Stone Mountain in Georgia is a fascinating place. It’s fascinating for many of the wrong reasons. If you’re from the Atlanta area, no doubt Stone Mountain Park has been a staple of your life, and true, there is some fun to be had there, but it’s also not cool. This is our review of Stone Mountain Park, its wide variety of attractions including the gondola, train ride and other family friendly things to do.
Note: go right to the comments section if you’re curious to get a glimpse into people defending “states’ rights” and upholding history and such. It’s fascinating.
PUBLIC APOLOGY: this post is several years old now, and initially when people would leave comments about MY commentary on how inappropriate all the Confederateness of Stone Mountain was, I would allow their comments and step back from my voice condemning the relief blasted into the face of the granite. I chalked it up to maybe not understanding history fully. But no. Now I see that the many comments this article has gotten over the years regarding preserving the history and such are coming from a place of white supremacy and ignorance.
I’ve since gone through the comments, removed my apologies for NOT understanding history, and restricted some comments that I now see are clearly racist statements protecting white fragility. Thank you to everyone for being respectful who was, and thank you to the people who opened my eyes about how blatantly racist Stone Mountain as a place and park is.
What is Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain Park covers 3200 acres of forests, creeks and exposed rock. Stone Mountain itself takes its name from the enormous deposit of granite in the middle of the Georgia hills. It’s reminiscent of the granite hills of Yosemite. And it just so happens that on the face of the mountain is a carved relief of confederate leaders from the Civil War. Not cool.
Beyond the carved relief on the face of the mountain, Stone Mountain has tons of hiking and walking trails through acres of natural beauty, there are some historic sites, and also some family friendly attractions/rides. Heck, there’s even fishing and golfing at Stone Mountain.
Protesting at Stone Mountain
Know what else we found at Stone Mountain Park? Confederate sympathizers. If you didn’t grow up in the USA or if you’ve not lived in the South you might not be familiar with this group of people. They’re a bunch who like to relive or want to revive the days when there was segregation, acceptable racism, and general malady towards non-white people. If you live anywhere with half a consciousness you know this is completely unacceptable.
And it’s not something we EVER want to encounter during family travel.
Why were they there? – the folks with the confederate flags were on top of Stone Mountain during out visit because they were protesting the installation of a Dr Martin Luther King Jr memorial carved from the mountain itself. The monument: a copy of the liberty bell echoing the “I Have A Dream” speech. The placement: ON Stone Mountain. The outcome of the protest: nothing. For more information about the monument and the disparity of the public, see here.
Today (2020) there is more and more activity surrounding Stone Mountain. Those who understand history and the symbolism of a monument to the Confederacy know that the facade needs to be blasted and removed. Those who think “history needs to be preserved” are masking their racism by calling it history. Nope.
The Carved Relief on Stone Mountain
On the face of the huge granite stone mountain is a carved relief. Everybody’s heard of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and it’s no doubt one of the most recognizable scenes in the United States. Stone Mountain has its own historical scene that depicts some Southern icons: Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. If you haven’t heard of these guys, let us fill you in.
Jefferson Davis – president of the Confederacy (the South / pro-slavery in Civil War)
Robert E Lee – leader of the Confederate army and slave holder
Stonewall Jackson – General of the Confederate army that led many campaigns
Here’s the thing: the relief on the face of Stone Mountain is on privately owned property and falls under a piece of Georgia legislation that preserves history, specifically Confederate monuments. There’s been talk of removing the carving via sandblasting, but it’s protected and will remain on the face indefinitely. That’s that. It’s disappointing to say the least. Shameful is a more accurate statement.
For more information about these three figures and why people are still trying to defend them and their actions, I highly recommend reading up on The Lost Cause. The Lost Cause is in reference to the system of beliefs that slavery is okay, and even a moral positive. It’s very shocking to learn about, but many hold these beliefs true even today.
Moving past the Confederacy trying to make a comeback, there’s more to Stone Mountain to do… but should you support this place? We won’t return.
