I was in the middle and both trims hit pretty hard so it killed a bit of the momentum for me. Later rides were not as noticeable. If it didn't have the trims, it could easily be ranked much higher for me.
After my ride on Intimidator we rode the Skytower which I was so pleased they had up and running in time for my visit. If I ever get around to it, I'll upload the video. I did take pics the next day while riding which I'll share as I go along.

The shadiest place in the park. I hope they never remove it.

Now it's on to Fury 325. All I can say is WOW. This is coaster credit # 79. My ride this day was in row 5. Going up the lift hill seemed endless but once it sped up and then crept over the first drop I was thrilled while I floated the whole way down. The ride never let up until it hit the brakes. The trim hit but actually seemed to assist in the airtime on that hill. While I wasn't sure where to rank it after this ride I was sure it would be in my top 5.
Since this was basically a stop to process our passes we decided to leave after this. We did browse some of the shops on the way out. So far I was very impressed with how the park was looking and couldn't wait to come back the next day.

On the way to our hotel, we stopped at Pinky's Westside Grill. I definitely recommend this spot if you hadn't tried it. There are plenty of options for meat eaters, vegetarians and more (my partner is a pescetarian so he was able to find plenty on the menu for him to enjoy).

After check-in we unpacked and relaxed a while. When it was time for dinner we went down to the street and got take out from one of my old favorites Shomar's.
(END PART 1)