CMT Blog: Archive

I had been to Stone Mountain Park, about 30 minutes outside Atlanta, for family vacation and college camping trips a couple times before, but this time I was with a friend who was equally eager to explore as much of the area as possible without much of a schedule. From the ground the smooth, gray mountain is overwhelming and bizarre, but even more so from the top. A solid chunk of granite, Stone Mountain's peak is 825 feet above the surrounding plain, but the mountain extends an estimated 10 miles beneath the earth's surface. A three-minute tram ride or 1.3 mile hike to the peak allows guests to explore the mountain's alien landscape. It is a unique and surreal experience.

Home to the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world, Stone Mountain's north face sports the three-acre Confederate Memorial carving of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Begun in 1923, production of the sculpture endured several hardships and remained unfinished until the State of Georgia bought the land in 1958; finishing touches were completed in the early 1970s. The park also offers a riverboat ride, a 732-bell carillon from the 1964 World's Fair, a scenic train ride (with "She'll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" obnoxiously blaring through speakers), an antique car museum and the Laser Show Spectacular, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

As the sun was setting, families clamored for space on the Memorial Lawn beneath the carving for the laser show, with new laser effects and remastered audio for the anniversary. Country music figured in prominently, with animation synched to tunes by Buddy Jewell, Keith Urban, Charlie Daniels, Big & Rich, Ray Charles and Willie Nelson. Fireworks and projected photos punctuate moments between laser segments, with a large blowout of fireworks at the end.