Attractions at Stone Mountain Park
If you can get past the historic issues and want to continue to plan a trip to Stone Mountain Park, here’s what you can expect. It’s not all bad, but the fact the the face of the Georgia park is a Confederate monument colors everything we think about the area.
SkyRide to the top of Stone Mountain
Ever been on a gondola? We’re not talking about a romantic boat voyage for two through the canals of Venice. We’re talking a skytram-type scary can of people soaring through the air with hundreds of feet below to potentially plummet down. Can you tell that the gondola isn’t for everybody? While the kids were excited to fly through the sky, I certainly was not thrilled to ride the Summit SkyRide. It wasn’t so bad, I guess, but I wasn’t stoked for the ride back down. I guess it’s a good family travel activity.
Tip: if you have a brave kid, try to get them to the front part of the gondola car. The view will impress them, even if they’re already a daredevil.
We waited in line for the skyride and it was chilly. Or was that the staff manning the queues? Both actually. The service wasn’t stellar by any means. Anyway, we eventually got into the gondola and they jammed it full. Thank goodness nobody freaked out, because it was the perfect setup for a group panic attack.
Note: even contained attractions, such as a gondola, tend to have handicap accessible spots for the ride. If the staff isn’t paying attention to a guest in a wheelchair or with walking assistance, be the bigger person and make way or move out of the ADA spot.
Despite the scary ride, the view is nice. When we got to the top of Stone Mountain it was a beautiful,clear day all the way to Atlanta. Sunset viewing was a crowded experience though.
A ticket for the SkyRide is an additional cost beyond your Stone Mountain Park entrance fee. Currently (2020) it is $5 per person additional.
Stone Mountain’s Old West Town and Village
There is this structure, the Great Barn, and it’s really just an enormous indoor playground and (for kids) seems like tons of fun. There’s an obstacle course outside too, the adventure course called SkyHike, but we didn’t get to do it because it was so late in the day. The SkyHike adventure course at Stone Mountain isn’t included with admission, so an additional ticket must be added for $5 per person (as of 2020).
There are lots shops to go through, very much like the entry plaza to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. And if you’re there on a cool winter evening, you’ll find they have a wonderful selection of warm clothes for the ill-prepared frozen guest. There’s also a 4-D theater to see some sort of movie that is more than a 3-D experience… we didn’t do it either.
Visiting Stone Mountain at Christmas
We were there while Stone Mountain was getting set up for Christmas and the lights were AMAZING. While we don’t have tons of compliments to throw out there for the Park, we will be the first to say that Stone Mountain does an incredible job decorating for the holidays. Or should we say the do a great job for Christmas. There was even a ridiculously festive parade. Like, Disney-style parade, and it was very well done. There’s also a portion of the Park that is turned into Snow Mountain, which allows for sledding and other snow sports even when Georgia’s not getting a winter blast.
Tip: besides the Christmas lights to warm us, there were realllllllly good cinnamon buns. Hands down they were the messiest bread product we’ve ever tried, but they were awesome. They tasted like southern hospitality and sugar. I think they may have been glazed with the sweat of Paula Dean. We have no other dining tips than this, as we didn’t love the other food we had.
All aboard!! The one cool thing at Stone Mountain
Yep!! There is a for realz locomotive that runs around Stone Mountain and it’s included with your park admission. It’s not a fast train and it’s not cushy like the dreamliners of the 20s, but it’s pretty cool. We were there late in the day and during the holiday, so we were treated to a Christmas Sing-Along. It was fun. And awkward. It’s fun though and a great way to experience a lot of the 3200 acres of Stone Mountain Park.
The train ride would’ve been more cool had it been during the day…and during the rest of the year. When it’s not Christmas at Stone Mountain there is a Wild West Show that takes place on the western set along the scenic railroad.
Note: during the Coronavirus pandemic, shows and entertainment experiences like the Wild West Show or the Lasershow Spectacular are not running or are running with an adjusted schedule.
