The Ohio-based parent of Carowinds theme park in South Carolina, US, has announced a $50m expansion that one official said will put the site on par with some of the country's largest amusement parks.

The multi-year project by Cedar Fair Entertainment will involve new rides and attractions, upgraded food locations and general infrastructure improvements.

Company officials, who made the announcement during a recent gathering in the city of Charlotte declined to give specifics, but chief operating officer Richard Zimmerman, said: "I ride everything we build, and I can't wait to ride what we're going to build at Carowinds."

Cedar Fair in 2011 announced it had bought 61 acres of vacant land next to Carowinds, whose 337-acre property straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.