Spartanburg, OH: Carowinds plans new attraction devoted to all things dinosaur

From GoUpstate.com:  Carowinds plans new attraction devoted to all things dinosaur

Dinosaurs Alive!, an attraction that will feature 32 roaring, moving animatronics is slated to open at Carowinds in SpriCalling it a prehistoric adventure for the entire family, Carowinds officials announced plans to introduce what will be the theme park's third multimillion attraction in four years.

Dinosaurs Alive!, an attraction that will feature 32 roaring, moving animatronics dinosaurs along a trail stretching across five wooded acres near the park's south gate, is slated to open in Spring 2013, which will mark the park's 40th anniversary.

"This is a great opportunity," said Chris Kirby, Carowinds' director of marketing. "Kids young and young at heart have a fascination with these beasts that roamed the planet over 200 (centuries) ago."

It will include more than 10 dinosaur scenes representative of the Prehistoric era, such as one that recreates the findings of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah, where the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found were unearthed. Prominent among those findings were bones from the predatory Allosaurus. Another scene features herds of Pachyrhinosauruses – plant-eating, horned dinosaurs – and is based on the findings of a dig site in Alberta, Canada, where the dinosaurs were believed to have perished in a flash flood.

The attraction, which Carowinds officials say will be the largest animatronic dinosaur park in the Southeast, will include interactive features, dinosaurs that will move and roar on command, walking trails and a dinosaur dig site for kids.

"This allows Carowinds to provide an opportunity for children and their parents to connect on several different levels as they traverse the over five acre themed Jurassic wilderness," Kirby said.

Including the $23 million Intimidator, the roller coaster named after legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt that opened in 2010, and the $6.5 million, 301-foot-tall swing ride WindSeeker, which debuted this past spring, the park has invested more than $45 million in rides and attractions since Ohio-based Cedar Fair purchased Carowinds in 2006.