The new state-straddling, Disneyland-lite park dedicated to the Carolinas was scheduled to open in 1972 after breaking ground in 1970. The weather had something to say about that, though, and so things were pushed back a year. Finally on Saturday, March 31, 1973, Carowinds proudly braved a dismal, rainy day and swung open the gates…
Everybody knows pretty much everything about Disneyland—how it got started, how the Imagineers do their thing, and so on. But nobody hardly ever talks about the parks that most of us across the country enjoy far more often. The regional theme parks, different from amusement parks, owe their existence to the magical land Walt built…
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Our guest needs no introduction…because he’s always at the end of the show! Dr. Barry R. Hill, our very own show producer and designer, is the author of Imagineering an American Dreamscape: Genesis, Evolution, and Redemption of the Regional Theme Park. This book tells the long-overdue story of the regionals and the strong-willed individuals behind them—where they came…
July 17 is such a special day. Disneyland opened 65 years ago…and Imagineering an American Dreamscape went on sale, well, a little less than that. It’s finally done, and what a fun journey it’s been putting it together. The book traces the evolution from the grand world expositions to Disneyland, laying the groundwork for…
One major chapter of my upcoming regional park history book deals with how these parks lost their original design intent along the way. Decades of ownership turnover, corporate management, current trends for IP overlays, and so on rendered most of these parks nearly unrecognizable from when they were first built. Carowinds opened in 1973 as…