Introduction
This week here on Art of Amusement Parks, we are switching gears and looking at the beautiful springtime landscaping at Carowinds located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I would like to extend great thanks and appreciation to Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel for submitting all the photos for this week’s post!
Spring Is In the Air!
First, let us take a look at the early Springtime season at Carowinds. You know it is springtime when the place where the Carolinas come together begins to spur for the season! Not only do visitors begin to fill the park as rides begin to operate, but the park begins to beautify as a season of thrills begins. Let us take a look at these rather beautiful landscaping features that the landscaping staff at Carowinds puts together each and every season.
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| Orange tulips blooming in a flowerbed at Carowinds. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
Picture Perfect Entrance Sign
As visitors approach the entrance to Carowinds, they are greeted by the beautiful entrance sign. The Carowinds entrance sign was constructed for the 2015 season as an upgrade to the main entrance. This upgrade also involved the addition of the Fury 325 roller coaster. Fury 325 passes underneath the walkway to the entrance as it thrills its passengers and awes onlookers. The entrance sign makes a perfect photo spot for visitors. It not only features the Carowinds logo but also features a beautiful display of miniature shrubs.
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| The Carowinds entrance sign early in the season. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
Beautiful Flowerbeds
Once visitors enter Carowinds, they will immediately notice the beautiful usage of flowers throughout the park. The landscaping team at Carowinds plants hundreds of flowers each and every season. Their hard working efforts help enhance the park’s landscape from Spring through Autumn. Visitors to Carowinds are treated to beautiful arrangements of very colourful tulips that liven up even the dreariest Spring days. Now, let us take a look at more stunning flowerbeds at Carowinds.
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| Stunning tulips that line the flowerbeds at Carowinds. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
Stunning Kaleidoscopic of Tulips
Throughout many sections of the park, multi-color tulips treat visitors to a stunning display along the paths in flowerbeds. These tulips also accompany many wonderful shrubs and bushes which line the back of the flowerbeds. The shrubs greatly add emphasis to the beautiful landscaping at Carowinds. Some of the other flowerbeds throughout the parks feature tulips which are of a stunning orange. They really begin to "pop" as the sun begins to shine on them. The tulip is a simple but highly attractive flower that is easily recognizable by even those who are not seasonal horticulturalists. This is due to the distinct “cup” shape that the pedals create.
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| A beautiful arrangement of multi-colored tulips that stunningly display themselves for all visitors of Carowinds to see. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
Beauty After the Spring Season
Throughout the rest of Carowinds, there are some parts of the landscaping that just begin to come alive in the late Spring. Deciduous trees dot the park's landscape, only creating shade as the hot Carolina Summers begin to arrive. Also, the varieties of flowers found around the park change every season. The change of flowers is in accordance to the temperatures that each season brings. It is noted by park visitors that Carowinds has a stunning flower display all season long.
Excitement Yet to Come
There are some other landscaping features at Carowinds which are present throughout the whole operating season. These landscaping features typically generate excitement in the springtime as summer approaches. These landscape features include some of the park’s attractive, over-sized post cards. These over-sized post cards advertise the beauty of the Carolinas and the park itself. Another landscaping feature includes the animatronic dinosaurs which awe the youngest of park visitors. Carowinds visitors can view the dinosaurs in the Dinosaurs Alive section of the park. The final landscaping feature worth mentioning is the decorative sign which indicates the North Carolina and South Carolina border. The state border surprisingly slices through the center of the park, making it the only park located in two states!
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| One of the many Dinosaurs that fill the landscape at Carowinds' Dinosaurs Alive attraction. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
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| The decorative state border sign at Carowinds. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
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| Here is one of the many billboards on display throughout the park. Photo credit: Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel collection. |
Conclusion
I hope that you greatly enjoyed looking at Carowinds’ beautiful landscaping features in the springtime! I would like to thank Ann Marie Palencik-Mickel once again for submitting her wonderful photos of Carowinds. Until next time, be sure to check out Journey Through Coasters’ trip report from July 2015 which shows some of Carowinds’ landscaping during the summer months.
