Carowinds can be a pleasure. It's got some great roller coasters, which you can read all about on Page 11.

But the amusement park isn't without its pains in the rear.

A few worth mentioning:

Food and drink prices . I won't complain about the quality of the fare, because it's decent. But $4.09 for a regular order of french fries? $3.59 for a 20-ounce Coke? I know - it's not much more or less obscene than the prices at the movies or at a major concert. But a day at Carowinds usually will involve lunch. And at those prices, fries and sodas for a family of four will total $30-$40. The cost doubles when you add burgers. No wonder so many people eat out of coolers in the parking lot.

Obnoxious guests . I have two least-favorite types: 1) The guy who walks around with his shirt off for no other reason than he has some giant tattoo on his chest or back. There are way too many of this type at Carowinds on a typical day. (By the way, shirts are required.) 2) The unaccompanied minors who cut lines in super-passive-aggressive ways. This always makes my blood boil. Line-cutting is prohibited at Carowinds, according to signage. (But I've never seen the rule enforced.)

The carnival barker types trying to pressure you into playing their games of chance. This is like spam that has taken on human form: unsolicited attempts to lure you into some sort of activity, usually one that gives you slim odds of winning a stuffed toy the size of the Bank of America tower....

http://www.charlotte...at-fun-but.html

I bet a few of these issues will be addressed after this article!

The food pricing will not be.

And unlike the original writer, I do NOT find the food at Carowinds to be of acceptable quality. The pizza, when I was there, had obviously been sitting under the heat lamps for...oh...several hours or so. I kept my $4.49....

The food pricing will not be.

Most likely correct on that one!