Tolbert Travels

Travel Always, Always Live

Carowinds w/ a Toddler

We LOVE going to Carowinds in the summertime during a weekday (preferably a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and really love how the park is laid out. This post details what we pack, tips, and how we navigate the park with a toddler who isn’t yet 36 inches tall. ANY baby that can walk but isn’t yet 36in. tall can do all rides listed below with an accompanying companion and it might be more than you expect!! I was certainly surprised. We paid for 2 silver season passes, as our 2yr old was FREE this summer. (Children who are two-years-old and younger receive free admission, and a ticket is not required for admission into the park.)

What We Pack for a day trip to Carowinds:

  • Refillable Waterbottles
  • One backpack cooler with all snacks and sandwiches in it (we usually add 2 ice packs to make sure everything stays cold)
  • Towels to spread on chairs in waterpark
  • Water shoes for our toddler – the cement in the waterpark gets hot, so adults wear slides, flip flops, etc.
  • Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, goggles, puddle jumper
  • Stroller
  • Diaper bag
  • Books to read during E’s nap at the waterpark
  • Change of clothes for after the waterpark

Tips:

  1. Adults wear swimsuits into the main park & already have sunscreen on, so that we don’t waste time when we get to the waterpark. Just bring a change of clothes for after the waterpark.
  2. Park your car by 9:45AM. They will let you through secruity and inside the park gates before 10AM, though you can’t access the park rides until 10AM. (If you have a season pass then you don’t have to pay for parking, yay!)
  3. Life jackets for all sizes are provided, so if your child doesn’t have a puddle jumper or life vest that is fine.
  4. Free water cups are available throughout the park if you forget your water bottles. Sometimes we dump the ice cold water into our water bottles to refill them:)
  5. Setup in the shade at the waterpark so that you have a good place to eat your picnic lunch. Also, know you saved a TON of $$ by not having to buy any of the overpriced food sold within the park.

Rides/Activities We Enjoy with our Toddler:

*All of these ride’s E can do even though he isn’t quite 36in. yet. If your kid can walk then they can do ALL of these rides.*

In Camp Snoopy —

    After Camp Snoopy —

    • Boo Blasters on Boo Hill (E says “Bye skeletons” every time we leave haha)
    • Gyro Force (E loves this one!)
    • WATERPARK — Opens at 11AM
      • Pelican Plunge Slides (near first playground on the right as you enter the waterpark)– we do these first after setting our stuff down in the shade under an umbrella … I would say at least 5x because they are SO much fun!! The line forms quickly for these, so definitely get your fill of them first.
      • 2 Water Playgrounds to Explore (This is when adults do any slides they want to do before the rest of the park visitors arrive)
        • The one closest to the entrance, Seaside Splashworks, has a 423 gal. bucket that dumps & E likes the purple slides here and the yellow tube slide! *Technically he isn’t tall enough for the yelow tube slide, but we have never been fussed at for sending him down haha.
        • The second playground that you’ll pass on the way to the lazy river is called Pirates Landing. It has a red and white striped body slide that ends in a shallow run out lane that is a lot of fun! E has gotten a lot more confident on this one. He used to always stop himself and I would then go behind him, but now he flies down it on his own (he used to inch along SO slowly).
      • Playtime at Kiddy Hawk Cove
      • We eat lunch around 12:30pm and then E naps from 1-3ish. During his nap the adults who want to leave the waterpark and go to ride the roller coasters. They usually return and tell me they didn’t wait in a single line.
      • Lazy River & Wave Pools — We enjoy these from 3-4pm when the lines are long for other attractions.
      • We typically leave the waterpark between 4-4:30pm after changing into dry clothes.
    • Rock N Roller (so much fun!)
    • The Grand Carousel (we always end our day with E’s favorite!)
    • Carolina Skytower (we haven’t done this one yet this summer, but you can even if you have a child under 36in. so I wanted to include it in this comprehensive list)

    Rides You can add on if your child is 36 inches:

    Our toddler is like 35.5 inches tall with his shoes on, so we always try a few of the 36 in. rides to no avail. Maybe he needs to wear taller shoes haha. Even without the 36in. rides we still find that we have PLENTY to do and usually only pick a handful from Camp Snoopy anyways before heading to the waterpark. Enjoy your day at Carowinds!

    mtolbert

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