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.

Roller Coasters for Kids at Planet Snoopy in Carowinds

Fun Roller Coasters for Kids at Carowinds © Katrena

If the kids love the thrill of a roller coaster, chances are that Carowinds offers a ride the kids will love if you are around the North Carolina and South Carolina border. Planet Snoopy features two roller coasters – one larger, older wooden one called Woodstock Express and another smaller, shorter steel one called Lucy's Crabby Cabbie.

Tips for Riding Roller Coasters With Kids

Just a quick note to parents who are planning to ride the coasters with the kids – make sure you are physically able to do so. Some rides may be a tight, if not impossible, fit for adults who are larger or taller. You might want to wait a while after eating to hit some of the higher thrill roller coasters, especially if the kids or you tend to get carsick, although these rides tend to cause less nausea than the ones that go around in circles, at least that's the case for my family.

Ensure that the kids meet height requirements before standing in line. If you have more than one child in a height range that requires a responsible person to ride with each and only one adult is in the group, you might find a volunteer (that you trust) behind you in the line willing to ride with one child or you might consider having someone else to accompany you on your Carowinds trip. If you hit Carowinds on a day with small crowds, the ride operators may allow you to ride more than once without having to go back through the line again if no one is waiting for that seat.

Make sure to secure any loose items, including shoes and glasses and hats, before riding. Those who are well endowed might want to wear a good-fitting support bra...just sayin'.

Lucy's Crabby Cabbie

Roller Coaster for Small Kids at Carowinds - Lucy's Crabby Cabbie © Katrena

This little roller coaster scored big time with my 4-year-old who is too short for many of the more thrilling and bigger rides at Carowinds. This one is located at the back of Planet Snoopy and is designed with kids in mind. People above a certain height must be accompanied by a child. Children 36 to 40 inches must be accompanied by a responsible person - taller kids can ride alone.

This little roller coaster lasts one minute and fifteen seconds and makes a circle with lots of ups and downs on the way. A camera will catch the grins and grimaces as you head down the first and largest hill. This one actually picks up pretty good speed for a tiny roller coaster. The ride ends with multiple little hills. Those riding in the back will feel those hills a bit more.

Fun First Roller Coaster at Carowinds © Katrena

Lucy's Crabby Cabbie is a great first roller coaster for the little ones. Most of the kids who were riding this one walked around numerous times to get back in line over and over. The front car tended to be the most popular with the kids. We were fortunate to pick a date that was not very crowded, so the wait time was minimal.

This ride also offers a great view of the Intimidator roller coaster (red track in the background). One of my older kids practically drooled while watching that huge coaster because she was not quite tall enough this year!

Woodstock Express

I'm going to have to show my age on this one because I remember this one used to be called something like the Scooby Doo Roller Coaster. It later became the Fairly Oddcoaster. Now I've got to get used to the newest name of Woodstock Express.

This is a nice sized wooden coaster for the kids and it is also pretty popular with some adults. You can walk around toward Lucy's Crabby Cabbie and take a look at the track if you want to have more of an idea of where you may be going on a ride named for Snoopy's feathered friend.

Wooden Roller Coaster in Planet Snoopy at Carowinds © Katrena

The Woodstock Express reaches speeds of 35 miles per hour and a few hills might leave your stomach behind. When riding it for the first time, the kids might want to pick a spot near the middle of the coaster because this section tends to give the tamest ride.

If the kids are between 40 and 46 inches, they will need to have a responsible person to ride with them who meets the requirements to ride alone and is at least 16 years old. My 10-year-old and 8-year-old both enjoyed the Woodstock Express and rode it several times when we visited Carowinds. A camera is set up on the largest hill of this roller coaster to catch those fun expressions as riders pick up speed.

I hope you find this information helpful as you look for adventurous outdoor activities in NC that are family-friendly. Readers may also wish to read my article on practical tips for enjoying Carowinds with the family and my article on Carowinds' water park called Boomerang Bay. If you have kids that are a little bigger, you might want to read How Tall Do You Have to Be to Ride the Intimidator? Season pass holders might want to check out the 2013 Carowinds Bring a Friend Dates article. Find more of Katrena's articles at the Travel NC With Kids site map.

Roller Coasters for Children at Carowinds Kids Area © Katrena