Rumor Project 2028 (?): The Next Coaster

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Reports in the Carowinds Passmember group say that there are permits for storm daisge work in the dino area.
 
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DE_Creative said:
I feel like that would be much better somewhere else, where it can go through the trees (aka the dinos alive plot). This front area, in addition to being partly on top of the water, would be best saved for a visual showstopper that interacts with the views that site provides. GCIs are great rides, and I certainly see the merit of a great wooden coaster right at the front of the park, but my guess is that’s not what they’re going to do here
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I’m gonna be honest, if the park wanted a GCI, I’d love to see what GCI could do with Hurler. I don’t mean a basic retrack, I mean a full redesign while keeping mostky to the original footer pattern (and building up more if needed). That or kill hurler entirely and put a ground up GCI in its place with a fully custom layout.
 
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The Dinosaurs Alive plot would lend itself extremely well to something like a GCI, but it would also be a fantastic place to build something else more family-friendly such as one of those Vekoma family launch coasters. It is a very sizable plot of land, thus lending itself to something sprawling that can hopefully take advantage of the foliage already present in the area. I do think there's a very real possibility this could be the site of the park's next coaster, especially if they're leaning toward a family or family-thrill attraction (which, quite frankly, is probably the type of coaster Carowinds needs right now). I could very much see this being an in development 2028/2029 project if they're starting work in the area now.

The Nighthawk plot is indeed a big empty hole in the middle of the park, but it's actually not a huge amount of land to work with (as a point of reference, it's only about 20% larger than Copperhead Strike's plot). They could definitely fit a new coaster in here, but I think there could also be merit to waiting until they're ready to retire Carolina Goldrusher (which would be far less missed after a new family coaster) and/or Vortex (which probably wouldn't be missed regardless) and use all that space to build something absolutely massive. The spot is dead center in the middle of the park, thus it needs to be home to an iconic thrill ride that can stand toe to toe with Fury 325 in the eyes of the public. I do think it's pretty poor form to leave the site in an obviously abandoned state, but if the park is getting new investment elsewhere in the meantime it's acceptable to take a couple more years before going for this location.
 
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Damn, it grows...

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For reference, just a couple of days ago.

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Guess we'll see how much more is cleared... it's possible to cram Harley next to Afterburn with a bit more tree removal.

If Harley is put there, I wonder if we'll see an aviation theme and extension of Aeronautica. Afterburn is in dire need of signage / queue upgrades, and a new major thrill ride would be a great opportunity to justify spending money on that.
 
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I shrugged this off a few days ago thinking it was utility work or some other form of insignificant work. But that's a lot more clearing than I'd expect for minor utility work. It's also to late (I would think) to be starting construction on something for Haunt? Interesting development....
 
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Great topography for a family friendly possibly along the lines of what is going to Texas. I used to want a woodie there due to the lay of the land but gave up on that a long time ago.
 
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Caleb Coasters 325 said:
Anyone here remember when early signs/land prep began for Copperhead Strike? I seem to recall if I'm remembering correctly that people started seeing signs in late Summer 2017.
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I could be wrong, Carowinds was my home park at that time and if I remember correctly, demolition of Kookaburra Bay and Whitewater Falls, both of which were SBNO, began in late 2017. Significant land clearing began in winter/spring 2018 I think, with vertical construction by late summer 2018 and an announcement at the end of August 2018.

If this is in fact for a significant capital investment, I'm shocked they wouldn't focus on the NH plot first, but this could have been in the works already considering the water ride was delayed and therefore so did all future plans if they weren't cancelled.
 
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Mojosdad said:
Great topography for a family friendly invert possibly along the lines of what is going to Texas. I used to want a woodie there due to the lay of the land but gave up on that a long time ago.
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I'd rather they do something with the family friendly invert they have next door (get new trains) instead of building a brand new one.
 
Caleb Coasters 325 said:
Anyone here remember when early signs/land prep began for Copperhead Strike? I seem to recall if I'm remembering correctly that people started seeing signs in late Summer 2017.
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I have images of paint / flags and demolition in the former Whitewater Falls plot dated May 5th, 2017.

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Little to no updates throughout the 2017 season, but by April 14th, 2018 the land looked like this:

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They did spread RRF's construction out a lot, but far from believing this could be for a coaster.

Perhaps for 2028 we could see Harley, and a revived / reimagined Project Sparrow attraction that was cut from the 2025 additions. The land being cleared is in the very bottom right of this photo - would love to see the dead-end in Camp Snoopy be routed to connect with Afterburn / Bailey's Barnyard.

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CarolinaDog said:
They did spread RRF's construction out a lot, but far from believing this could be for a coaster.

Perhaps for 2028 we could see Harley, and a revived / reimagined Project Sparrow attraction that was cut from the 2025 additions. The land being cleared is in the very bottom right of this photo - would love to see the dead-end in Camp Snoopy be routed to connect with Afterburn / Bailey's Barnyard.

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Would they really need to be clearing land now for a small project like that this early out? If they're clearing land now for a 2028 project, it's likely something large. If not then probably just utiility upgrades or something Scarowinds/Winterfest related.

Also while Rip Roarin Falls is a pretty big investment, remember it was originally planned to open this season before delays due to construction/Six Flags financial issues in 2025 caused it to be a 2027 project. So I think it's very possible a contract was already signed for a major 2028 project probably even before the decision was made to retire Nighthawk. So I wouldn't rule out back to back large projects also seeing both Cedar Point and Great Adventure got 3 back to back large projects and the fact Carowinds is the local park for the Six Flags corporate office.
 
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You're right... Smaller additions would make less sense than a coaster. 😵‍💫

Regardless, hope that dream of connecting that dead end becomes a reality someday.

I'm not sure about a prexisting contract for Dinos, especially considering *I believe that a Nighthawk / Vortex replacement has been conceptualized by the park prior to the merger.

Maybe I'll be surprised, and I'd really like to be, but I'm unconvinced Carowinds will be receiving a new coaster in 2028. Not sure if the newly combined SFEC with new leadership holds the park in as high regard as Cedar Fair did.
 
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