Stone Mountain, Georgia

It’s Labor Day weekend and we have a full three days off to go camping!  We have historically taken great trips over this long weekend and this year was no different.  The actual camping part of the trip was less than normal because we were busy climbing all over the mountain, but it was fun nonetheless.

It is pretty much routine now for us to leave in the morning if at all possible.  It just works so much better for us to pack in the evening and then leave early in the morning.  However, for this trip we purchased a vacation package that gave us three nights of camping and two days worth of park passes for all of the attractions they have.  Since we got three full nights we decided to get our money’s worth and head on over after work on Friday. Unfortunately for our happiness, we were all tired and moody, and everyone else seemed to be on the road at the same time.  It took us forever to get there because of traffic and when we did finally make it we were into the 10:00 hour (eastern). Setup went fine even if it was dark.

All of that evening pain paid off the next morning.  The crew slept really well, giving us a nice slow start to the day.  We decided not to waste much time at the campground and instead headed over to the main area to catch the shuttle to Stone Mountain. 

As soon as we got there Carter took off for the Geyser Tower and climbed all over the place, as well as got soaking wet.

We then went into their dinosaur exhibit and looked around a good bit. 

The kids were still drying off from the Geyser so we headed on over to the Skylift and rode up to the top of the mountain. The kids really enjoyed the ride up and then seemed to have a good time on top of the rock. 

Once we came down we went into the Dinotorium, which is essentially four floors of a McWane/Let’s Play combo. The kids played and played until they found the 4th floor slide! They then rode down over and over again until they were worn out... and mom and dad were a little bruised up from the slides!

We caught the shuttle back around 2:00, had lunch, and then set up for the Auburn vs. Washington game. These kids LOVE the shuttle!

Look at those sisters holding hands!  Lots of time waiting for and riding the shuttle, then Carter drove us home one night!

Cora took a nap while Kelly took Carter and Caroline for a dip in the campground swimming pool. They made it back, Auburn finally won, and we went on with our evening.  Before heading back to the park we explored the playground. While doing so, a random kid came up and invited (rather, begged) us to come to he and his grandparents’ camper for s’mores. We were at first hesitant but then joined in the fun. They were a super nice family.

That night we rode back over to the park and caught the Laser Show and Fireworks!  It was pretty awesome and the kids really enjoyed it (except Caroline who can't stand fireworks and made us miss the amazing ending!). It was definitely a sight to see and there were thousands of people out there with us.  One pretty cool event happened as Cora was sitting in my lap. A surprise firework or two went off and she was completely unsuspecting. She jumped out of my lap, turned around real quick, and gave Kelly and me a look like something big was going on.  It was likely the first surprise/scared sound event she has ever had. Pretty cool.

We once again got back to the camper pretty late.  For the most part we all made it through the night (Carter fell out of the bed, Kelly picked him up, and he still tells us he doesn’t remember it at all).  The morning came, Cora climbed in our bed, begged to watch Peppa Pig, and got her wish as the rest of us slept in a little while. We then loaded everyone up and booked it to the pavillion for the campground worship service.  It was good to attend the service and meet a few new people.

For the rest of the day we decided to explore the other parts of the park. We were able to see a cool 4D Dino movie, watch a ventriloquist and his talking dog, visit a few shops, ride the scenic railway, get ripped off for lunch, and then finish up with some mini golf.  It was hot and tiring but it was a fun day (if you can't tell by Donald's reaction!).

We thought Carter would be scared but he basically ran up the wall!

We landed back at the camper around 6:00-6:30 and essentially relaxed for a while. The kids got to bed and we all slept hard for the night … except Carter who was not feeling well and seemed to be awake all evening.

A fun game of Nukem!  A morning swim and some playground time.  

The last day was a lot of nothing around the campsite.  Eventually Kelly took the girls to the pool while Carter and I finished up the loading process. We picked them up around noon and had an easy ride home.  It was a great trip with a lot of good memories!