The splash at the bottom of a water slide. The squealing tires of a go-kart. The final blast of light from your laser tag gun before the whistle blows. These aren’t the sounds and visions of a once-a-year carnival. These are memories you can make any time of year at fun parks across North Carolina.
Fun Parks in the Mountains
The mountains are a fun park all on their own, but sometimes your kids need that extra sensory stimulation to get their wiggles out. Try these fun parks on your next mountain getaway.
Franklin Fun Factory
Franklin
For a great summer field trip outing, take your children to the Franklin Fun Factory in scenic Franklin. There they will enjoy more than 100 arcade games, the region’s largest go-kart track, laser tag, indoor mini golf, a kids’ play area for younger kids. Then they can jump into the Pizza Factory for food and more fun.
Santa’s Land
Cherokee
Santa’s Land features a zoo filled with exotic animals like lemurs and bears, fun rides, games and of course Santa himself. Here your kids can enjoy a ride on the “Rudicoaster” and visit Santa’s reindeer. This unique attraction lets your children enjoy Christmas regardless of the calendar.
Wagonmaster Ranch
Murphy
A day of fun awaits your family at Murphy’s Wagonmaster Ranch. They will find skeet shooting, paintball, mini golf, gem mining, gold panning, wagon rides and guided tours of the lake and waterfall. For younger kids, there’s a bounce castle with a sprinkler, mini car track and playground.
Fun Parks in the Piedmont
It’s no surprise that the more populous part of the state has some of the best fun parks in North Carolina. Larger parks like Carowinds and Adventure Landing have roller coasters for your pre-teen adventure seekers as well as more tame rides and games for younger kids.
Carowinds
Charlotte
Carowinds is the largest fun park in the Carolinas and straddles the North and South Carolina line. Be sure to check out the new County Fair section of the park for new thrill rides for your kids. For summertime adventurers, Carowinds admission includes their massive waterpark – Carolina Harbor. There are more than 60 rides, shows and attractions at Carowinds – enough to keep every member of the family entertained.
Bubba’s Fun Park
Forest City
Bubba’s Fun Park is home to the KidZoo, a two-level indoor playground for tykes 12 and under complete with a ball pit, web crawl, spiral slide and much more. Your children will also enjoy Lazer Runner, a 1500 square foot interactive game in a black light arena. They can test their skill in the batting cages and take a break for pizza, nachos and super pretzels.
Kids can take a spin around the track at Franklin Fun Factory, Wagonmaster Ranch, and Adventure Landing.
Adventure Landing
Raleigh, Charlotte, Gastonia, Winston-Salem
The exciting parks of Adventure Landing offer 65 interactive arcade games allowing your kids to drive, blast and dance their way to a great time. There are also three mini-golf courses complete with tunnels, waterfalls and mountains. Teens can test their driving skills on the go-kart track and practice their swing in nine professional batting cages.
Wet ‘N Wild Emerald Pointe
Greensboro
A variety of fun activities await your class at Greensboro’s Wet ‘N Wild Emerald Pointe as they twist, turn and splash through 36 water park rides and attractions. For younger children, there’s a children’s play area and a kid-size wave pool, a volcano and two slides. Older kids will enjoy the Riptide Racer and the half-acre Soak Zone featuring nearly three dozen water attractions.
Fun Parks by the Coast
When the sun goes down, the warm ocean air seems to reinvigorate sun-soaked kids. Let them exhaust their second wind at one of these classic beachtown fun parks.
First Flight Adventure Park
Nags Head
The one and only aerial adventure park on the Outer Banks, First Flight Adventure Park is located at mile post 16 in Nags Head. Your children will test their mental and physical limits on 48 different obstacles up to 50 feet in the air. Seven new obstacles await your kids in 2021.
Jungle Rapids
Wilmington
Here, children of all ages can enjoy 100 arcade games and enjoy ocean-like waves in the million gallon wave pool without worrying about sand and sharks. Your kids will also find laser tag, golf, a rock climbing wall, indoor playground and much more.
