When I was a kid, Carowinds was the place everyone wanted to go. It had all sorts of cool rides perfect for thrill seeking adolescents. I didn’t get to make it as often as I liked, but when I did I had a blast. I’d ride rollar coasters and eat junk food until I thought I would throw up. And then I’d do it all over again.
As an adult, Carowinds has a completely different feel. Just looking at the rollar coasters now is enough to give me the spins. Luckily my two kids aren’t old enough to ride yet, so that was one battle I didn’t have to fight yet. I did bring my niece and her friend but they were old enough to ride on their own. And yes you read that right…I took FOUR kids to Carowinds!
Not only did I travel to Carowinds with a 2, 5, 11 and 13 year old in tow, I also did it without the help of my husband. How did I survive? Luckily I had the help of a good friend who also happens to be a veteran Carowinds enthusiast full of tips and tricks for visiting the park.
I’ve gathered her best advice and a few tips I picked up from our visit and compiled them into this handy list in hopes of helping others survive a visit to the park with small children. This list is also useful for anyone who is visiting the park for the first time (or the first time in a long time).
Disclosure: We were graciously hosted by Carowinds. However, all opinions are my own, and experiences completely as described.
Tips for Visiting Carowinds with Young Kids
1. Get there early
First of all, you should know parking is not free. You can buy parking online with your ticket and save a little, but if not it’s $20 at the gate. When parking, try and get as close to row 7 as possible as it lines up with the entrance to the park.
The park doesn’t officially open for rides until 10, but I recommend arriving no later than 9:30. It takes a few minutes to get through security. They will check bags and you will need to go through a metal detector as well.
You can purchase tickets at the gate but you will save a lot of time if you buy them online. You may also find some better deals.
Once you’ve gotten your tickets and gone through security you can book it to your favorite ride and will likely not have much, if any, of a wait!
2. Camp Snoopy
If you’re travelling with small children, this is the Holy Land of Carowinds. Camp Snoopy is a treasure trove of rides for little ones.
Here you’ll find Snoopy Junction, PigPen’s Mud Buggies, the Charlie Brown Wind Up and so much more! The majority of the rides have height requirements of 36” and above, but many allow a parent or teen to ride with smaller children. The rides were not crowded at all and the most we had to wait was 5 minutes, which was perfect with small impatient children.
We spent the entire morning riding ride after ride after ride. My girls had the best time whirling and twirling and bumping and jumping. This little section of the park was worth the entire visit for us. My girls would’ve gladly stayed the whole day but I wanted to see other parts of the park so we just devoted the first 2-3 hours to Camp Snoopy.
3. Lunch with Peanut Gang
By lunch chances are you’ll be hotter than blue blazes, so you’ll likely welcome the chance to sit in the air conditioning. This is the perfect opportunity to catch the Lunch with Peanut’s Gang in Harmony Hall.
The show starts at 12 and 1, but I’d recommend getting there about 30 minutes early so you can grab a bite to eat and get a good seat.
Now I’ll be honest, lunch here is very pricey. Feeding myself and 4 kids was over $80 and the little kids shared a meal. Next time, I think we’ll grab a cheaper snack during the show to tide us over and then take a late lunch/nap when we leave the park (see tip 11).
The show is about 20 minutes long and very cute! The characters are fun and interact with the audience and the music is lively and upbeat. Afterwards they have a quick time for meeting the characters where you can grab a few cute shots.
Even if you aren’t eating lunch it’s worth it to pop in and catch a show just to get a break from the heat! The park also offers lots of other shows, including several in the Camp Theatre in Camp Snoopy (which is not air conditioned). We didn’t have a chance to check out any other shows but plan to on our next visit.
4. Season Pass
If you live within reasonable driving distance of the park it may be beneficial to buy the season pass. There are several levels of season passes starting with the Silver Pass. There are numerous perks with each pass but the Gold Pass appears to be the best value. It includes free parking, bring-a-friend discounts, free admission to Scarowinds, Winterfest & Dinosaurs Alive, discounts on food & merchandise and special perks throughout the year! Better yet at $120 it pays for itself in just 2 trips! (at general admission prices of $45 + $20 parking)
If you do purchase a season pass be sure to scan it when purchasing in the park to save. And don’t forget about Bring-a-friend days! On certain days your friends can get in with you for as cheap as $19.99 plus tax!
