More Stone Mountain Park Activities

The attraction warns parents that small children, as well adults who might be afraid of snakes and some of other “critters,” might find the movie frightening. (My daughter first saw “Tall Tales” when she was six years old and ranks it as one of her top amusement park rides she has encountered to date.) Other attractions included in the Mountain Membership are a train ride that circles the base of Stone Mountain, the Skylift (gondola ride to the top/bottom of the mountain), Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard, which inculdes an animal petting area, paddlewheel riverboat and The Great Barn. The Great Barn, a favorite for kids 12 and under, is a four-story building of energy and excitement for children. Kids collect, deposit and shoot foam rubber fruits and vegetables as they collect points in an attempt to make their names appear on a gigantic electronic scoreboard.

Stone Mountain also boasts an Antique Car Museum and the newest attraction, the Treehouse Challenge. Boys and Girls and compete against each other in the most elaborate treehouse you’ve ever seen in your life. The treehouse towers more than three stories high, with dozens of interactive activities and challenges. A giant scoreboard keeps track and a clock ticks down and pronounces either a victory for the Girls or Boys.

Ride the Ducks

One of the only attractions that must be purchased separately from the Mountain Memberships is the Ride the Ducks amphibious adventure. A DUCK is a refurbished WWII amphibious vehicle – part truck and part boat. This is the same type of vehicle made famous in “hit the beaches” war movies of WW II. The tour, which lasts around 40 minutes, begins with Duck in the dry mode as a truck – it can hold about 30 people. It has wheels and drives down the road just like an ordinary bus, with its driver serving as a tour guide. After a short mile or so ride through the park to a boat ramp, the Duck literally drives right down a boat ramp and into the water and instantly it becomes a boat.

That was the most impressive part of the ride of the ride; how easily it converted from boat to bus or bus to boat, it was instantaneous. The cost is only $6 per person if you’ve bought the Mountain Membership; $9 if you haven’t bought the Mountain Membership.

Stone Mountain is located just outside of Atlanta off of I-285 in the suburb of Stone Mountain. For more information on Stone Mountain Park, call 1-800-317-2006 or visit them online at the Stone Mountain Park Website.

About the Author: Tony Conboy III is a freelance travel journalist who often provides military travel articles to the About.com U.S. Military Site, as well as the About.com Orlando, Florida site.