This year, we added to our festive holiday outing list by trying the Christmas Show at Stone Mountain near Atlanta. In the past we’ve done Chattanooga, Gatlinburg, Helen GA, and also the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, but really wanted to try some place new (We go to Nashville and Gatlinburg pretty regularly). After a lot of looking around, we decided to try Atlanta. Now that we’re back, here’s our experiences with this attraction.

First, if you’ve never heard of Stone Mountain - Stone Mountain is a prominent geological and recreational landmark located near Atlanta, Georgia. It is best known for its massive granite dome, which rises about 1,686 feet above sea level and features the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world. This iconic carving depicts Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.

The surrounding Stone Mountain Park is a 3,200-acre destination offering a mix of natural beauty, history, and entertainment. Popular activities include hiking the summit trail for breathtaking views, riding the scenic Skyride cable car, and exploring a variety of family-friendly attractions such as miniature golf, historic exhibits, and seasonal events like Stone Mountain Christmas and the Yellow Daisy Festival.

The park also includes a scenic railroad, a lake for boating, and picnic areas, making it a versatile destination for outdoor enthusiasts and families. While the site has historical significance, it also attracts visitors for its recreational offerings and spectacular laser shows during summer evenings.

What Makes Stone Mountain Christmas Special?

Stone Mountain Park comes alive with dazzling decorations, holiday music, and an array of festive activities. The experience is aimed at families, couples, and groups of friends looking to soak in the spirit of the season. Highlights include: Tons of Christmas lights, a railroad ride, meet Santa, Live Shows, A Parade, Skylift to the top (extra fee), and Light/Drone Show. There is also a dinosaur play area (4 stories tall!) and several restaurants and gift shops.

TIX and PRICING

Stone Mountain Christmas requires a separate ticket from the park’s general admission. Prices for the 2024 season are as follows:

• Adult Admission (ages 12+): $39.95

• Child Admission (ages 3-11): $34.95

• Children under 3: Free

• Parking: $20 per car

So, right out of the gate, the price for entry for us (2 Adults and 3 kids) was $235.95 which included parking, fees, and taxes. Also note, the doors open at 5 PM for this special ticketed entry and the event ends at 9 PM.

OUR EXPERIENCE

GETTING IN

By the time we arrived and found parking it was about 4:45 PM. The line to get in was already very very far out into the parking lot, so we got a place in line. I walked up to the front and it appeared only 2 or 3 ticket windows were open and I didn’t see a place for people who bought tickets online to go. Then a little later, the line surged forward and they had opened a building on the left side of the parking lot where web based ticket holders could enter, scan the bar codes and get wristbands. The room had 6 self serve kiosks.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

Indeed there are a ton of Christmas lights to see and the kids loved that part! There is a 3D maze of lights too where they give you special glasses and the kids really enjoyed that as well.

CHRISTMAS PARADE

The parade started at 6:00 PM and was enjoyed by all! This enchanting event features brightly decorated floats, familiar holiday characters, and live performances, all set to the sounds of beloved Christmas music. Santa Claus makes a special appearance at the end, adding to the holiday magic.

DINOSAUR PLAYGROUND

The Dinotorium at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia is a family-friendly attraction (4 stories tall!) that brings prehistoric times to life. This themed area features life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs. The playground area provides interactive activities for children, such as fossil digging, climbing structures, and slides, designed to spark curiosity and encourage hands-on learning. Since it’s all indoors, this makes for a great place to escape from the cold winter weather, and we spent about and hour and a half here total over our 4 hour park stay. The kids loved it.

ENTERTAINMENT & SHOWS

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to do any of the shows because (1) the lines were pretty long, (2) we spent so much time at the Dinosaur playground, (3) there was other things to see and didn’t want to sit through a 30-40 minute show. All the shows/events for 2024 are shown below from the Stone Mountain Website.

FOOD

When it came time to get some food, we went to the Marketplace restaurant. We were not the only people there. It was packed! One thing that wasn’t packed when were done eating was our bank account.

The food style is grab and go - you walk up to a large line up of prepared foods and grab what you want off the serving area. We decided to eat

• 2 slices of cheese pizza

• 1 hamburger/fries

• 1 hot dog/fries

• 4 drinks

• 2 applesauces

In my head I thought that would somewhere around $30-$40. To my shock it was actually almost $65.00!

LIGHT AND DRONE SHOW

Due to the wind, the drone show was cancelled. We were all kind of bummed about that, but the actual light show and music was still pretty impressive and lasted about 30 minutes. It’s in 3-D so make sure and keep your 3-D glasses you receive from the 3-D immersive walkthrough area in the park. If you hate sitting on the ground, it is definitely worth it to upgrade to the VIP tickets in my opinion because you get chairs to sit in. We were camped out on the cold ground. The photos I got of the light show don’t do it justice. It was pretty spectacular with real fire bursts and intermittent fireworks as well.

IS IT WORTH IT?

I think one thing that really was against us was the weather. With the windchill, it was 25F according to my phone and being out in that for 4 hours with little kids was not the overall best experience if you can imagine. Also, the lines and wait times to do some things were also prohibitive for a family of 5 with 3 little kids. The other thing we found challenging was the lack of signage or at least signs you could see. It was pretty dark and the map wasn’t overly helpful as first timers.

Our favorite activities were the dinosaur playground, the lights, the parade, and the final light show though. Despite the freezing temps.

It was an interesting one-time experience, but in the end, I doubt we will return because it is pretty expensive. Plus the food cost was pretty outrageous to me. Overall though this was still more affordable than a night at the Opryland Hotel and Ice Tickets.

Total trip cost including park admission, 2 gas stops, food on-site, and Chic Fil A on the drive in was right at $400. I used my Hilton points for a free suite at the Embassy Suites in Kennesaw GA so that saved us about $200 on a hotel.