Part of the grand plan for Carowinds included an on-site hotel and industrial office space. There was also supposed to be a nearby residential development and professional football stadium…with the 50 yard line straddling the state line, of course. None

It was front page news when E. Pat Hall died in 1978. He was only 57. A former army guy, he made his millions buying, renovating, and selling textile machinery and facilities. He partnered with a few other businessmen and bought the old Naval Ammunition Depot near Charlotte, transforming it into Arrowood, a major industrial center. There was lots more, and when Carowinds started coming together

Carowinds had a few challenges after it opened 1973. First, they had to help locals in the region understand what the park was all about. Second, they ran head-on into the financial problems of the 70s, mainly the gas crisis and rising inflation. 1974 saw

The idea of a Disneyland-type park being built in the Carolinas was almost too much for locals to fathom. As with most of the country, few had been able to visit Walt’s park, and all they had to go on was his TV show. Pre-opening ads in local newspapers