Day 4: A Gorgeous Antebellum Plantation, Long Hikes in the Wilderness, an Awesome New Playground, and Smores in Stone Mountain, Georgia!
Happy 2012! The campground quickly emptied this morning as weekend campers headed back to their everyday lives. The campground was so crowded yesterday there wasn’t an empty lot… today it’s more than half empty. I like it because the Internet connection is quicker…and because we have a straight shot to the lake now without having to walk through people’s yards. It’s quieter too and we don’t have to feel like the poor kids on the block surrounded by $200,000 A-class RV’s while we hang out in our $15,000, 23-foot Camper. 
All around, it’s a good day.
A beautiful Canadian Goose on the Lake
The view from our camping lot
Stone Mountain Lake
Our little home away from home!
Our morning got off to a slow start and consisted of doing laundry at the little campground laundromat and cleaning out the dirt and sand packed into our floormats and tile. Ick. Kids are kinda gross and they go through so much laundry, especially when playing in the dirt and forest. Ew. Everyone made their beds and picked up their belongings. When the laundry was done and we once again had spare clean clothes, we headed out into the wilderness on a nice long hike. The kids love, love, loved climbing little rock formations and fallen trees and carefully making their way over tiny creeks. I thought they’d get worn out but no such luck. Derek in particular never stopped running! I love spending time in the great outdoors with them. It’s so healthy and so fun too. Even bitty Bella hiked today!
The boys love hiking!
Explorer Girls
A Family of Hikers
On the drive home, we stopped by the Stone Mountain Children’s Playground. It was a ton of fun! The kids ran and climbed for another hour before we dragged them away for some lunch!
We love a good playground!
After lunch and rest time, we headed out to visit the Antebellum Plantation. Stone Mountain Antebellum Plantation is a collection of historic homes from all over the state of Georgia, built between 1783 and 1875. Each house is completely decked out in period furniture and decorations and is in great repair. I love the Antebellum Plantation!!! Here are some of my favorites:
The Dickey Plantation Home:
Look how gorgeous the entry is!
Now let’s take a look inside this historic beauty. I would like to live here. 
Bella and I in front of the parlor
Every Lady Needed a Fine Parlor!
The kids and I in the Dickey House Gardens
The one-room schoolhouse was neat and the kids loved pretending they were at school. Alex makes quite the “Headmistress.” She is bossy enough! ;-)
Headmistress Alex
The farm area was fun, full of goats, pigs, and sheep to pet. I had to constantly remind wild child (aka Derek) to “Stop running! Stop running! Stop running!” Eventually we had to just take him out of the petting area. The other kids were calm and really enjoyed the animals. Bella thought they were super cool. I loved seeing the old carriages.
Here are some more random shots from our time in Antebellum Plantation:
Slave Cabin
Colonial Home
Pioneer Log Cabin
Beautiful Old Home
My Handsome Derek, Age 3 1/2
Our whole family in Antebellum Plantation
Dinner consisted of grilled turkey burgers, pasta salad, and vegetables al fresco by the fire. We roasted smores too and finished our meal by the light of the fire and lantern. These early sunsets are killer! Since neither of the boys took naps and it was showing, they went to bed a bit early. Bella “helped” me with the laundry and dishes while Hubby and Alex went to the last night of Winter Village. They had so much fun, and Hubby brought the camera to get some pictures for me!
Winter Village
Alex next to an awesome tree
Another day down, another adventure done. Tomorrow: Atlanta!
Related articles
- Day 2: Stone Mountain, Georgia! The RV Adventure Continues! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
- Day 1: Beaver Run Campground in Metter, Georgia! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
- Day 3: Sledding and Snowball Fights, Perching on a Mountain Top, Exploring Winter Village, and Late-Evening Fireworks! Happy New Year from Stone Mountain! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
