What to Do at Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park

Did you know that Stone Mountain Park is the TOP Family Vacation Destination in Atlanta, Georgia? It’s such a beautiful park, made up of 3,200 acres of natural beauty!  Stone Mountain Park features lots of family activities like the splashy Geyser Towers, Duck Boats, a tree-lined SkyHike, gondola rides to the tippy top of Stone Mountain, Laser Shows, a scenic train ride, camping, and lots of play areas like Dinosaur Explore. You’ll also find seasonal offerings, such as the Yellow Daisy Festival, Summer at the Rock, Snow Mountain, Native American Festival, and a Stone Mountain Christmas. 

What to do on Your First Visit

Make your way to the great lawn and find plenty of sights to see. The great stone carving is taller than Mount Rushmore, and if you bring your binoculars or a few quarters, you can get an up-close view! Take the gondolas to the top of the Rock, and either stay in the visitor’s center, trying to see nearby Atlanta, or venture out in the wind to explore the pock-marked granite. Shop the neighborhood markets and try some face painting, watch a 4-D show or explore the historical sites. You’re sure to have a day full of fun.

At night, find a spot on the lawn and settle in with a picnic or foods from the nearby shops. Carts of light up toys, bubbles and entertainment, coupled with popcorn and ice cream treats are a great way to spend the laser show that begins after dark. 

Dinosaur Explore

Dinosaur Explore is only available on “Attractions Open” days and is included in a daily Adventure Pass as well as an annual membership. Extinct from Earth for millions of years, 14 species of prehistoric dinosaurs are making their way to Stone Mountain Park. “Dinosaur Explore” is now open and will run throughout the 2017 season. The prehistoric creature collection features more than 20 life-size dinosaurs with special effects allowing them to move and roar just like their ancient ancestors. Families will find the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, 2 gentle, plant-eating Brachiosaurus, a three-horned triceratops, a ferocious Allosaurus, winged Pteranodon and more. Burn off spare energy in the Great Barn with a Dinosaur themed layover, with 4 levels of all your favorite activities still included. You can get a sneak peek of what you will see at Stone Mountain Park Dinosaur Explore below in the short video:

Stone Mountain’s SNOW Mountain in Winter

So what do you wear to play in the snow in Atlanta? The day we visited SNOW Mountain at Stone Mountain Park, it was a cool, windless, sunny day with a high of 40 degrees. That meant hats, coats and snow gloves that we only needed to play in the snow.  I would recommend waterproof footwear for the whole family: snow boots, rain boots, or duck boots are a must.  Waterproof gloves are especially helpful for little kids that want to play but won’t be able to stand the icy temperatures.  They are especially helpful as padding for kids that don’t have their “snow legs” yet, either.  (Chase and I really liked having the gloves in this section of the park – it let us have fun with Red while maintaining warmth!) 

For even the smallest family members, Fort Snow has tunnels, snowball throwing areas, snowman building and a free play area to get chilly making snow angels. You can check opening dates for Snow Mountain on Stone Mountain Park’s website.