Atlanta, Georgia Stone Mountain Park

Stone Mountain Park, just outside of Atlanta, GA, is a great place for a family day out. Based around Stone Mountain, the largest rock in the U.S. - a granite mass the size of a small mountain - which features a carving on its face of 3 Civil War heroes (General Robert E. Lee, General "Stonewall" Jackson, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis) by the same artist who did the carvings on Mount Rushmore. The mountain has a trail you can climb in between 30-60 minutes that is easy enough for small children or a cable car that you can take to the summit. There is a cheap fast food restaurant and souvenir shop at the top which affords amazing views of the skyline of the city of Atlanta, and on a clear day you can see as far as Kennesaw Mountain, the site of a famous Civil War battle. In the summer months the field and reflecting pool facing the carving fill with thousands of people on a nightly basis to watch the laser show projected on the face of the rock. It's generally a great show, particularly for the kids, featuring music and fireworks and lots of southerners shouting "yee-haw!".

Once you've climbed the mountain there's loads more to do including horseback riding, paddle-boats, mini-golf, batting cages, ice skating, camping. There is a dedicated picnic area and old fashioned "grist mill," a mock-up Southern Plantation house which is made to resemble an authentic 18th century cotton plantation complete with mansion house and slaves' quarters which is very educational and the park even has its own man-made beach and water park with some fairly good water slides. For those who don't want to picnic there's a couple of over-priced greasy restaurants dotted around the park. There's also a railway which takes visitors around the mountain and has a tour guide discussing the history of the site.

On the whole Stone Mountain is a great family-oriented day out. But beware, the park can get very crowded. Space on the lawn for the laser show is at a premium any night of the week, and at the weekends the beach and waterpark fill up, particularly on U.S. bank holidays such as July 4 and Labor Day. You will also pay a bit to get into the park as well as for any of the activities or facilities.