5. Family Care Center
One of my favorite parts of Camp Snoopy is how family friendly it is! In Camp Snoopy you’ll find a sweet little Family Care Center. This center houses a breastfeeding station where nursing mothers can take a break in a comfortable, air conditioned space to feed their nursing child. Inside you’ll also find a diaper changing station. It’s a much appreciated amenity for those travelling with small kids.
There is also a large restroom located in Camp Snoopy that includes four spacious family bathrooms.
6. Visit on a weekday
As you’d probably expect, Carowinds’ crowds tend to be slightly smaller on weekdays. While there may not be many days with low crowds, you’ll certainly find the crowds to be more moderate throughout the week.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s typically bring higher crowd volume and longer wait times because people are off work, or more inclined to take off work on a Friday. Also, more field trips and summer group trips typically happen on Fridays than weekdays.
7. Check calendar before visiting
While weekdays are generally going to be your best time to visit there may be some exceptions. Be sure to check the park calendar for events that may be happening that will increase crowds.
To do this you’ll need to check out the home page and scroll down to the middle of the page to the section that says upcoming events. Be sure to also check the park calendar for closings as occasionally the whole park will be closed for special events. This seems to happen more frequently with Carolina Habor, the water park.
8. Bring in water bottles
While outside food and drinks are not allowed in the park, you can bring in an empty cup or water bottle. I actually saw some people getting through the line with full water bottles also, but I assume the seal was still in tact.
One of the awesome things about Carowinds is that it offers free cups of water at all concession stands. Typically you can find ice too. Therefore, if you bring a water bottle in you could use it all day and in theory not spend money on beverages.
9. Water shoes and towel for water park in afternoon
I recommend hitting the water park in the afternoon once you’ve had a chance to get nice and hot riding the rides in the morning.
You will need to bring your own towels, as they are not provided by the park. Children under 48 inches are supposed to wear a life jacket and the park does provide those. However, if you’re kids are like mine and prefer their puddle jumpers, you can bring your own in as well.
I would recommend you also bring water shoes. The pavement gets insanely hot in the summer and you don’t want to be walking around barefoot. Flip flops work, but the wave pools are a little rough textured so water shoes are the best option.
10. Souvenir cup or dining pass
Food and drinks can get extremely pricey in the park. Luckily Carowinds has devised a few ways to help you save.
If you are planning to eat in the park it helps to plan ahead. On the website there are several different meal plans available to help you save money. You can buy one meal, meals for the day, or even meals for the season. The $29.99 meal plan allows you to get meals every 90 minutes and would be a good option for little ones who snack a lot throughout the day.
Additionally you can grab a souvenir cup for free refills. There are even options available for cups you can use all season. This is a great option if you don’t want to drink water all day but also want to save some cash.
11. Leave and come back
If you’re working with a tight budget, this little tip can help you save big bucks! You can leave and re-enter the park the whole day as long as you get a stamp when you are leaving. There are picnic tables located in the shade outside the park so bringing your lunch and storing it in the car is an option.
There are also lots of restaurants located nearby the park that you can make a quick trip to. Leaving the park is also a good option if you have a little one in need of a nap. My youngest started melting down about 1 and clearly needed a nap. We opted to head out for awhile and drive around letting her catch a few zzz’s in the car while we enjoyed the air conditioning. We were sure to grab a stamp so we could return after everyone was nice and refreshed.
12. Free pre-k pass
The Free Pre-K pass is another amazing perk Carowinds offers. If you have a 3-5 year old they can get a free season pass to the park that is good for the entire season. It also includes free admission to Dinosaurs Alive.
You do have to sign up online by June 3rd and bring a copy of their birth certificate by June 16th, but once you do that you’re good to go for the whole summer! We missed the deadline this year by a few weeks but we will definitely be taking advantage of this offer next summer!
