Got the kiddos home from school this week? Or just looking for something fun to do this weekend? You've got to head over to Stone Mountain Park to see what's during their Spring FUN Break! David & I were there yesterday and had the most FUN day!
First we visited the Great Barn. It is ALWAYS one of David's favorite destinations at SMP. It's a 4 story building where kids gather fruits (foam balls) in bags to harvest. If you go upstairs there are interactive stations to put the fruits, or you can shoot them across the barn or down on people below! There are also slides and bridges and other fun stuff to check out up there. We stayed for about 20 minutes and had a great time!
Next we went to see the new 4D movie,
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – The 4-D Experience.
This 12 minute sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth engages guests through a 3-D film featuring spectacular 4-D special effects. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) partners with his mom's husband (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) on a mission to find his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is thought to be missing on a mythical island. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens) they embark on an amazing voyage and find incredible beauty amidst grave danger.
This movie experience is AWESOME. But it is one of the most intense movies I've seen at SMP. I do know when my nephews visited the park last week and saw the film they were a little frightened. (ages 3 & 7) The family behind us had to take their small (preschool age) son out during the film, too. It is loud, and there are giant creatures coming right at you! (spider, lizard & electric eel). Oh, and you will get wet! Wetter than during the Polar Express and other movies I've seen there. So keep your phone & camera covered up! Even so, it was really good! Loved it enough that if we'd had time, we would have gone again!
We decided to take a train ride after the movie. Usually we take the train in the dark when we are there for Christmas so it was really fun to see the beautiful features of the land surrounding the mountain for a change! The cars are open so the breeze was fabulous. We sat in the back car and had a great time. Except for the pollen. It's bad this week in Atlanta. Still, the train was still a great way to spend time with my son!
Lunch time! We tried the new Campfire Grill, which replaced the popular Miss Katie's Restaurant.
It was a blast! Super kid-friendly. The servers interact with the kids, having them look for animal tracks painted on the floor and table, identifying them and marking them off on their kid's menu.
There was a bucket on the table that contained crayons, various animal track cards to use in making crayon rubbings, and cards with game ideas to keep kids busy.
Kids can choose from typical kid-friendly offerings, and I liked that David's grilled cheese came with both fries AND applesauce. I chose the grilled chicken skewer meal, served over roasted vegetables. While waiting, our server brought us warm cheddar herb biscuits that were delicious!
Our food arrived in cast iron skillets - a cute, camp-y touch.
Mine had roasted carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, parsnips and more. The chicken was grilled perfectly and tasted so good!
David loved his sandwich too!!
We decided to split a dessert and chose the Campfire S'mores Skillet. Yum!
The decor in the restaurant is quite different from Miss Katie's. Now each table is a campsite - complete with tent over the tabletop, a flickering lantern, and the aforementioned animal tracks and bucket of fun stuff for kids. There are faux campfires placed on ledges above the tables throughout the restaurant. It felt very fun and family-friendly inside.
Stay tuned for part two of our day at Stone Mountain's Spring FUN Break tomorrow. Find out about baby animals, zip line fun and a barnyard full of animals to pet!
Date/Time: March 30 - April 13, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lasershow, March 30 - April 13, 8:30 p.m.
Location: Crossroads® at the base of Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain Park offers a variety of value-priced options for families to enjoy the park and the special SFB activities.
Adventure Pass
$28 Adults/$22 Children 3-11 (tax not included)
Includes all of the SFB activities and other popular attractions such as the new Journey 2: The
Mysterious Island – The 4-D Experience, Geyser Towers®, Sky Hike®, the Summit Skyride, the
Great Locomotive Chase Adventure Golf, The Great Barn®, Scenic Railroad, the Antebellum
Plantation & Farmyard and Memorial Hall Museum.
Mountain Membership Annual Pass
$56 Adults /$44 Children 3-11 (tax not included)
Pays for itself in two visits. An annual pass lets families come again and again throughout the
year to take advantage of the park’s attractions, special events and exclusive discounts.
Family Value Pass
$125 for a family of four (tax not included).
Saves families 30 percent. Sold exclusively online, pass includes Adventure Passes, meal tickets
and complimentary cups with unlimited refills all day.
Families may also enjoy great vacation and staycation accommodations right inside the Park at two Marriott hotels. Family Escape Packages, beginning at $189 a night, include a one-night stay at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort or Stone Mountain Inn, 2-day Adventure Passes and breakfast.
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 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. To get to the park, take I-285 to Exit 39B, Hwy. 78 East. Stone Mountain Park is Exit 8 on Hwy. 78. More information on Spring FUN Break, Stone Mountain Park attractions and hours of operation is available at www.stonemountainpark.com or by calling 770-498-5690.
Disclaimer: I received free entry into the park in order to review it for my blog. No other compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own !
