CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s opening weekend for the 2024 season at Carowinds and park officials have welcomed thousands back to the park as attendees look forward to some exciting changes this season.

One thing that may be on the minds of many as they visit the park is safety after a crack was found last year on the Fury 325 roller coaster, but park officials assure guests that safety is at the forefront this season.

“Our maintenance teams and our operations team continuously do inspections throughout the day, the week, the months, the years. We also have verified with South Carolina and North Carolina Department of Labor that come out and also do their inspections there. We do meticulous testing before anybody comes into the park to ensure that the safety is mine to worry about, the guests just stay here to have a good time and have fun,” said Brian Oerding, assistant general manager.

Oerding says the park will be using its drones for a closer look during inspections.

“The drones help us a lot because they get to heights that we just can't obviously on our own, or even bringing out lifts. That makes it a whole lot easier for that inspection. You can program that drone for that flight pattern and it shows you the exact same picture every single time, and it doesn't change. It's the same photo of the same spot each and every time, which has been really cool to take a look at,” Oerding said.

As parkgoers return to their favorites, they can also expect some new experiences.

“We're going to do a new daytime family activity called Trick or Treats Fall Festival," Oerding said. "It's a little bit like what we've done in the past, but we'll have a bunch of new experiences."

And for the first time in 20 years, Scarowinds is breaking tradition by allowing fans to use a single ticket to brave the scares.

“Once you're in, you're in, there’s no kicking you out and bringing you back in, you'll get to spend the entire day with us on one ticket,” Oerding said.

Although Six Flags and Carowinds operator Cedar Fair have not merged yet, Oerding says attendees can expect Carowinds to stay the same.

“I hope everybody comes out on opening weekend. I want to see them," he said. "All the teams are really excited to see everybody again."

"I think it's going to be tough, the rain in the forecast is going to make it a little bit of a challenge, but we're really ready for everybody and anybody who wants to come and hang out with us,” Oerding said.

A classic favorite, the Intimidator, has been renamed the Thunder Striker after the end of a naming rights contract but will still continue its racing theme.