If you’re a roller coaster fan in the Carolinas, your options for a “major” thrill park within the state lines are actually just one singular option – it straddle the border between North & South Carolina at Carowinds. With 14 coasters in its lineup as of the 2025 season, “the place where the Carolinas come together” is your go-to source for Carolina thrills in a high capacity, unless you’re willing to traverse state lines into Tennesee for Dollywood, Georgia for Six Flags Over Georgia (and now Fun Spot Atlanta, though you could argue that Arie Force One is more of a one-off), or Virginia for Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
However, if you’re traveling through the Carolinas and looking for a few extra “+1’s” in your coaster count, have no fear, because there are a number of coaster credits that are best considered as “off the beaten path” for coaster enthusiasts in the region – but definitely exist.
Here’s a quick list of the “one-off” roller coasters in both North & South Carolina.
North Carolina
Spinning Coaster
Location: Frankie’s Fun Park (11190 Fun Park Drive, Raleigh)
Cost: $8/ride
Opened in winter of 2023, the Spinning Coaster at Frankie’s Fun Park in Raleigh gives the “City of Oaks” in more than a century following the closure of “Coaster” at the long-shuttered Bloomsbury Trolley Park in Raleigh. The MX612 v. 5.0 model spinning coaster from SBF-Visa is slightly different than your traditional figure-eight shaped SBF spinner, and spoiler alert: this is not the last time you will see a coaster of this same model from SBF-Visa on this list.
Barrels of Fun
Location: Tweetsie Railroad (300 Tweetsie Railroad Road, Blowing Rock)
Cost: $65 (included in Tweetsie Railroad Daily Admission)
From sometime after 1963 to sometime before 1994 (how’s that for a range), Tweetsie Railroad was home to a Kiddie Coaster from B.A. Schiff. It wasn’t until 2023 when Tweetsie Railroad got back into the coaster-world, purchasing an SBF-Visa MX608 off the IAAPA Expo Show Floor during the fall of 2022. If you were at the Expo that year, you might have the credit already! (If you didn’t, Tweetsie Railroad boasts fun for the entire family with its railroad and additional kid-friendly attractions.)
Rudicoaster
Location: Santa’s Land Fun Park & Zoo (571 Wolffetown Road, Cherokee)
Cost; 27.67+tax (included in park admission.)
One of the few non-SBF coasters on this list, the Rudicoaster has operated at Santa’s Land since 1989. Like at Tweetsie Railroad, the reindeer-themed roller coaster is not the primary attraction at Santa’s Land, and some might even hesitate to call it a roller coaster credit, as the Zamperla-built ride is a “Powered Coaster.” If you’re driving between Carowinds and Dollywood, a Cherokee detour doesn’t add too much time to the intinerary though!
Dinosaur Canyon
Location: Deadwood (2302 Ed’s Grocery Road, Williamston)
Cost: $3
Have you ever driven to the middle of nowhere, and kept driving for about another 20 minutes? That’s what it feels like driving to Deadwood, a steakhouse-miniature golf course with a few amusement rides, located in Eastern North Carolina. Dinosaur Canyon, an oval coaster from B.A. Schiff & Associates, opened in 2008 but has been SBNO (standing but not operating) since 2021. However, Deadwood assures riders that the coaster is undergoing a major refurbishment, and will be ready by 2027. (No, that is not a typo.)
Mountain Coasters
Depending on your definition of “roller coasters,” you may or may not count mountain coasters in your “coaster count.” Since 2020, three separate mountain coasters have opened in North Carolina, and are located in various locations of the North Carolina mountains. While not as known for Mountain Coasters as the Smoky Mountains, these three different North Carolina mountain coasters all promise unique thrills in their respective locations
- Blue Ridge Mountain Coaster (Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resort, Bostic) is 3,226′ long, reaches top speeds of 27 mph, and has an average ride time of 6 minutes. The price for this coaster is dependent on group size. A single solo rider is $19/person, while a group with 5+ riders takes the price down to $14/person.
- Scaly Screamer (Highlands Outpost, Scaly Mountain) is advertised as having over 3,800′ of track, making it the longest mountain coaster in North Carolina. Adult riders on the Scaly Screamer will pay $18/ride, or can bundle three rides for $40. There are discounts for younger riders!
- Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster (Banner Elk) is the “oldest” mountain coaster in North Carolina, operating since 2020. Not to be confused with Wilderness Run at Carowinds, this mountain coaster has nearly 3,000′ total feet of track (2,160′ downhill). A single ride will run an adult rider $16, but there is a good bit of savings when you purchase a bundle – $35 for three rides.
South Carolina
Spinning Coaster
Location: Frankie’s Fun Park (140 Parkridge Drive, Columbia)
Price: Guessing $8, Not On The Frankie’s Website as of this writing.
Remember when we said this wouldn’t be the last time you saw the SBF-Visa MX612V5.0 on this list? Following the debut of Frankie’s Fun Park’s North Carolina Spinning Coaster in 2023, their Columbia, SC location opened the exact same model at the park in September of 2024. If you can see the next coaster on this list by now, you’ll realize there might be a bit of a theme.
Spinning Coaster(?) – COMING SOON.
Location: Frankie’s Fun Park (45 Park Woodruff Dr, Greenville)
Price: TBD (But hey, $8 sounds pretty reasonable, right?)
Frankie’s Fun Park in Greenville is getting in on the fun as well, with an SBF-Visa Spinning Coaster of their own. We are unsure as to when this coaster will open, but according to our friend Andrew at Park Rovers who recently visited the Columbia Park, the Spinning Coaster at the Greenville location was “coming soon.”
Myrtle Turtle
Location: Pavilion Park at Broadway at the Beach (1325 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach)
Price: 4 Tickets According to Google Street View (Tickets are $2.25/ea = $9)
While Myrtle Beach’s original Pavilion Amusement Park closed in 2006 – the name lives on in a series of attractions at Broadway at the Beach, located just a few miles from the Grand Strand. Alongside Dave & Busters, Hard Rock Cafe, and countless shops aimed at Myrtle Beach tourists, you’ll find Myrtle Turtle, an SBF-Visa Figure 8 spinning coaster, that has called the park home since 2014.
Shark Party
Location: Track Family Fun (9589 North Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach)
Price: Unsure (Park uses a points system, points are $1/point.)
Located just up the road from Myrtle Turtle is another SBF-Spinner coaster with a completely different theme. Shark Party is a “Model B” of the SBF Figure 8, and Myrtle Turtle is a Model A. According to RCDB, The “B” version uses a different track system (no spine) when compared to earlier models. In reality, there’s probably no real difference. I’m not sure if Shark Party and Myrtle Turtle hold the record as the closest distance between where two identical coaster models operate, but at just 6.5 miles down N. Kings Highway between the two parks, it’s got to be pretty close.
Family Kingdom
Location: 300 South Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach
Price: Pay Per Ride (Coasters for Adults are 6-8 credits)
It feels like cheating a bit to call Family Kingdom a “one-off” destination – as the park has two or three coasters that adults are able to ride. However, if you’re just looking for coaster credits and nothing else, Family Kingdom’s coasters could very easily be accomplished in under an hour, making it a decent addition to this list. The coasters:
- Swamp Fox (8 Credits): A PTC Wooden Coaster that has operated since 1966, Swamp Fox’s lift hill provides panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, and classic wooden coaster thrills.
- Twist & Shout (6 Credits): The Wild Mouse-esque “Zig Zag” Coaster from Zamperla opened at Family Kingdom in 2013 after stops at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and Magic Springs.
- Dragon Coaster (8 Credits): This ride actually has actually split its time between Family Kingdom during the Operating Season and the North Carolina State Fair in the offseason. Some people don’t count traveling coasters as credits. Also unsure if it’s still at the park in 2025, but we’ll see when the season begins.
- Family Kingdom also has a Kiddie Coaster that adults are not able to ride. If you want your kid to get a leg up on future generations of nerds, please keep this in mind.
How many of these Carolina Coaster Credits have you ridden? Let us know in the comments below!
(Also, if you’re from Frankie’s Fun Park and have come here because a google alert told you about the article, this Charlotte-area author would love Frankie’s of Charlotte to get a coaster of their own if you’re feeling particularly generous!)
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