How Accessible Boarding Works Here
Every ride entrance and Alternate Access Entrance has a Safety Guide sign listing height requirements, health restrictions, the thrill rating, ride accessibility, and special instructions. The guide defines the Alternate Access Entrance as the ride exit or the Fast Lane entrance, and each ride below notes which one applies. Staff are not permitted to lift or transfer guests, so plan on someone in your party helping. See the full accessibility guide for the IBCCES card and North Gate Guest Services.
Heights are posted in inches at each ride. Get measured at the Height Check Station near North Gate Guest Services and you receive a wristband showing your height range. Wristbands are not required to ride; they just speed up the check at each entrance.
The Major Coasters
1. Fury 325
The park calls it North America's tallest, fastest, and longest giga coaster: a 325 foot peak, an 81 degree drop, a 190 foot barrel turn, speeds up to 95 miles per hour, and more than 1.25 miles of track that crosses the North and South Carolina state line. Guests must be 54 inches. The restraint is an individual lap bar and seatbelt, and a test seat is at the entrance. Riders need three extremities: one functioning arm with a hand and two legs that include a foot. A prosthetic leg does not substitute for a leg, and leg prostheses are not permitted. Two functioning arms with hands can stand in for two legs with feet if the amputation is below the ankle, and the required legs may be paralyzed. No casts, cervical collars, neck braces, or broken collar bones. Guests with certain amputations may ride with a separate full body harness; ask at Guest Services. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a guest-operated wheelchair lift to the platform, then several steps. Loose items cannot go in line or be left on the platform, so use a locker or a non-rider. Strobe lighting and magnets.
2. Thunder Striker
A 232 foot hyper coaster with seven drops and speeds up to 80 miles per hour, which the park bills as the tallest, fastest, and longest hyper coaster in the Southeast. Guests must be 54 inches. Individual lap bar and seatbelt, with a test seat at the entrance. The rider criteria match Fury 325: one arm with a hand and two legs with feet, no leg prosthetics, two arms acceptable with below-the-ankle amputations, and no casts. The full body harness option applies here too. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a guest-operated wheelchair lift to the platform. Strobe lighting and magnets.
3. Copperhead Strike
The first double-launch coaster in the Carolinas, per the park: 0 to 42 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, a second launch midway, five inversions, and over half a mile of track. Guests must be 52 inches, and a maximum rider height also applies. Individual lap bar with a between-the-legs belt, and a test seat at the entrance. Riders need one functioning arm and two functioning legs, amputations must be below the ankle, and prosthetics are not permitted. No cervical collar, neck brace, broken collar bone, full or braced arm cast, or full leg cast. Glasses must be secured with an athletic strap. The guide lists Copperhead Strike among rides equipped with a body harness, but its own ride entry does not describe a harness option, so ask at Guest Services. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with an elevator. Strobe lighting and magnets.
4. Afterburn
An inverted coaster from 1999 with floorless cars hanging below the track, a 113 foot first drop, six inversions, and speeds up to 62 miles per hour. Guests must be 54 inches. Shoulder harness with a between-the-legs belt. Riders need three extremities: one functioning arm with a hand and two legs, and both legs must include the knee. Legs may be paralyzed. No casts and no leg prosthetics. The full body harness option applies. Accessible entrance: through the ride entrance to an elevator; press the intercom for the ride operator. Expect several steps and a step up into the seat, and do not use the restraint for support.
5. The Flying Cobras
A 125 foot looping coaster that runs its course forward and then backward, turning riders upside down six times at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. Guests must be 48 inches. Shoulder harness. Riders need two legs, not counting prostheses, with amputations below the ankle; one leg is enough if the other extends to the end of the seat. Arm prosthetics are not permitted, and a lower-limb prosthesis must be secured or removed. No full leg cast. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device available on request.
6. Carolina Cyclone
When it opened in 1980, the park says it was the first coaster in the world with four inversions. A 95 foot lift, two vertical loops, two barrel rolls, and a top speed of 41 miles per hour. Guests must be 48 inches. Shoulder harness. Two functioning extremities, one arm and one leg, or two arms if the rider can form a saddle posture. No cervical collar, neck brace, broken collar bone, full or braced arm cast, or full leg cast. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request.
7. Vortex
A 1992 stand-up coaster with a 90 foot lift, a vertical loop, an oblique loop, a carousel turn, and a flat spin. Guests must be 54 inches. Riders stand in a shoulder harness with a between-the-legs belt. Three functioning extremities are required: one arm and two legs. No casts and no leg prosthetics; an upper prosthesis must be secured or removed. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with an elevator, then several steps.
8. Hurler
A 1994 wooden coaster with an 83 foot lift, 3,157 feet of track, airtime hills, and speeds of 50 miles per hour, in the Thrill Zone behind Jukebox Diner. Guests must be 48 inches. Individual lap bar and seatbelt. One functioning arm and one functioning leg, or two arms with a normal center of gravity; amputations below the knee. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with an elevator underneath the station to the left of the exit stairs, and a transfer device on request. Magnets.
9. Carolina Goldrusher
The park's oldest coaster, open since March 31, 1973: a mine train with two lift hills, a 43 foot drop, and speeds of 30 miles per hour. Guests must be 48 inches. Shared lap bar with an individual seatbelt. One functioning arm and one functioning leg, or two arms with a normal center of gravity; amputations below the knee. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with an elevator. Strobe lighting.
10. Ricochet
A wild mouse coaster with flat hairpin turns and quick drops. Guests must be 54 inches to ride alone or 44 inches with a Supervising Companion, which makes it a good step up for a mid-height rider. Individual lap bar and seatbelt. Three functioning extremities. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request. Strobe lighting.
