On paper, Carowinds' newest ride sounds like a doozy.
At 30 stories, WindSeeker is the tallest ride in the park's history – 69 feet taller than the Intimidator roller coaster, the tallest structure in South Carolina. It features 32 two-passenger swings, riders' feet dangle freely, and the top speed is an impressive-sounding 30 mph.
But hard-core amusement-park thrill-seekers, take note: WindSeeker is actually one of the tamer experiences Carowinds offers visitors.
This is basically a very, very tall version of a chair swing ride, a fairground staple that features chairs suspended from the rotating top of a carousel. (Carowinds already has one: the Yo-Yo, which lifts riders less than one-tenth as high off the ground.) The ride begins when its carriage slowly rotates while beginning its ascent of the 301-foot tower, picking up speed toward the top. At full tilt, the arms extend outward at a 45-degree angle.
As promised, WindSeeker delivers a very nice panoramic view of both the park and the Charlotte region. It offers a silky-smooth, relatively quiet ride, with the exception of speakers near the swings that boom out apropos music like the theme from the "Superman" soundtrack or "Ride of the Valkyries."
Kids who are just at or just over the minimum height requirement of 4 feet 4 inches and are eager for more "adult" thrills will no doubt get a huge kick out of this, and acrophobes will be way too terrified to set foot near this thing.
But despite claims that you'll experience "weightlessness," you never get that feeling in your stomach the way you do on Drop Zone or when you get air going over the humps on Intimidator.
And as a big fan of Carowinds' marquee coasters, I felt like the anticipation was more thrilling than the payoff. Thirty stories sounds very high; 30 mph sounds very fast. The strains of the "Superman" score lead you to believe you're in for an epic trip. Once I got up there, though, I thought, "This is it?"
It's smooth and pleasant, almost serene – but there's not a significant sense of speed since the arms are so long and their rotation around the axis is so wide. Plus, you're really only spinning at maximum altitude for about one-third of the 3-minute ride time.
There's no question most amusement-park fans will want to check out WindSeeker at least once. And it's certainly worth it for the views alone. I also am told that the LED lights that adorn the carriage, tower and arms look spectacular at night, when the ride creates a swirl of colors against the black sky.
But if your favorite ride at Carowinds is Intimidator or Afterburn or Nighthawk, don't expect this new attraction to take its place.
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