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Carowinds Theme Park Closing to All Guests in Just Two Days

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Posted on by Chloe James 3 Comments
The entrance to Carowinds theme park, owned and operated by Six Flags.

Credit: Carowinds

Beloved theme park Carowinds is set to close in a matter of days.

Sitting directly on the border of North and South Carolina, Carowinds first opened in 1973. In the decades since, it has grown into a sprawling theme park destination with a long list of attractions, including 13 roller coasters, the Carolina Harbor water park, and major seasonal events like SCarowinds and WinterFest.

Doo-Si-Do ride at Carowinds, North Carolina theme park
Credit: Carowinds

The park has gone through several major transformations during this time. During the Paramount era in the 1990s, rides were themed to blockbuster films. Cedar Fair took over in 2006 and rebranded many of those attractions. Following the merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags, Carowinds has played a key part in the Six Flags family.

Of course, the merger between the two parties hasn’t exactly run smoothly. The group has teased permanent closures for multiple parks, already confirming the end of both Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Bowie, Maryland, and California’s Great America. It’s also axed beloved rides, such as the once-tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka, at Six Flags Great Adventure.

A group of people ride a roller coaster up a steep incline on a blue-painted wooden track at the theme park. The riders are seated in several rows, some wearing orange and pink shirts. The background shows trees and more of the roller coaster structure towering above, emphasizing the thrilling height restrictions.
Credit: Carowinds

Fans have feared more closures are on the way – especially following the disappointment of a recent earnings call and the subsequent announcement that CEO Richard Zimmerman, who previously served as CEO of Cedar Fair, will exit his role at the end of the year. Attendance has apparently dropped to 14.19 million visitors at its parks in the three months ending June 29, 2025, from the 15.5 million visitors reported by the same parks for the same timeframe in 2024.

Why Is Carowinds Closing?

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like Carowinds is on the permanent closures list. It is, however, shutting its gates to all guests this week as Six Flags opts to instead hold a private event at the theme park.

Both Carowinds and Carolina Harbor Waterpark are closing on Sunday, August 17.

Reminder: #Carowinds and Carolina Harbor Waterpark will be closed for a private event on Sunday, August 17th.

That means regular guests won’t be able to enjoy the park’s 60+ attractions, such as Fury 325, Slingshot, The Flying Cobras, Thunder Striker, and Vortex.

Carowinds previously closed for inclement weather earlier this month. It also closed early for another bout of poor weather in June.

With Carowind moving into its fall operational schedule, it will remain closed until Saturday, August 23. It will then primarily open on weekends through September 12, when it will also open on Fridays for SCarowinds. This lasts until November 2, when the park closes for the season. It will also open on September 1, October 23, and October 30.

Have you visited Carowinds yet this season?

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Chloe James

Chloë is a theme park addict and self-proclaimed novelty hunter. She's obsessed with all things Star Wars, loves roller coasters (but hates Pixar Pal-A-Round), and lives for Disney's next Muppets project.

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