Stone mountain state park

[Captain Fred]

We stopped overnight @ Stone Mountain Campground. Were supposed to stay 2 nights so we could see all the attractions but all were closed except the Gondola ride to the top of the mountain. We had been sold tickets to all the attractions over the phone. They did refund our $.
I have never been so disappointed in a park & campground. The restrooms were either locked or filthy. All of the free exhibits were closed or in poor repair & dirty.
The campground is in the worst condition of any I have ever been in.
Large heaves in both the roads & the terrible unlevel sites.
We left @ 04:00 after staying the first night.
If you are going to Stone Mountain camp elsewhere & go by car for the day

[jmelton]

We made the same mistake a few years ago. Absolutely the worst place we have ever stayed.

[Tallybird]

What a shame. We stayed a week back in the early 2000’s. It was all open, clean, and just lovely. Very sad…….I’m guessing budget cuts? In any event thanks for the update. We will take it off our do over list.

[kg4rrx]

Stone Mountain was sold off to an amusement park group a few years ago, and they destroyed it. Most Georgia state parks are very nice, so don't let this experience sour you on other GA state parks.

[wandermore]

Are you guys talking about Stone Mountain in NC or GA?

[Tallybird]

Well, I was talking about Georgia. I did not know there were 2. Thank you for pointing this out. :-)

[Captain Fred]

The whole place is just a money chase now. They nickle & dime you @ every turn.
There is no budget cut reason for the terrible condition. They charge for everything. There is even a $20.00 charge to enter the main gate before you can get to the campground.really sad that what should be the jewel os Georgia is more like the toilet.

[kg4rrx]

Originally Posted by Captain Fred

The whole place is just a money chase now. They nickle & dime you @ every turn.
There is no budget cut reason for the terrible condition. They charge for everything. There is even a $20.00 charge to enter the main gate before you can get to the campground.really sad that what should be the jewel os Georgia is more like the toilet.

Mary and I spent a weekend at Stone Mountain Park a few years ago. Our experience reflects Captain Fred's opinion.

I blame Herschend Family Entertainment Thrive Attractions Management Group. Herschend, who also owns places like Silver Dollar City, Dollywood, and even Callaway Gardens first created that pay for everything affair before they gave the contract up because they were losing too much money! (imagine that! Nickel and diming people doesn't provide a good experience that makes them want to return!) Thrive took it over, ran by a guy who used to be a VP at Herschend. He must have missed the part where it was a bad business model. I miss the days when you could pay 10 dollars for the entire car at the gate and everything, including the famous laser show, was free.

Being local, I grew up going to Stone Mountain Park. We used to stop by a KFC on Memorial Avenue just outside the gate, get a bucket of chicken to snack on, and spread a blanket on the lawn for the Laser Show. I would try to talk my father into getting us some crazy glow sticks from the vendors roaming the lawn or a kepi from the gift shop. They changed the show a bit over the years to attract and appeal to new demographics, but one part always remained. Here's a video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPt1XZFrM8

Imagine how neat it would be to experience that projected on the side of a mountain. I believe now they have permanently retired the laser show in favor of a drone show or some other BS that's not nearly as cool as laser beam projections.

One night I was there when the nightly fireworks started a brush fire. They stopped the pyrotechnics for the evening and we had entertainment from the Stone Mountain Fire Department extinguishing the flames. I was also there one year for the Fourth of July with extra fireworks. Something malfunctioned during the show and ALL the fireworks launched at once. It was terrifying and awesome.

Even before they tried making the show more inclusive, you would see all types of families and all colors of people enjoying sitting on the lawn on summer nights. Everyone accepted what the history was and how far our society had advanced.

It really is a shame. The controversial carving is magnificent, if you apricate the art for what it is. It's the largest bas-relief sculptor in the world. Gutzon Borglum, the same guy who made Mount Rushmore, was the designer. Walker Hancock, who also carved the famous statue of General MacArthur at West Point and designed the Air Medal, completed the carving. The base of the mountain has elaborate plazas dedicated to valor and sacrifice. That's all been removed from the park map, heavily vandalized, and you'll have to explore to find them on your own.

And the carillon, the grist mill, the old quarry! There is so much to explore in the park. It makes me sick it was sold out to corporate interests with none of our interests in mind.

[Captain Fred]

We did go look @ the carrilon. The railings on the path to it are rusting & in need of paint, the restroom is unkept & filthy and the enclosure for the carrilon itself is dirty and covered in cobwebs. Really sad to see.