Favorite Family Rides at Carowinds – Top 5 Picks

Carowinds offers a nice variety of rides for the whole family throughout the theme park on the North Carolina and South Carolina border. Finding rides for smaller kids scattered about the park is particularly nice if you have several kids of different heights who are excited about riding. These top five picks are in or near Planet Snoopy and well suited to most families with even the smallest of kids.

One tip that I would highly recommend if you are entering at the main gate is to have your child measured. They will be provided with a color-coded armband that will help you to keep track of which rides they can enjoy. The people who are running the rides can also measure height, but it would be a real drag to wait in a long line only to discover that your little one does not meet height regulations. It also takes more time for them to measure each child at each ride.

The following are some of our favorite rides at Carowinds that the whole family can enjoy riding together...

Carolina Skytower at Carowinds © Katrena

Carolina Skytower

The Carolina Skytower can be seen from I-77 as you approach the exit for Carowinds. This ride lifts folks 262 feet straight up as it rotates around a tower. Riders have an awesome view of the entire amusement park from this vantage point!

Those who are afraid of heights might be a bit nervous on this ride, but many people find this ride to be relaxing and interesting, especially if this is your first trip to Carowinds. This ride has some air flowing through it, but it is not air conditioned to a cool temperature. I would recommend riding the Skytower early on the visit as you pick areas of the park to visit.

Character Carousel at Carowinds © Katrena

Character Carousel

The Charater Carousel, built in 1923 has 68 horses and is the oldest ride in the amusement park. The lead horse has golden hoofs, but my girls tend to look for the ones with the prettiest colors. I'm impressed with the detailed painting on the horses.

This ride has a covered place to park strollers and has a shaded line area. If you have older kids who want to ride the Woodstock Express, this is a great place to meet because they are in sight of each other.

The horses on the inside do not go up and down, and a couple of benches are also available for those who want to opt for a more stationary ride on the carousel. The ride lasts for two minutes.

Flying Ace Balloon Race at Carowinds © Katrena

Flying Ace Balloon Race

I'll admit that the Flying Ace Balloon Race is my nemesis. I can handle almost any roller coaster around, but put me on a ride that goes around and around in circles, and I usually exit it a nice shade of green...but my kids LOVE this ride.

This is one of the few bigger rides that the whole family can ride together. It is especially fun at night when the lights are on. Pay careful attention to which direction the ride is going if you have a preference for flying facing front or back.

This ride lasts 2 and a half minutes. It may be a long two and a half minutes if you are turning green.

Learn more about this ride and how the balloons are decorated on my review.

Snoopy Train Ride at Carowinds © Katrena

Snoopy's Junction

Snoopy's Junction is a small 4-minute train ride that takes riders around a wooded area. It used to be the Dora Train a few years back. I remember riding this one years ago and seeing an albino squirrel while riding it!

This is a low stress ride without lots of surprises. The train is covered, which is nice during summer months. Those of us who have been around a while will recognize the song Linus and Lucy as you ride around the track. This is a nice one to ride if the kids need a little down time or are not ready for the faster or more thrilling rides.

Helicopter Ride at Carowinds © Katrena

Woodstock's Whirlybirds

Woodstock's Whirlybirds are the cool helicopters that ride a track above part of Planet Snoopy. This four-minute ride is one that part of the family can ride together. It also gives a nice aereal view of the pirate ships and the Intimidator in addition to few other rides in the area. I believe a parent and up to two children can ride this one, so if you have two parents and two kids, you'll have to split up.

The line can get pretty long on this one and the copters are not air conditioned, so I would recommend hitting this one early in the morning or in the evening. The ride has foot pedals, but they are just for looks. The pedals do not make the helicopters fly any faster, but if you have a child with lots of energy, this would be a good opportunity to burn up some of that extra energy.

Planet Snoopy and Children's Area at Carowinds © Katrena

Family Activities at Carowinds

Carowinds also offers a variety of shows that the family can enjoy together. All of these rides are found at Planet Snoopy except for the Skytower. Boomerang Bay also has wading pools and water activities for the entire family. Readers may wish to learn more about these rides, including height restrictions and a map of the theme park at the Carowinds web site.

Readers may also like to read more of Katrena's articles about Carowinds including:
Carowinds – Practical Tips for Enjoying NC/SC Amusement Park with the Kids
Favorite Moderate Thrill Roller Coasters and Rides at Carowinds
Roller Coasters for Kids at Planet Snoopy

We have had lots of fun at Carowinds with our family and hope you find my articles to be helpful! Visit Travel NC With Kids and Love 2 Travel With Kids for more ideas if you are traveling with children in the Southeast.