Twice the Strike at Carowinds

We recently had the opportunity to attend the VIP and media preview event at Carowinds to celebrate the grand opening of Copperhead Strike, their 14th coaster! This Mack Rides launched coaster twists and turns in the park’s new Blue Ridge Junction area. This double-launched coaster with 5 inversions (including a rare jo-jo roll!) and a highly themed show building sets a new standard for rides at this rapidly growing park.

The area around the ride has been very well-themed to an old farm

Also new for 2019, the flying eagles attraction has been renamed the Mountain Gliders to better fit with the Blue Ridge Junction theme.

The event started off with representatives from the city of Charlotte and Carowinds speaking about the construction of Copperhead Strike and its meaning to the park and the surrounding area. The park also helped to raise over ten-thousand dollars for the Make-a-Wish Foundation! The event ended with a bang…

Of course there were fireworks and the farmer raced to destroy his secret “jams and jellies”

We then got our change to experience the ride!

The ride queue is surprisingly well themed, taking us into Granny Byrd’s farm.

The trains look sleek and have working headlights! Plus they’re extremely comfortable, even with the added seat-belts.

The ride gives an great mix of thrills, hangtime, inversions, airtime, and speed!

SPOILERS AHEAD

The show building after the jo-jo roll shows us just what Granny Byrd has been up to and the chaos that ensues inside with effects occurring all around the train. The mix of practical effects, video projections, and lights all give a sense of panic just before the train tears out of the barn!

Overall, Copperhead Strike is a great addition to Carowinds and we cannot wait to come back to ride it again and again! We’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone at Carowinds who made the event so much fun and worked hard to bring Copperhead Strike to life!