Carolina Crossroads is a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) planned entertainment development near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina located near the intersection of I-95 and US 158. The development was hoped to bring new jobs to the area which had been affected in recent years as textile mills closed and jobs moved out of the area. Government officials hoped that Carolina Crossroads would lead the area from a manufacturing based economy to one based in tourism. Modeled loosely on the success of Branson, Missouri, the complex was intended to draw performers and tourists to the area. Planners noted location approximately halfway between New York and Florida and its proximity to I-95 and location between Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and the Hampton Roads, Virginia areas.
The complex was to feature an indoor theater, an outdoor amphitheater, an RV park, an aquarium, water park, retail shops, and hotels. A Black Widow Billiards Center was also announced by Jeanette Lee.
A rock-and-roll-themed amusement park was also planned for the site. Carolina Crossroads bought the second oldest wooden rollercoaster, the Zippin Pippin, after its former home at Libertyland in Memphis, Tennessee had closed. Plans for the amusement park never materialized, and Carolina Crossroads later donated nearly all of the coaster back to Libertyland. Carolina Crossroads kept one car from the roller coaster and maintained that there are still plans to build a replica of the famous coaster.
By the summer of 2008, only the indoor theater, amphitheater, RV park, and one hotel (a Hilton Garden Inn) had been completed. The theater, cornerstone of the entire development, remains mired in political, financial, and legal controversy.
Read more about Carolina Crossroads: Initial Plans, Management and Ownership Changes, Future Development
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