Carolina Harbor Waterpark’s Drenching Decade – 10th Anniversary

By Andrew Stilwell @ Coaster 101

The date was August 22, 2014. Carowinds had just announced the biggest investment in park history, the record-breaking giga coaster Fury 325, in front of several assembled media and VIPs. After the roller coaster was announced, the ceremony closed with the “usual” highlights about 2015 season passes and all-season dining plans now being on sale, but the remarks were closed with a unique ending line.

“The excitement of our multi-year expansion plan will continue to build as we firmly stake ground as the Carolinas’ premier entertainment destination,” the assembled crowd was told. “We look forward to making a bigger splash next August when we announce our epic 2016 plan.”

It was very much a line that could have gotten lost in the shuffle, given the level of the announcement that this world-class giga coaster would open at Carowinds in just a matter of months. As Fury 325 opened the following spring (on 3/25, no less!), the phrase “washed ashore” again.

“Harboring” a Secret

In July 2015, a large crate washed ashore inside Boomerang Bay, and park guests were encouraged to join the conversation on social media using #WaterYouDoing2016, further lending credibility to Carowinds’ 2016 plans to make a “big splash” with something wet. An announcement was planned for August 27, 2015, to reveal the secret that Carowinds had been harboring for the better part of a year. Like the announcement of Fury 325 the year prior, media and VIPs were invited to Harmony Hall, where the announcement would be made.

“We are full of Carolina pride when it comes to our coast,” park leadership shared. “Because of that proud heritage we share, we are proud to announce that Carowinds is bringing a bit of the Carolina coast to this region.”

It was then that Carowinds announced its largest water park expansion to date, transforming the former Boomerang Bay into the all-new Carolina Harbor water park. The mysterious crate was opened, containing multiple “messages in a bottle” as to what guests could expect when Carolina Harbor opened in 2016.

Riding the Wave

Now that the “sea-cret” was out, it was time to learn what would make Carolina Harbor different from its predecessors. The first announced new attraction was Blackbeard’s Revenge, a six-story tall slide tower that took its name from a former Carowinds’ attraction that operated just outside of Carolina Harbor’s in-park entrance - on the spot where Flying Cobras is located today. Evoking the history of the Outer Banks of North Carolina’s pirate culture, Blackbeard’s Revenge would feature six slides, including three Pirate’s Plank “trap-door slides, the enclosed Cannonball Drop tube slide, and open-air Captain’s Curse tube slides.

Also announced during the Carolina Harbor reveal were the family-friendly water play structure Seaside Splashworks, two new areas for children in Myrtle Turtle Beach and Kiddie Hawk Cove, and the all-new 27,000 square foot wave pool, Surf Club Harbor.

Additionally, Carolina Harbor would feature a new, dedicated entrance to the water park, the new Harbor House restaurant and Schooner’s Beach Bar. As with previous water park upgrades, cabanas and more than 1,100 new lounge chairs completed the upgrade.

“We listened to our guests and have made a promise to bring them more family-friendly attractions,” said Mike Fehnel, then-Carowinds vice president and general manager on the announcement. “We’re happy to be delivering on our promise with the addition of Carolina Harbor – a guaranteed ultimate waterpark experience. Carowinds is growing by leaps and bounds and continues to put the park on the map as the premier entertainment destination of the Carolinas.”

Carolina Harbor would become the largest water park in the Carolinas and was transformed completely during the off-season between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Many attractions within Carolina Harbor lost their Australian monikers and were given new names to fit in with the new “Coastal” theme.

Each attraction received a bit of a facelift during the transformation, and no stone was left unturned during the water park’s rejuvenation. Even the directional signage in Carolina Harbor was equipped with miniature lighthouses, a clever nod to helping guests find their way, as lighthouses do the same for ships at sea.

“We could satisfy thrill seekers with Blackbeard’s Revenge, our younger visitors with Seaside Splashworks, Kiddy Hawk Cove, Pirate’s Landing and Myrtle Turtle Beach and of course we knew everyone would be delighted with Surf Club Harbor,” Fehnel recalled. “Harmony Hall was becoming an immense hit with our guests, thus we created a waterpark version named Harbor House. At the end of the day, the team really left no stone unturned as we completely rebranded our water park experience.”

Changing Tides

Just a few short years following the water park’s debut, Carolina Harbor received its first major addition. Originally announced in August 2019, Boogie Board Racers – the longest mat-racing water slide in the southeast would open in spring 2021.

On Boogie Board Racer, guests ascend to nearly 60 feet, grab a mat, and choose one of multi-colored six lanes where they wait for the green light to begin an exhilarating, competitive ride. Racers zoom through tubes, high-speed chutes and a thrilling 360-degree horizontal loop. A final drop brings guests to maximum acceleration before they reach the finish line to splashdown. Like Blackbeard’s Revenge in 2016, Boogie Board Racers was custom-designed for Carowinds by Whitewater West, a Vancouver-based leader in water park attraction design.

In 2025, Carolina Harbor added a new, adults-only experience (along with a “first-ever” for the Charlotte area!). Boasting a nearly 3,600 square foot pool, six luxury cabanas, a lawn area with poolside games, and Charlotte’s first-ever swim-up bar, the Carolina Harbor Shore Club opened to rave reviews last season. The centerpiece, Paul Metto’s Boathouse Bar, cleverly named after South Carolina’s state nickname, was integral in creating the elevated experience.

As the Carolina Harbor celebrates a decade of water fun on the state line, the water park has become an integral part to the overall Carowinds experience.

“The addition of Carolina Harbor has been critical to enhancing the guest experience at Carowinds,” said Chris Foshee, PR manager. “Given the climate we are located, the waterpark has always been wildly popular among our guests and made perfect sense to focus on after the addition of Fury 325. By nearly doubling the size allowed us to significantly broaden the experiences for families with the addition of new rides, amenities, culinary offerings. Plus, it aligned with our commitment to celebrate Carowinds' heritage as the place where the Carolinas Come Together. It’s been exciting to see how well received these additions have been with our guests.”