Day 3: Sledding and Snowball Fights, Perching on a Mountain Top, Exploring Winter Village, and Late-Evening Fireworks! Happy New Year from Stone Mountain!
Happy New Year! I can’t believe 2012 is finally here! We’ve been talking about 2012 for years. Why? 2012 is the year we finally PCS out of Jacksonville. It’s been a far-off idea forever and now it’s here. Crazy! We celebrated New Year’s Eve by exploring Stone Mountain Park ALL day. Literally. Our first outing lasted over 5 hours! That’s huge with little kids! They all did awesome and each of us got quite a workout climbing these hills! Our legs are so not used to elevation (Florida is so flat!). We definitely got our 10,000 steps in today!
We started our morning at Summit Skyride, a steep ride in a Cable Car to the top of Stone Mountain, 825 feet above the rest of the park (there was a fence so we couldn’t fall off the mountain, don’t worry). The kids thought it was really cool to be up so high! We explored the rocky mountain top and saw Atlanta and the Appalachian mountains off in the distance. Stone Mountain is really tiny by Northwest standards, but it’s a neat mountain nonetheless. The Confederate carving in the side of the mountain was really neat! It was really, really cold up there, so we didn’t stay too terribly long. We caught the next cable car down the mountain and continued exploring the park.
Here's our cable car!
Arial view of Snow Mountain
Memorial Confederate Carving
The kids look out over the mountain
Shadow view of our mountain-top perch
The Kids Atop Stone Mountain
Atlanta Skyline
Next, we hiked down the mountainside to Winter Village, a city decked out with Christmas lights and selling all sorts of cool things. The hot chocolate was amazing and I found an adorable Father Christmas ornament for only 66 cents. We watched Polar Express in 4-D, complete with blowing wind, falling snow, spraying water, and shaking seats. Alex and Ethan loved it while Derek and Bella were a little overwhelmed.
The train tour was calling our name and we climbed aboard for a tour before lunch. We got adventure arm bands as part of our campground deal which allowed access to everything but the snow area (we had separate tickets for that). The kids love trains and really enjoyed the ride. I’m sure it’s gorgeous in the spring and summer when the trees have leaves. There wasn’t a whole lot to see in the winter. Bella fell soundly asleep in my arms for her morning nap. The older kids loved the bumpy ride.
Here comes the train!Weeee!
The boys love trains
Mommy and Bella
The winter landscape
After lunch, we headed to Snow Mountain! This was Ethan, Derek, and Bella’s first time with snow. Our passes gave us access to the sledding area from 1-3 pm and unlimited access to the free-play area. We hit up the free-play area first and the kids had fun making snowballs, sledding the small hill, and making piles of snow. It was kind of cool but when it’s 60 degrees out the coats and hats get very warm. Plus, the snow area was pretty small for the price (we got a great deal with the campground package but still). I hope next year we’ll be somewhere that has real snow.
Alex Loves Snow!
Hubby helps Bella walk through the snow
Ethan's snowballSnow!
Derek My Snow Baby
Derek had so much fun sledding!
The line for the giant sledding hill was huge and I wasn’t comfortable with Bella riding down it, so I kept Derek and Bella while Hubby took the older kids down Snow Mountain. They hadn’t been gone a minute when Derek said, “I done. Snow not fun.” Seriously? Bella agreed, holding out her cold, mitten-less hand, “Done.” Well, drat. We plodded out of the snowy area and back to the stroller. What would we do now? The conductor called, “Last call for Stone Mountain Scenic Train!” Derek’s face lit up and we ran to the train, dropped the stroller off in stroller parking, and jumped aboard just in time. Might as well! Derek was excited and it took up a good 30-40 minutes. We saw some deer this time too! Hubby and the big kids were waiting for us when we returned. They had so much fun on Snow Mountain!
We were all exhausted as we walked back up the mountain to the parking lot. My leg muscles were screaming! It felt so good to sit in the car and even better to collapse into bed in the RV. All the kids took a nice long rest. I slept too! I made the kids a quick dinner around 5:30 and got everyone ready to head back out to Winter Village for some evening festivities.
This time, the world was transformed into a winter wonderland. Everything was glowing with lights. The world twinkled brilliantly. It was truly the most amazing Christmas display I’ve ever seen and the perfect way to spend a New Year’s Eve. We watched a glassblower hard at work, drank hot chocolate, toured shops, and enjoyed the lights. We went on the train a third time to see the Christmas light displays adorning the mountain and listened to the Christmas story. When the train returned to Winter Village, the streets were packed with people. What was going on? We found a clearing and stopped for a moment. Music started playing and a Snow Angel flew down above the crowd! The kids’ mouths dropped open. She told a story and flew around a while….. and snow began to fall! Sure, it was artificial, but it was sure cool! The kids merrily jumped around catching snowflakes. Then a burst of colorful fireworks lit up the sky! The show lasted for several minutes and was spectacular. Derek was freaked out, “Mommy! Mommy! Save me!” I held him with my hands over his ears. Poor guy. For such a tough man, he’s sure scared of everything!
We got back to the RV hours past bedtime and with a car full of very tired kids. The evening was amazing. I unfortunately forgot the camera… but we’re going back again! January 1st is the last day and we’ll be there! This was the best New Year’s Eve we’ve ever had. Hubby and I were sound asleep by 10:30. No midnight revelries for us. We hiked for miles, chased kids through the snow, and had an absolute blast. Stone Mountain Park is an absolute treasure-trove of activities and family fun. I’m glad we made the trek.
Our Family in Winter Village
Stone Mountain Confederate Carving
Related articles
- Day 1: Beaver Run Campground in Metter, Georgia! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
- Day 2: Stone Mountain, Georgia! The RV Adventure Continues! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
