Complaint Review: stonemountain park - Stonemountain Georgia

I used to go there for Girl Scout camps every summer. We didn't take the tram..we hiked up the mountain, which I will never forget. All theme parks are expensive now. You should come to Southern California and go to Disneyland (which is ALWAYS crowded, even during the week), and then you will have something to really complain about $3 for a fountain soda is the norm pretty much everywhere. Been to a professional baseball or football game lately? $3.00 for a small bottle of water, $4 for a 20-oz bottled soda, $8 for a beer. Common sense should have prevailed about going on July 4th, especially if you hate crowds. I don't go to theme parks on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day or weekends. I don't go to the race track on Derby Day or Breeders Cup Day. Sorry you felt "ripped off", but I don't see it.

I love Stone Mountain and I consider this one of the greatest parks in the south. I'm sorry for the family who had a bad experience and I feel that this is one of the least expensive ways entertain a family. The Parking pass is only $7, the laser show is free and you can always show up to the laser show with a cooler and your own bucket of chicken. The park has miles of beautiful hiking trails and the grist mill - great for picknics. The $7 parking pass is a bargain considering what is involved in running this well organized, safe and clean park that is a host for concerts, Christmas lights, festivals - not all free, but still worth it, also the laser show has fire works every week end. As for the 4th of july, any where that hosts a large fire works show is going to be crowded. Come back to see the park when there is not a huge crowd you will be glad you did. Oh Yea, be sure to check out the Stone Mountain park web site.

Ticket and Mountain Membership (MM) Prices: One-Day All Attraction Pass: Stone Mountain's One-Day All Attractions Pass offers unlimited use of all major Park attractions for one full day. (Group Rates available on groups of 15 or more people, click here for information) Adults: $19.00 + tax Children (ages 3-11): $16.00 + tax Click here for a Current Attraction Schedule That is copied and pasted directly from SMP website. If you are saying the tickets were 78 for the family, you got a deal considering to go to Six Flags, Disney, Islands of Adventure or even Whitewater you are paying 20-25 a PIECE. Also please see that it says the pass offers UNLIMITED use of ALL major park attractions. Why did you have to pay extra for the train or tram?

I live in Atlanta, and have visited the park in the 1970' as a child, in the 80's as a teen and 90's and 2000's as an adult. The park is overcrowded on holidays, like ALL parks around Atlanta. You walk a mile when you go there on the holiday. Yellow Daisy Festival you also deal with crowds. But you did not have to walk. They have trams that run from all the parking lots. If you get there late, in which you said you did, and have to park on the road all you had to do was simply head over to one of the lots where you would have found tram waiting to carry you away or a line with an employee. I honestly don't know how you didn't see the trams they are all over the place. The tram to the top has always be overpriced, as a child we got the "joy" of climbing our way to the top because my mom just didn't have the 10 bucks per kid for her to take her four kids and her to the top. I can remember my brothers raising to the top as my sister complained and my mom saying "ah hush up it is good for you!" As for a positive side, I am glad to see that Stone mountain has added some attractions that make it more appealing. After 30 years of going there, it was time for some new things like the tree house village for the young children. My family still enjoys going out there during the week and riding bikes or having a picnic. As far as the laser show, hehe, I have seen it about 25 times and I must say I don't care if I ever see another one as long as I live. But I will go back when my youngest is around 9, I will fight the traffic leaving the park at 10 when it ends. Why? Because it is part of being an Atlantian. It is something everyone should see. Will I do it on a holiday like July 4th? NO WAY you will find me eating watermelon with my family in my mom's backyard. (And don't for get the spitting of the seeds contest at dusk!)

It was more than thirty years ago when my first visit to Stone Mountain occurred. Some friends and I drove in and parked at the end of the mountain and walked to the top. I don't even remember us paying for parking. It was a magnificent experience. In 1979 we visited and rode the skylift up, walked down and rode the train that goes around the mountain. Again, a magnificent experience. In 2002 I was on a business trip to Atlanta. I went out to see Stone mountain, Paid the $7.00 parking fee, drove to the end of the mountain and enjoyed a really fine hike. I carried my own water and found a nice restaurant on the way back to Atlanta. In thirty years, this park has developed it's commercial side, not in a manner that I find totally compatable with a natural wonder [the enormous granite dome] but then Stone Mountain is a study in contrasts. For some, the gargantuan sculpture of the Confederate heroes that is cut into it's face may seem out of place as well. I think it is fascinating. The theme park is sort of obnoxious, but I understand that it probably helps pay the bills. As long as it stays off the mountain itself, I'm OK with it. Good zoning, you understand. The park maintains an interesting natural wonder, and I always love to visit, but as travel attractions have grown themselves into "end destinations" with price increases to cover a program worthy of "end destination" status, the visitor must increasingly seek information to know what is worth paying for and what is not. On a holiday weekend I would have settled for a "drive in see the mountain" trip at best! As a tourist it is good to get a write-up of any attraction and then plan to visit on an off day. Sure, one or two rides may be down for service, but you get so many more rides for your ticket on what's running! Our family rarely eats at theme park restaurants -- noteable exception: the international theme restaurants in EPCOT and we go to great pains to avoid holidays. We love the "Unofficial Guide" type of books and highly recommend them! In short, I feel bad for anyone who has such a horrid experience as you have described. My lovely wife has become highly adept at thoroughly interrogating the ticket seller before we purchase anything!, and this type of approach has helped us to have a happier time in the park itself.

You said you went on the 4th of July, well what did you expect. Any person with simple intellegince should know that on MAJOR Holidays, Amusement Parks will be crowded. You chose to go there that day. No one forced you to go. Yes Parks make a MAJOR PROFIT on parking, they do this to help pay for other things that show a much smaller profit. How much do you think it cost to set all the rides up and pay for them. How much do you think LIABILITY INSURANCE cost for them. These expenses and many more all have to be paid for. Just remember NO ONE FORCED YOU TO GO. YOU WENT & SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WOULD BE CROWDED.