Carowinds...safe hotels for teens to walk from park?

We are taking two 16 year olds to Carowinds -I was thinking we%26#39;d stay at the Comfort Inn which I believe is walkable to the park - am I right in assuming its the only hotel safely walkable, or are the Best Western, HI Express, Plaza and others in the area walkable? The other option is we all stay at SouthPark or Downtown and drive them/pick them up from the park - adults aren%26#39;t roller coaster people so we%26#39;ll probably be shopping.

Carowinds...safe hotels for teens to walk from park?

It depends, really. It is a long walk, and while I wouldn%26#39;t have a problem doing it, I doubt I%26#39;d recommend 16 year olds doing it. Carowinds had to cut back on their security patrols, which lead to an increase in car break-ins last season. You%26#39;d probably be better off staying at either Southpark, where you%26#39;ll be close to shopping at the Southpark Mall and Phillips Place Court, or Pineville (around I-485 and Hwy. 51) where you%26#39;ll be near the Carolina Place Mall and a lot of dining option.

Another idea is staying at the Carowinds Fort Wilderness campground. They have air-conidtioned cabins for rent, and the campground is pretty nice and has a pool. Also, they offer a free shuttle to Carowinds. It is a bit pricy at over $150 a night. www.carowinds.com/campground/campground.htm

Carowinds...safe hotels for teens to walk from park?

Word of advice: Do Not stay at any of the hotels across from Carowinds (especially with your teenagers). This part of town (across from Carowinds) has quite a bit of crime activity (drugs, etc.). In fact back in November a prostitution ring was operating out of one of the hotels.

I would suggest you stay in either Pineville, NC or the Ballantyne area of Charlotte, NC.

Based on several replies, sounds like Carowinds area is not the safest place. Which is the closest mall area -SouthPark or another - I think its Carolina Mall?

Yes - Carolina Mall is closest

Carolina Place is the exact name of the mall in case you were trying to look it up... =)

I agree that this is not a safe walk. I would go with some of the other suggestions.