During the winter, it’s set up for a telling of the nativity story. Once that’s done, you just keep going around Stone Mountain and singing songs. I bet it’s neat during daylight…
Tip: if you’re not raising your kids in a Christian household, you may want to give them a little background before visiting a religious site or a religious activity. You don’t have to do a ton of prep work, but you know that kids always have questions and sometimes a short mention of some background is a good way to help them understand what they’re seeing. Example: being on a train in the dark and all of the sudden hearing about angels and a savior and such. Or if you’re visiting a cathedral and explaining why people go there or are kneeling… or why there are life size crucifixes hanging. Most adults have seen these things their whole lives typically, but not all kids have. Just a thought.
For a full list of attractions at Stone Mountain (including Ride the Ducks) check out their website.
Would we go back to Stone Mountain Park?
So, besides being cold and experiencing a few aspects of the South that we hadn’t talked to our kids about, what did we think of Stone Mountain? We don’t recommend it and won’t be back. True, we would love to see the Lasershow Spectacular on the face of Stone Mountain, but supporting this park isn’t something we’ll do again.
There are many views in the world that are as lovely or better than what you see from the top of Stone Mountain. You can easily visit the nearby Arabia Mountains National Heritage Area for majestic views and granite mountains.
There are better ways to learn about history and respecting others than seeing people protesting and participating in racist events. There are actual historical sites that have character and active businesses that you can patronize instead of the manufactured Stone Mountain gift shop village. There are other train rides available in other towns that offer more distance and better sights.
All in all, Stone Mountain was a way to occupy an afternoon. We got to be there with family and the kids enjoyed just running around, so that was nice, but next time we’re in Atlanta (which is often) we’ll find other interesting activities that are more in line with our idea of family travel.
Thanks for the assessment! We’ve been to Atlanta a few times and Stone mountain was one of the things we always mean to do but never got around to. Looks like I’m not missing much.
Yeah, it was kind of a weird place to visit with some awkward moments…
Just want to add that if you are looking for a great workout then go to Stone Mountain Park. It is a 5 mile loop around the mountain. I use it for my marathon training. I also trained for two half Ironman events using the longer route past the Children’s playground.. The trails are great for something different! As to the history and meaning of it all I never think about it. It is a piece of rock! If you want to do something outdoors for the day then go to ANY of the Georgia State Parks! Make it an adventure to visit ALL the Georgia State Parks!
@Shobha, your stupid
That should be “you’re” in case you wanted to solidify your argument towards the well-learned lady who left the initial comment. Seriously…
Oh my goodness. I guess today we get to see that whole “demonstration of democracy thing” up close and personal… Yeah. Um, uncomfortable pauses…
Thanks for the low down. We’ll scratch that off our list! I hope all the unpleasant stuff went over your kids’ heads.
Well I’m glad for once people let a sandblasting idea go and allowed something historic to actually remain where it was meant to be! And as a Canadian, I am always fascinated by the extreme views of some of the south that live on to this day! Would absolutely love to see Atlanta, but will take your advice, and skip this one.
I’m confused by your comment. The history behind the relief on the facade is important to remember lest it be repeated, but the area really does perpetuate the confederate theme and sentiment that’s still alive. I’d be lying if I said that while we were there we didn’t feel that the monument and its support is completely appropriate in this day in age, particularly in a region that’s primarily African-American. All opinions are welcome here, but yeah, from the Confederate Hall to the Antebellum plantation, the monument, its references and the activities that surround it are very racist and truly out of place and uncalled for today.
@Rob Taylor, Yes, Gen. Lee was a slaveholder. But he went to fight for the SOUTH for STATES RIGHTS.
That’s a fantastic way to shift the focus of why this if all problematic: call it people fighting for states’ rights and you get to overlook the issue of slavery. This place continues to be a monument to those fighting for states’ rights, namely HOLDING SLAVES and perpetuating inhumanity. Turning the conversation to “states’ rights” is such a slipperly, gaslit activity.
I was just in Stone Mountain for MLK weekend. It’s sad that people still think that segregation is okay. Hope that disturbing moment didn’t ruin the kids’ experience
The baby had no clue. Our oldest knew something was up and we tried to explain a little bit, but thank goodness he couldn’t grasp why people don’t like people or are mean. He’s the sweetest boy and I hope he never changes.