13. Stroller or wagon
If you’re travelling with small children you are absolutely going to want to bring a stroller or wagon. This comes in handy not only for being able to transport tired little bodies, but also is useful in holding backpacks or beach bags.
Obviously your stroller or wagon can’t go on the rides with you, so you’ll have to leave it parked outside the ride but we never had anyone mess with ours. I wouldn’t recommend leaving valuables unattended it in, just to be safe. If you’re planning to ride a bunch of rides, it would be useful to look into a locker rental to hold all your valuables instead of leaving them in the stroller.
If you forget your stroller or don’t have room for on in the car, no worries! Carowinds has got you covered! You can rent a stroller for the day starting at just $16. They also have double strollers available.
14. Height restrictions
This is one area I wish I’d been a little better prepared for, for the sake of my youngest.
Even though Camp Snoopy is geared towards small children, they make not be able to ride all of the rides. There are a few rides with 36” height limits that kids smaller than cannot even ride with an older companion. I had one heart broken 2.5 year old when she learned she couldn’t ride the flying planes.
Still, almost all of the rides were able to accommodate her with one of my older kiddos, so it worked out. I learned later that they have a Height Check Station as you come in where you can have your child measured and get a wristband so you’ll know right away if they are tall enough to ride certain attractions. Next time we’ll be heading here, and also make a plan when we encounter rides that not all the kids can go on!
Another neat feature Carowinds offers is the Parent Swap. Say you’re visiting with both parents and a baby, or smaller child like mine who can’t ride all the rides. That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun! One parent can ride with the child while the other waits at the exit. Once the ride is complete, the other parent can swap out so both parents get to ride. You do need to get a Parent Swap pass at the Family Care Center or at Guest Services. This is an amazing perk as both parents can fully enjoy the park!
15. KidTrack
KidTrack is another awesome free program Carowinds offers for parents with young children. Head to Guest Services where they’ll hook you up with a KidTrack wristband that includes your cell phone number in case you get separated from you child. Explain to your child that if they get lost they are to immediately find a Carowinds’ staff member who will help to reunite you with them quickly.
We actually didn’t learn about this little perk until after our last visit, but it’s something we will certainly be taking advantage of next time. We had a few close calls with the kids getting separated, but were lucky they didn’t wander far. The KidTrack bands would have been great for a little extra piece of mind.
*Bonus tip: Check out Dinosaurs Alive!
If you have a dinosaur loving kid, Dinosaurs Alive is a must! Located just outside of Camp Snoopy, you’ll find the entrance inside a Dinosaur gift shop.
Dinosaurs Alive is an approximately 5 acre plot of land with over 50 animatronic dinosaurs. This means that are 50 moving, roaring, practically breathing dinosaurs that your child can get up close and personal with.
There’s a long winding trail that’s about a ½ mile long and along they way you’ll finds tons of dinosaurs to interact with. My kids marvelled at the size of these giant beasts and enjoyed exhibits where they go to press buttons to move different body parts.
One of their favorite exhibits was a giant sand pit where they could dig for fossils. I also enjoyed this spot as it provided an option to side and rest in the shad for a bit.
Dinosaurs Alive is a little extra if you aren’t a season pass holder. It’s $5 for each person, but 2 and under are free. It’s a small price to pay though for the super cool experience of walking with these long extinct creatures!
Our day was too short and too long all at the same time. We didn’t get to everything that we wanted to, but with small kids it was also an extremely long and exhausting undertaking.
To be honest, I don’t think there is a way to fully experience Carowinds in just one day. On our next visit, I think we will just plan on spending the night near-by so we can do the rides one day and the waterpark the next. Between the rides and shows I have a feeling we could never get bored!
Either way, Carowinds is an adventure that’s perfect for kids of all ages. While I was originally sceptical about taking kids so small, it was well worth it. We’re already looking forward to our next trip!
Don’t forget to visit our Travel page for more travel tips and ideas. If you’ve got questions about planning an Emerald Pointe adventure, please leave a comment or drop me a line on This Crafty Mom’s Facebook Page!
