by Harper Cornell
posted October 27, 2009
Georgia’s most visited attraction is ringing in the holidays with more than two million lights and tons of snow. Stone Mountain Park will unveil its popular holiday attraction, Stone Mountain Christmas on select dates from Nov. 14 to Dec. 30 and open Snow Mountain, the region’s only snow park, for its second year on Dec. 26 and continue weekends through March 7.
To help guests and families entertain on a budget, Stone Mountain Park is offering the Christmas Family Value Pass (four one-day Adventure Passes, four meals and unlimited hot chocolate) for Stone Mountain Christmas – a 20 percent savings – for $109 (tax not included).
For families looking for a winter staycation, they can stay right at the park with Marriott hotel packages for Stone Mountain Christmas. Family packages start at $179 and include breakfast and “Play for Another Day” tickets for an entire weekend of Christmas fun. Additional details are available online at StoneMountainPark.com.
“Stone Mountain Christmas has become a not-to-be missed tradition for families, relatives, friends and out of town guests to celebrate the holidays. We encourage newcomers to come early so they have time to enjoy all the entertainment, attractions, shopping, festive treats, the spectacle of lights and of course, the culminating flight of the Snow Angel,” said Gerald Rakestraw, vice president and general manager of Stone Mountain Park.
He said, “Snow Mountain’s sold-out first season showed us just how much Atlantans and visitors love snow! This year, we’ve enhanced the layout to provide guests with more lanes and an additional moving sidewalk to ensure maximum time is spent in the snow, tubing and playing.”
Stone Mountain Christmas – An Atlanta Tradition Continues
With a wave of her wand, Stone Mountain Christmas’s own Snow Angel invites guests of all ages to come enjoy the magical festivities of Stone Mountain Christmas. Sharing the spotlight with Santa Claus, the Snow Angel will bring holiday cheer throughout Crossroads village, the park’s main area offering shopping, dining and activities.
Guests are encouraged to arrive early to have time to visit all the attractions. Upon arrival, kids and parents can head straight to the theater for the only spot in Atlanta to view the The Polar Express 4D Experience. This year, Stone Mountain Christmas also introduces two new musical revues, Simply Christmas and Sleigh Ride.
Families can enjoy the many sounds of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols in Simply Christmas and watch kids be amazed by the special black-light effects in Sleigh Ride.
Each evening, the Christmas light display illuminates Crossroads at the base of Stone Mountain. Guests gather to welcome Santa Claus during the nightly parade featuring lighted floats and favorite holiday characters.
Additional entertainment includes two Stone Mountain Christmas holiday favorites, A Crossroads Christmas Carol and The Gift performed during the five-mile train ride around the base of the mountain. An array of unique shopping is also available for guests looking to purchase the perfect gift.
Snow Mountain Returns
After a sold-out season its first year, Snow Mountain returns Dec. 26 to delight families with the region’s only snow park. Snow is guaranteed and will allow the young and young at heart to connect with their inner child.
This year, the park has added more tubing lanes and an additional moving sidewalk to increase guests’ overall time in the snow.
Situated on what is commonly known as the “Laser Lawn,” the family snow park includes tubing runs, a special place to make the ultimate snow man and snow angels, a snowball making zone and a play area for younger kids. The snow park includes various sites from which to view the activities including an observation area, a group of warming chalets and bonfires for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
Just like last year, to create the snow, Stone Mountain Park uses a closed loop system that borrows water from Stone Mountain Lake and will not tap into city water.
Calendar and Ticket Prices
The two winter attractions round out the holiday season at Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain Christmas is open weekends Nov. 14-Dec. 14 and nightly Dec. 19-Dec. 30 and closed Dec. 24 and 25. The holiday attraction is also open all of the Thanksgiving holiday week beginning Nov. 24.
Tickets for Stone Mountain Christmas are $26 (plus tax) for adults and $21 (plus tax) for kids 3-11. Guests can visit their local Kroger location for the best ticket prices. More information about Stone Mountain Christmas is also online at StoneMountainPark.com.
Snow Mountain tickets go on sale Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. but advanced ticket offers are available by registering at SnowMountainPark.com. Tickets are $25 for adults and kids age three through 11 and include a two-hour tubing session plus unlimited time in the snow play areas. The snow park is open to all ages. To tube, guests must be 42 inches or taller. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended. For information on the Snow Mountain, visit SnowMountainPark.com.
Become a Facebook fan of Stone Mountain Christmas and Snow Mountain. More information is available online at www.StonemountainPark.com or www.facebook.com.
Listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up and cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See…,” Stone Mountain Park is located just 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. To get to the park, take I-285 to Exit 39B, Hwy 78 East. Stone Mountain Park is off Exit 8 on Hwy. 78.
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