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The Best Dark Rides at Carowinds

Plants vs. Zombies 3Z Arena at Carowinds Image: Carowinds

The Best Dark Rides at Carowinds

While Carowinds is all about family fun and adventure, the park also has some dark and thrilling attractions as well! These will more than likely be more suited toward your adrenaline junkies and not the youngest members of your pack, but there are some more family friendly options on this list as well. Let’s take a look at the best dark rides at Carowinds that might get the heart rate up a little!

Barracuda Blasters

First on our list is actually located in Carolina Harbor, Carowinds’ on-site water park, but it is still considered a dark adventure nonetheless! Barracuda Blasters include two long and twisting tunnel slides that go up and down and around one another for a very unique experience. Riders get to grab a tube and pick a partner as they race to the finish. Now is where this ride gets even crazier! From the beginning of the ride, you and your kiddos are sent into complete darkness that Carowinds’ guests describe as a black hole! You won’t be able to see very well in the pitch-black tunnel, so random twists and turns are to be expected. With this dark and thrilling adventure, you will never know what to expect, but that will just add to the fun! At the end is a landing pool so you can see who made it to the finish first – you or your racing partner!

Barracuda Blasters at Carowinds Image: Carowinds
Barracuda Blasters at Carowinds is both a dark AND wet ride! Image: Carowinds

Blackbeard’s Revenge

Blackbeard’s Revenge hosts 3 separate attractions with 6 thrilling slides for riders to choose from. Pirate’s Plank, Captain’s Curse, and Cannonball Drop are all a part of the complex known as Blackbeard’s Revenge. This attraction is 6 stories tall and certainly has something for every member of the family! You certainly can’t miss it when strolling through Carolina Harbor!

Blackbeard's Revenge at Carowinds Image: Carowinds
Blackbeard's Revenge, dubbed an “extreme waterslide” at Carowinds, is one of the best dark rides at the park. Image: Carowinds

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill

Speaking of dark, this one may just take the cake! Your little (and big) ghost hunters in your group get to prepare for a mission to help Carowinds! Boo Hill mansion has been overtaken by Boocifer and now is filled with nasty ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. It will be your mission to capture Boocifer and restore the well-loved Boo Hill mansion to all its glory. Your ghost hunters will have their Boo Blaster laser gun in hand as you are guided through the property on 4-person carts with plenty of room for everyone. The whole family will love riding through and getting their chance to eradicate these evil creatures. Through graveyards, corridors, and dungeons, kids young and old will shoot the bright targets to collect points. Whoever hits the most targets and gets the most points than the other ghost hunters in your group will get the chance to capture Boocifer and save Boo Hill mansion, what a reward! Strobe lights, creepy darkness, and haunting sounds await you at Boo Blasters on Boo Hill – are you up for the challenge?

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill at Carowinds Image: Carowinds
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is one of the best dark rides at Carowinds. Image: Carowinds

Cannonball Drop

Cannonball Drop is one of the 3 slides located in the monstrous 6 story attraction called Blackbeard’s Revenge. This exhilarating ride will shoot riders through a series of intense drops and turns, not knowing what comes next! Cannonball Drop includes two unique slides that are fun for any rider. While in an enclosed tube, it can get dark, but keep your eyes open for the spectacular light displays! When your kids reach the landing pool at the end, make sure they find their partner to see if they’ve won the race. Cannonball Drop is a perfect heart racing ride for those adventurous kids in your family!

Captain’s Curse

Captain’s Curse is another of the 3 slides located in the 6-story attraction that is Blackbeard’s Revenge. This attraction features another twisting and turning adventure through an enclosed chute. Be sure to be on the lookout for all the changing colors, black and orange and white oh my! Captain’s Curse boasts 4 intense 360-degree turns, so the thrill seekers aren’t left out here! This ride is an exhilarating adventure for anyone who dares to brave the Captain’s Curse!

Pirate’s Plank

The last of the 3 slides at Blackbeard Revenge’s 6 story complex, but certainly not the least! Ahoy mateys, this one involves a plank-walking adventure where the floor drops out from under you (say what!). After your vertical free fall, you and your kids will slide quickly down an enclosed chute until you land in the open-air ending. Here is where you’ll catch your breath after that adrenaline-pumping adventure of a lifetime. A fan favorite at Carolina Harbor, and for good reason! You and your family are bound to love walking the plank in Carowinds’ intense Pirate’s Plank. 

Plants vs Zombies

Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare is an experience all its own! Hosted in the Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 3Z Arena, it is the world’s first intra-active 3D attraction, and certainly one that your family won’t want to miss! Upon entering, your first task is to pick your team, whether you want to be on the plant side or the zombie side. Next, you are thrown into the world of Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 in search of the golden gnome. That certainly will not come without challenges, however! Special effects and crazy action are ahead for high scores and ultimate bragging rights. This attraction is exclusive to Carowinds and is based on the Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare Franchise which is a crazy and action-packed shooter videogame series that creates a battle between plants and zombies in the fight to save their beloved community. Players can even fight with different characters, from Super Brainz a zombie superhero by day but an 80s action movie star by night, or Citron who is a bounty-hunting orange who time travels from the future! The Plants vs Zombies one-of-a-kind experience allows you and your kiddos to interact with the opposing team’s screens.  This unique experience is hosted in a nearly 3600-square foot 3Z arena complete with 3D technology, huge playing screens, independent surround sound, 68 motion-based seats, and hand-held laser devices. Teams compete during an intense battle where you will shoot the screen with your laser blasters, rack up the points for a super high score, and ultimately capture that golden gnome! This is a unique ride that you will only find at Carowinds and is one that you definitely do not want to miss!

Plants vs. Zombies 3Z Arena at Carowinds Image: Carowinds
Plants vs. Zombies is a dark experience for all ages. Image: Carowinds

Carowinds is truly a unique experience perfect for every family. The park boasts an extremely family-friendly environment with an array of adrenaline-pumping rides for those who want to seek the thrills! Carowinds has some of the best dark rides and are perfect for families and bigger kids who love the thrill. From the family excitement of Boo Blasters on Boo Hill to the insane thrill that comes with Pirate’s Plank, you and your family are destined to find your favorite attraction at Carowinds – all in the dark!

RELATED LINKS:

The Best Fast Rides at Carowinds
The Best Spinning Rides at Carowinds

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