For nearly a century, Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters have captivated American audiences, propelling a once regional newspaper comic strip into a multibillion-dollar franchise, spanning movies, TV specials, merchandise, and attractions. Now, Camp Snoopy at Carowinds, an amusement park located on the border of North and South Carolina, takes the franchise a step further by offering guests a fully immersive Peanuts experience built around a lineup of interactive themed rides and attractions.

Camp Snoopy’s latest attraction, Charlie Brown’s River Raft Blast, brings more to the park than simply thrills and excitement. Designed by leading aquatic design and engineering firm Martin Aquatic, the attraction features a track-based interactive boat ride developed by German manufacturer Mack Rides set within a sprawling 10,420-square-foot, 208,103-gallon basin. Dispersed throughout the basin, Peanuts-themed water features activate as rafts pass, delivering a sequence of sprays and splashes that ensure no two rides feel the same.

Engineering Innovation

River Raft Blast is unique in how its water features are supplied and controlled. Instead of drawing water directly from the ride basin using a series of submersible pumps, Martin Aquatic chose to supply each feature from a single, centralized manifold fed by one main pump. This configuration would normally have supported a static design, limiting each themed water feature to producing only a constant stream of water. However, by installing a new low-power, fast-acting proportional valve called the SplashValve beneath each Peanuts character, each is able to operate as its own dynamic water feature, spraying water at different heights and in varying sequences. 

“By specifying SplashValves instead of distributed submersible pumps,” says Martin Aquatic Technical Director Diego Cordova, “we’re not splashing guests with water pulled from the fountain basin. All of that water is coming directly from the filtration system, so we know it’s been thoroughly treated before it comes in contact with the guest.”

Developed by aquatic technology firm SplashBotix, the SplashValve employs a servo-actuated three-way valve capable of directing water to the nozzle, to the basin, or to varying proportions of both flow paths, allowing for dynamic on/off sequencing and spray height control. The valves enable designers like Martin Aquatic to produce a simpler, more streamlined water feature design that uses lower voltage, lower power submerged equipment while maximizing both guest engagement and safety. 

During the design phase, members of Martin Aquatic and Six Flags Entertainment’s creative group worked with SplashBotix at its Austin, Texas test pool facility to mock-up each feature prior to specifying the SplashValve as part of their solution. “The SplashBotix test pool has become an extremely valuable tool for us,” says SplashBotix Program Director Ronn Garland. “Designers need a space where they can experiment in a production-like environment and verify that they’re taking the right approach. Conducting real life mock-ups of each themed effect is a critical step in proving out the creative vision.”

The River Raft Blast also relies on a SplashBotix Main Control Panel (MCP) pump room controller to automatically control and synchronize the pumps, valves, and water treatment system supporting the main basin. The MCP is a PLC-based controller that takes inputs from various sensors and field devices and controls pumps such that the system’s regenerative media filter and chemical feed systems are able to effectively treat the water as it cycles between the basin and the surge tank. 

Using the MCP, ride operators can easily turn the basin on and off from its 10” touch screen HMI rather than having to independently operate the pumps and water chemistry systems manually. They can also glean various insights from the MCP about the status of the ride basin, including everything from equipment faults and alarms to visualizations reflecting the basin’s water level, temperature, and more.

Since opening in July 2025, Charlie Brown’s River Raft Blast has been enormously popular, providing guests of all ages with yet another new and exciting way to engage with the Peanuts universe almost 75 years after its inception. More than just an exciting water attraction, however, the ride demonstrates how modern technologies are making it possible for theme park engineers to push the envelope in developing exciting new guest experiences without compromising on safety or ease of operation. 

For more information: 

SplashBotix

Martin Aquatic 

Mack Rides

Carowinds

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