Ha, my hometown. Sigh. I remember climbing that mountain every day when I was younger (but not during the winter – that’s just crazy for a sun-lovin Georgia gal like me)! At that age, I had no clue what Stone Mountain represented, until I grew up. When I first moved there, it was a predominantly White area, and then over time, the population completely shifted to a predominantly African American one – yet, somehow Stone Mountain Park has managed to get away with continuing to be a haven for the diehard Confederacy-lovers. It’s a slap in the face to the majority of Stone Mountain residents.
Very well said and we completely agree. It’s a pocket of weird.
Have you ever been to Rock City in Georgia? It’s a bit of a road trip from Atlanta, but I think your kids would like it. I wrote a post about it over the summer. Amazing views.
Never heard of it. Perhaps our next trip should include some lesser known sites!
I have to say, this is the first time I’ve heard of Stone Mountain or of confederate sympathizers and I find your story fascinating (from a purely anthropological point of view) and immensely disturbing. I understand that sometimes it’s important to preserve a monument that recalls dark times, lest we forget so to speak, and of course freedom of speech is something we should all fight for, but the celebration of hatred and inequality is just not acceptable, ever. Even more, I find disturbing how this is all intertwined with train rides, shops and Christmas songs: I bet the protesters don’t think there is anything weird in celebrating slavery and then head to the cinema with their kids- as long as their family is ok, nothing else matters not? I hope your next day out with the family turns out less annoying than this one and the kids can be oblivious to this side of humanity as long as possible 🙂
Looks like a beautiful place, too bad about the flag wavers, but I guess obstacles help remind us of how lucky we are that they are mostly apart of the past. I didn’t know much about Stone Mountain, but if I get down to Georgia, I’ll definitely take the time to visit.
Sounds very weird. Im not feeling the gondola either, I would be the leader of the group panic attack lol. Hoping to road trip the US next winter, think we will give this place a miss.
Soooo many thoughts on this article…! First, I can totally understand the uncomfortable feeling of being trapped in a packed gondola…They’re a lot more fun when you not worried you might be approaching the weight limit!
Stone mountain seems like an interesting place in itself, sounds to me like it was a nice chance to teach your kids some important lessons on tolerance. They’ve got an impressive piece of art there, even though it’s a picture of a bunch of racists. I hope the money they make doesn’t go to any racist causes though…
Finally, I loved your tip for dealing with religious situations with nonreligious kids…. I never thought about how scary it might be for a child to see a life sized crucifix if they had no context for it.
You made a great post out of an awkward day. Nice work Rob.
Sound like a good place to Visit Rob, my kids would love the sky Gondola. In Europe they love cable cars and ski lifts. The ski lift in Zakopane Poland is amazingly high and steep.
My husband used to go to Stone Mountain a lot as a kid and has always wanted to take our family there. I have never been interested and never heard anything really good about it so I’m glad to see I didn’t just make it up. Sorry your experience wasn’t very good but we all have those. 😉 Appreciate the honesty.
It is a very interesting and different story you tell and Stone Mountain does sound intriguing.
Georgia, oh Georgia… I LOVE that song, I put it on my road trip CD, it was pretty much the only decent song on it haha 🙂 Did you know they have welcome boards saying “thanks for having Georgia on your mind”? Loved that too! But what’s up with those Confederate sympathy guys??? Is that an actual thing?!? OMG! I was in Charleston when they took down the Confederate Flag, it was a whole ceremony and all but I thought it was more like symbolic and that nobody believed in these “values” anymore… Apparently (and sadly) I was wrong…
Yep, that’s spot on. There seems to be a lot of surface action to update the South to hide a lot of the Confederate sentiments… but then even the people taking action to physically remove flags or dismantle monuments will openly talk about how they disagree with removing them. They so often just refer to them as a “part of history” that shouldn’t be forgotten. Why shouldn’t it be? They too often have reasons that don’t stand in today’s society.
