Carowinds Theme Park Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1973

Carowinds opened on March 31, 1973. When the park opened the monorail that ran around the park was not yet completed. A family of white squirrels were released into the theme park when the park first opened as a sign of good luck. Carowinds was originally slated to open as part of a larger resort area including hotels, shopping centers, and a pro football stadium but the 1973 oil crisis caused the plans for the resort to be scrapped.

Answer: The Carolina Goldrusher

The Carolina Goldrusher is one of the three original rides to still be in existence during the 2010 season. The Carolina Goldrusher was the first roller coaster to cross state lines, as portions of the track are located in both North and South Carolina.

The ride features a lot of little drops as well as a mini helix in which the track crosses under itself before going through a tunnel and returning to the station.

Answer: Scarowinds

Scarowinds opened in September 2000 and takes place annually on select nights in September and October. The park included a number of extra attractions such as haunted mazes, and transformed most of the existing rides into the Halloween theme.

Answer: Thunder Road

Thunder Road was originally named and themed after a 1958 film of the same name. The ride consists of two tracks side by side with one track located in North Carolina, while the other track is located just over the border in South Carolina. The trains for each track are usually released at the same time to make it seem like they are racing.

The ride reaches a speed of 58 mph and last about two minutes and ten seconds.

Answer: Frenzoid

The Southern Star is located in the section of the park known as County Fair. The rider enters the ride and is seated facing forward, looking at another rider. The ride then swings forward and backward at increasing height until finally the ride makes a complete loop, pausing momentarily while completely upside down.

Answer: Snoopy

The children's park known as Planet Snoopy features rides and attractions named after many of the Peanuts characters. Some of the rides in this section of the park include Snoopy's Gr8 Sk8, Flying Ace Balloon Race, and Woodstock's Whirly Birds. The only non-Peanuts themed ride in this section of the park is the Character Carousel.

Answer: Boomerang Bay

The Boomerang Bay is an Australian themed water park located inside of Carowinds. The water slides and pools located in this section include names such as Awesome Aussie Twisters, Down under Thunder, and Kangaroo Lagoon. The section includes a large wave pool known as The Great Barrier Reef.

Answer: Days of Thunder

The Action Theater is an experience that put the rider into a motion simulation seat, and showed clips of the film "Days of Thunder" while moving the rider back and forth in the seat. The most action packed racing scenes were shown, and the movement of the seats were synchronized with the movement of the car dodging wrecks in the movie. Positioned around the queue lines of the ride were unused NASCAR cars.

Answer: Stephen Colbert

The Eastern Airlines Flight 212 crash occurred on September 11, 1974, and killed Stephen Colbert's father and two older brothers. The Skytower extends 340 ft. above the ground and was listed as a possible factor that may have caused the crash. The crew of the plane were possibly unsure of their altitude, due to fog and other conditions, and may have mistaken the lights at the top of the Skytower as the airport runway lights.

The NTSB eventually ruled that because the crew of the aircraft had taken part in idle and unnecessary conversation during the flight, they were distracted and not paying enough attention during the critical portion of descent.

Therefore Carowinds was not at fault for the accident.

Answer: The Intimidator

The Intimidator is billed as the longest roller coaster in the Southeastern United States. The ride peaks at an incredible 232 feet before plummeting down a 211 foot drop at 80 mph. The ride duration is 3 minutes and 33 seconds making it worth the time waiting in the queue. Outside of the ride, is the Victory Circle that includes a replica number 3 car and a wall listing every one of Dale Earnhardt's 76 wins.