Stone Mountain

The first time I visited Atlanta was for a job interview. I took a shuttle from the airport to Lawrenceville. I was the only passenger in the shuttle and the driver was amazing. When he found out that I was interviewing at GGC he told me everything I needed to know about Lawrenceville, from population to average monthly rent :-). On the way he also pointed out the major tourist attractions of Atlanta, World of Coca-Cola, Aquarium, TBS TV station and Stone Mountain. When he told me that Stone Mountain was the world's largest piece of granite, I dismissed the idea as an usual "American" self-absorbed opinion rather than as a fact. When I first visited the place and saw the engraved civil war heroes it reminded me of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. If you really want to feel like a true Georgian and experience the country life-style, you should attend the laser show on 4th of July at Stone Mountain. The place gets crowded hours before the laser show begins. For someone who has lived in the city all their life, this will feel like a village fair with hawkers selling food, drinks, toys and trinkets. It is the quintessential American way of celebrating 4th of July.

As I visited the place over and over again I started liking it. You can hike the 1.3 mile steep and strenuous mountain. When you reach the top you are completely out of breath, but the view is worth it. While many regulars climb the mountain for a work out, many visitors especially with kids and elderly prefer to take the Summit sky-ride. There are tons of things to do for kids apart from the laser shows and fireworks. More details can be found here.

Apart from the 1.3 mile hike up the mountain and 1.3 mile down, there is also a 6 mile loop around the mountain that S and I love and frequent on many Saturdays. This trail called the Cherokee trail includes a little bit of a strenuous climb, but then for the most part is a flat trail that takes you around a couple of lakes in the park. The white trail in this map is the Cherokee trail. The trail is shaded for the most part and you can spot a couple of boats and kayaks in the lake. We love to take sandwiches and fruits with us on the trail and eat them by a cool spot near the lake.

Last year we began our hiking season by climbing the mountain (with quite some difficulty!) and ended the season with the 6 mile loop. This year we began the hiking season with the 6 mile loop. How far we get remains to be seen.