11. Kiddy Hawk
A suspended family coaster with a 49 foot lift and speeds up to 26 miles per hour, near the Camp Snoopy entrance across from Panda Express. Riders must be between 44 and 76 inches. Shoulder harness. One functioning arm with a hand (not a prosthesis) and one leg; leg prostheses are not permitted. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with several steps and a step up into the seat. The guide notes riders between 44 and 54 inches may need help on and off.
12. Snoopy's Racing Railway
A family launch coaster through dips and turns. Guests must be 48 inches to ride alone or 36 inches with a Supervising Companion. Individual lap bar. One functioning arm (not a prosthesis) and one functioning leg; no full or braced arm cast, full leg cast, cervical collar, neck brace, or broken collar bone. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer into the seat. Magnets and strobe lighting.
13. Woodstock Express
A junior wooden coaster with banked curves and airtime hills in Camp Snoopy. Guests must be 46 inches to ride alone or 40 inches with a Supervising Companion. Shared lap bar with an individual seatbelt. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request. Strobe lighting.
14. Wilderness Run
A junior steel coaster with mild drops and turns, and the first coaster for the smallest riders at 36 inches. Shared lap bar with an individual seatbelt. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request. Strobe lighting.
Big Rides That Are Not Coasters
WindSeeker
A chair swing that spins riders out to a 45 degree angle while climbing a 301 foot tower. Guests must be 52 inches, with a 304 pound maximum per rider. Individual lap bar with a between-the-legs belt. The guide's rider criteria call for two functioning extremities, with a minimum of one full functioning leg (not a prosthesis) and one leg amputated below the knee. The prosthetic rule is inconsistent across the park's own documents: see the conflict note in the accessibility guide and see Guest Services before you queue. Accessible entrance: mainstreamed through the ride entrance, with several steps. Strobe lighting.
Air Racers
Plane-style units rotate on a 360 degree axis while spinning up to 26 feet around a central hub. Guests must be 48 inches, with a 300 pound maximum per rider. Shoulder harness. One functioning arm (not a prosthesis) and one functioning leg. Glasses need an athletic strap. The full body harness option applies, and a guest with an upper extremity prosthesis must ride with a Supervising Companion. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request and removable-side vehicles.
The Airwalker
A family thrill ride with weightlessness and rapid changes of direction. Guests must be 48 inches to ride alone or 42 inches with a Supervising Companion. Shared lap bar. Three functioning extremities, and no prosthetics. The full body harness option applies. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with a transfer device on request and removable-side vehicles.
Electro Spin
An inverting ride that rotates on a 360 degree axis while swinging up to 64 feet. Guests must be 54 inches. Shoulder harness. Two functioning extremities, and any prosthesis must stay secured. Glasses need an athletic strap. Accessible entrance: ride exit, with several steps up into a suspended seat.
Sling Shot and RipCord
Both are extra-charge attractions. Sling Shot is a two-person capsule on steel cables for riders between 44 and 79 inches, with a 110 pound minimum combined weight and no single riders. RipCord is a skycoaster for riders 42 inches and up with an 850 pound limit per flight, and its riders must be able to walk independently or be assisted by their party.
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
An interactive ghost-themed dark ride for guests 42 inches or accompanied by a Supervising Companion. It is designed to scare or startle and uses strobe lighting. Accessible entrance: the Alternate Access Ramp; ring the doorbell for help. Some vehicles have a removable side for wheelchair transfers. Service animals may ride on the floor, and portable oxygen tanks are permitted.
Low-Stimulation Rides Worth Planning Around
- Carolina Skytower: an air-conditioned, enclosed cabin that rotates as it rises up a 262 foot tower. It is the ride the guide names for staying in your wheelchair, with one wheelchair per trip. Service animals and portable oxygen tanks are permitted, pregnant guests may ride, and the park says it is the only ride that allows on-ride photography.
- The Grand Carousel: animals and chariots. Guests who cannot straddle a horse ride in a chariot, riders with a full leg cast must use a chariot, and service animals and oxygen tanks are permitted.
- Charlie Brown's River Blast: a slow boat ride with water cannons. Select boats take one wheelchair. Expect to get wet.
- Mountain Gliders: one of three rides pregnant guests may ride, along with Carolina Skytower and The Grand Carousel.
Accessibility Quick Reference
- Transfer devices: Air Racers, The Airwalker, Carolina Cyclone, The Flying Cobras, Gear Spin, Hurler, Ricochet, Wilderness Run, Windstar, Woodstock Express.
- Body harness: Afterburn, Air Racers, The Airwalker, Copperhead Strike, Fury 325, Thunder Striker, per the guide's list. Confirm eligibility at Guest Services.
- Removable-side vehicles: Air Racers, The Airwalker, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, Gear Spin, Windstar.
- Elevator or wheelchair lift: Afterburn, Carolina Goldrusher, Copperhead Strike, Fury 325, Hurler, Thunder Striker, Vortex.
- Test seats: Copperhead Strike, Fury 325, Thunder Striker.
- No leg prostheses: Afterburn, Air Racers, Fury 325, Gear Spin, Kiddy Hawk, Thunder Striker, Windstar. No prostheses at all: The Airwalker, Copperhead Strike.
- Magnets: Copperhead Strike, Fury 325, Hurler, Snoopy's Racing Railway, Thunder Striker.
- Oxygen tanks: Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, Carolina Skytower, The Grand Carousel only.
- Service animals may ride: Camp Bus, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, Carolina Skytower, The Grand Carousel.