by Nancy Houser

Created on: November 01, 2008   Last Updated: December 08, 2008

John W. Whitehead once wrote, "Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see," and nothing brings this to mind more than taking the entire family to Atlanta's Stone Mountain Park, while building memories for a lifetime. Stone Mountain Park is Atlanta's number one attraction, consisting of 3,200 acres of exciting attractions, recreation, and nature for all ages to enjoy.

Listed in "Frommer's 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids before They Grow Up," this five-star park has been cited by Atlanta's Journal-Constitution as one of the world's "35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die." And a natural wonder it is, with years of hard work that has made it one of the top family hot-spots of the entire country since its early beginning on February 21, 1958 with a bill signed by Georgia's Governor Marvin Griffin.

ARRIVING AT STONE MOUNTAIN PARK

Located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta on Highway 78, south of the junction between Interstate 21 and Blue Ridge Parkway, Stone Mountain Park is listed on the Upscale Guide Atlanta Lucite card at most major Atlanta hotel hospitality desks. Due to its extremely large size, there are several entrances to Stone Mountain Park. If using public or hotel-provided transportation, they will choose the closest route that will enter an appropriate entrance. It is best to realize that any on-line mapping directions typically will provide a route which may be difficult to follow or is listed as having an unknown location. Therefore, checking out Stone Mountain's Map & Direction online site is advisable for alternative easy-to-follow directions that are simple and easy to read from just about any location in Atlanta.

FIRST TIME VISITORS

When approaching Stone Mountain Park for the very first time, it will be exhilarating to even the most hard-to- please child and family when they see the size of this gigantic mountain, monumental at the lofty height of 825 feet tall on 583 acres of land. The 90-feet by 190-feet carved faces of General E. Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson are located on three-acres of the mountain's surface, which is larger than an entire football field. The faces of the three men are on a mountain that is 1,683 feet high, with the faces themselves 400 feet above the ground, offering the highest of reviews by families with children of all ages.

PRICING AND PARKING

Parking at Stone Mountain Park is extremely family-orientated in cost, at only

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