Nighthawk Closing At Carowinds – Goodbye or Good Riddance?

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This week, Carowinds announced the closure of three rides: Nighthawk, Drop Tower, and ScreamWeaver. But is Nighthawk closing a good thing? Let’s take a look at my personal feelings on these ride removals as well as other ride removals across the Six Flags chain.

With Nighthawk Closing, We’re Losing A Historic Roller Coaster

I’m sad about Nighthawk closing for a few reasons. First of all, there is historic significance to it. It originally opened at California’s Great America in 2000 as Stealth, and there was definitely a lot of hype around it. It was the first modern flying roller coaster, and I remember seeing this ride advertised and talked about in 1999/2000. It was such a big deal that we were going to be able to actually lay down and fly on a roller coaster.

It really inspired a lot of other coasters, such as X-Flight/Firehawk at Geauga Lake & Kings Island and Batwing at Six Flags America. It also came before the B&M flying coasters, so this was sort of the first taste that everybody had of this type of technology, and it was really cool to see that happening.

It was also one of the only Star Trek-themed rides at one point. When it first came to Carowinds in 2004, it was named Borg Assimilator, and even flew around a crashed Borg sphere. When the ride was renamed Nighthawk in 2008, the Star Trek theming was removed, and the ride eventually received a repaint that brightened it up and removed the last traces of its Star Trek theming.

Was Nighthawk An Underrated Ride?

Also, I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I actually really like these rides. I don’t find them uncomfortable at all, and I actually prefer them to B&M models because I tend to really like intense rides – and these things are intense. When you’re at the top of that hill and you get flipped over onto your stomach, looking straight down with the ground 100 or so feet up? That’s a really cool experience. And then you end up flipping on your back and going through the vertical loop while laying on your back. That was also a really cool and unique experience.

The Strange PR Strategy with Ride Removals for the New Six Flags

It is also sad for the other two rides – the drop tower and their Enterprise-style ride – to be removed, and I think that this leads into a larger discussion about how this new, post-Cedar Fair-merger Six Flags company is handling things. 

I don’t understand why they’ve decided to close numerous rides across the chain this year and not announced they were closing them until it’s too late to re-ride them (Kingda Ka, Green Lantern, Zumanjaro, La Vibora, Nighthawk). It’s honestly a disservice to anybody that enjoys them, because while they may not be the most popular attractions in the park, they are still there. So people that enjoy and love them deserve to be able to ride that ride one last time and be able to say goodbye. 

Also, the park could be making money from Nighthawk closing (as well as these other rides). They could be advertising when its last day is and hope that more people will visit the park. They could even do things like sell merchandise. We all saw the T-shirts for Poseidon’s Fury at Universal Islands of Adventure. They were going like hotcakes and are now selling online for a bunch of money, so the park could’ve even made money from merchandise (“I Conquered Nighthawk One Last Time!” shirts, for example). It’s just bizarre to me that some of these roller coasters have been closed without warning, even if they’re in the history books, as is the case with Nighthawk and Kingda Ka. 

So, it’s quite a rude awakening to expect guests to accept the fact that these rides are being removed without ever having the chance to bid farewell or ride them one last time, especially when they’re historic and/or at the front of the park, like Nighthawk. It’ll be quite noticeable that it’s gone, and the absence of these towering structures will create a significant gap in the skyline. These rides are undoubtedly going to be conspicuously absent, and it would’ve been much better to receive some prior notice about their closure.

I live in Atlanta, and I personally would’ve made a trip to Carowinds if they had announced the Nighthawk closing, especially since I genuinely enjoy the ride. It also would’ve provided me with an excuse to visit the park, which I love. It was essentially a missed opportunity for them to not announce the ride’s closure earlier while people still had time to ride it.

Learn From Nighthawk Closing – Ride These Rides Soon!

The unexpected closure of rides like Nighthawk and many others is a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in the theme park world. These rides hold historic and personal significance for many of us thrill-seekers, and it’s disappointing not to have had the chance to experience them one final time. However, this also serves as a lesson to seize the moment and make memories while we can. Nighthawk closing can be a reminder to enjoy these things while we have them!

If you’re passionate about theme parks and don’t want to miss out on experiencing your favorite rides or discovering new thrills, consider planning your next adventure with me. I specialize in creating unforgettable travel experiences tailored to your interests. Whether it’s revisiting beloved parks or exploring new ones, I can help you book things like park tickets and exclusive experiences.

Contact me today to start planning your next thrilling journey and make sure you never miss out on the excitement again!