Carowinds’ new land, Aeronautica Landing, officially opened on Friday, April 7, 2023! The new land was opened as part of Carowinds’ 50th-anniversary celebration.

Let’s take a look at the land’s theming, rides, and food!

Theming

Founders Icon

Restroom faucet

Aeronautica Landing bar

Trash can

The theme of flight is perfect for a park in the Carolinas. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, is where the Wright brothers made history with the first successful flight of a powered airplane.

The land has many big and little details, including the Founders Icon, the modern faucets in the restrooms, the screens behind the bar with airplanes passing by, steel powder-coated trash cans with the Aeronautica Landing logo, runway signage, an observation tower, and more!

Rides

Air Racers

The Airwalker

Gear Spin

Hover & Dodge

Aeronautica Landing features six rides, which includes one rethemed ride. As of writing this review, two rides have yet to open.

Air Racers is a new Zamperla Air Race that has a thrill level of 5. It’s undoubtedly the most intense ride in the land since riders go upside down multiple times.
The Airwalker is a new Zamperla Disk’O with a thrill level of 4. The ride spins you around, so anyone sensitive to dizziness may want to avoid it.
Gear Spin is a new Zamperla Nebulaz with a thrill level of 4. Guests may experience some “airtime” out of their seats as the pendulum arms quickly rotate guests around and around. It is a visually stunning ride that both onlookers and riders will enjoy.
Hover & Dodge is the bumper car attraction with a thrill level 4. The attraction was rethemed from “Dodgem.” This ride features the most theming out of any attraction in Aeronautica Landing. Majestic Manufacturing supplied 50 new bumper cars. Dodgem only had 30 bumper cars.
Windstar, opening in late spring 2023, is a new Zamperla Windstarz attraction with a thrill level of 3. Guests will be lifted in the air while sitting in what looks like a hang-glider.
Gyro Force, opening in late spring 2023, is a Chance Rides Trabant ride with a thrill level of 3. The ride was relocated from another park. Trabant rides are giant wheels that tilt and spin.

Food & Drink

Lots of food!

Terminal A

Southern Star Aircraft Brewery

Taps at Terminal A

Taps at Southern Star Aircraft Brewery

Low Ceiling cocktail

French fry basket

Blue cheese wedge salad

NY cheesecake

Flourless chocolate torte

Bavarian pretzel bites

Grilled chicken sliders

Charcuterie

Smoked heirloom cauliflower

Shrimp and chips basket

Smoked brie encroute

Pork belly burnt end sliders

Spinach and artichoke dip

Afterburn poppers

If you’re looking for a bite to eat or a tasty beverage, Aeronautica Landing has you covered with three locations:

Terminal A Restaurant and Bar has indoor and outdoor seating. When seated at a table, you can mobile order food and non-alcoholic drinks with the mobile app! If you visit the bar, themed cocktails, draft beers, and a selection of canned alcoholic drinks are available.
Frequent Fryers is a counter-service french fry stand featuring three food items: a shrimp & chips basket, a popcorn chicken & chips basket, and a basket of fries. Fountain drinks and bottles of water are also available.
Southern Star Aircraft Brewery is a counter-service bar featuring draft beers, bottled soda, bottled water, and popcorn.

Terminal A restaurant menu

Terminal A bar menu

Favorite Items

After sampling most of the food items, here are our favorites:

NY cheesecake (Terminal A) - Perhaps the most delicious thing on the menu anywhere inside Aeronautica Landing!
Afterburn poppin’ poppers (Terminal A) - Bacon-wrapped jalapenos with cheese, how could you go wrong?
Low Ceiling cocktail (Terminal A bar) - A refreshing mezcal-based cocktail with Cointreau, lime, agave, and grapefruit.

Overall Thoughts on Aeronautica Landing

Carowinds is no stranger to themed lands, but Aeronautica Landing has brought elevated theming and food that the park has never seen before. When the two additional rides open, park guests could undoubtedly spend at least a few hours in this land alone.

Aeronautica Landing opened with a solid foundation that Carowinds can build on top of. A few opportunities exist, such as utilizing the former Plants vs. Zombies arena and connecting the land’s theming to Afterburn. The Terminal A menu could also be “plussed” up with one or two more plant-based and gluten-free options for guests with dietary restrictions

Overall, Cedar Fair did a fantastic job with the new land, and we can’t wait to see how the other active projects (e.g., Adventure Port at Kings Island, Fiesta Village at Knott’s Berry Farm, the Cedar Point Boardwalk, etc.) turn out.