I have a love/hate relationship with Carowinds.I do not like Carowinds (hate is such a strong word after all) and my children love it. What's a parent to do? Buy everyone season passes except yourself. Problem solved. Walking around in extreme temperatures having your flesh seared by the sun, waiting in long lines and looking at large people in tight clothes/bathing suits is not my cup of tea.
The positives:1) the Snoopy World is awesome for the little ones, 2) if you love roller coasters, I think they have about eight of them, 3) season passes are actually affordable, 4) some of the food is actually not bad.
The negatives: 1) if you don't like roller coasters, or water parks, there's not much else to do 2) the place is packed on weekends (when people with jobs can actually go), 3) the food is way over priced.
The negatives and positives kinda balance each other out. The best part is watching your children smile and have fun (in between heavy applications of sunscreen). The best part for me was at Harmony Hall. A large air conditioned food court where live bands play. Yes my brisket platter was $14, but it was good brisket (and almost a pound). My sides of mac and cheese and baked beans were high quality product. I was so suprised by the quality I forgot all about the price. And raspberry Coke is pretty awesome.