Carowinds is a 407-acre amusement park located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina line with a portion of the amusement park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The park was opened in March of 1973 after a 4 year planning and development time. Not only does Carowinds house many amusement rides and attractions but it also is home to Carolina Harbor, a 27- acre water park. In the orginal plans Carowinds was suppose to be a large scale resort location housing hotels, amusement park, water park, golf course, shopping, as well as a NFL stadium. After construction was started plans were scaled back.