What IS up with Stone Mountain? I prefer my giant hunks of granite without Confederate soldiers, personally. I like to imagine an alternate reality where no one ever carved anything into it or built a theme park around it, and it’s just a pretty place for a hike. Oh well. We live less than an hour away, so we make it there from time to time; it’s fun to hike up or down with older kids (although the last part is very steep and almost as terrifying as the tram). And USUALLY there aren’t any protesters with Confederate flags. But, yeah, like you said (in the comments, I think), it’s not so much that the carving is there as that the park is unwilling to treat it as a learning experience about a tragic part of our history and insists on celebrating it.
Exactly. And Stone Mountain maintains its stance, only randomly giving an impression that it understands the cultural offense it’s committing. Oh my, if I ran the world… 🙂
@Rob Taylor, too many people now days are offended. There are lots of things that offend people. Just don’t go. But to tear down history is ridiculous. What history will we tell our great grandchild? About riots and burning buildings? At least MLK was peaceful. Black men fought in the confederate war. So you are also erasing more than the white race.
Not trying to argue. Instead of bringing hate into it. Teach your kids that back in the day. Things were tough and some people were not treated respectfully. I have 2 daughters married into the Black race and mixed Grandkids. I never owned a slave nor 99% of people alive today. It has ALWAYS been a history lesson for me. As a white person, when I learned this in school. I felt compassion for those who went through the years of slavery.
Makes no sense to be made at history. When people are still hiring maids, cooks, help for less than minimum wage and its ok??? Please stop hating on history. There are lots of blacks that don’t have a problem with it just like you have lots of whites in todays society that are appalled at the history of slavery. Have a Great Day Sir.
Clearly somebody is stuck in the frame of mind of celebrating the Confederacy and what they fought for vs making strident changes for a better South. You can’t celebrate a history that enslaved people and that still wants to live on in a variety of ways that even today hurts people on many levels. We DO teach our kids the history and they understand humanity, so they understand why it’s wrong to continue to monumentalize the people an actions of slavery. If you don’t understand why that’s bad, I can’t help you.
@CJ, What an OPEN MINDED view you have !
Pfff, it sucks that people still go by those untolerant harmfull ideas. It´s sad. There are almost no foreigners living where I come from and people are crazy racist anyway; now that there are refugees coming in from Syria and elsewhere, many speak of “muslim invasion” (which is clearly bullshit and we have almost no appliers for the asylum in my country, like 15 people submitted last year). And instead of a work permit, countries give them social money. No way that is going to work out. It´s very complex and the racism isn´t helping to solve the issues.
Well stated. And truly the active, openly racist folks are a solid minority in the area here, but they are loud about it. I’d love to see us melt some more cultures/people that need a new home into the USA. We do have the ability.
Sadly I think you need a history lesson! The civil war was not just about slavery. Yes there are many ignorant people out there that have no clue what they are talking about with historical inaccurate flags. Most of the men in the civil war were just trying to protect there family and land. People love to forget about Grant that burned , raped, and destroyed hole towns he was a Northerner. Both sides were at fault and it was so much deeper then slavery. You should have taken the opportunity to teach your children tolerance and how important history is, and knowing the truth about history. Sadly I think you missed a great learning opportunity for you family. Not a southern sympathizer just someone who loves history good or bad because history teaches us so much. Both sides were wrong but it was also something that built this country.
I know it was about more than slavery, for sure. When explaining things to a four year old and keeping things in simple terms, we did share more detail than what we included in this post, but also didn’t get into the details of the slaughter and rape from both sides. We would feel equally disheartened about visiting a monument to Grant or Pickett as visiting Stone Mountain. The brief history we did share when paired with the protesting by vocal, racists toting their Confederate flags led us to only share one aspect of Stone Mountain’s current symbolism and how society interacts with it. Without giving a full on history lesson and citing sources as we go, we keep our explanations brief.
I’ve also updated this post to reflect a less pointed statement about the leaders represented, as you’re right, they were more than fighting to uphold slavery, but still we will not glamorize the South to having a legitimate reason for maintaining and leveraging the symbols on Stone Mountain or the flags the protesters held.
@Melissa, WTG, BOTH sides were wrong !
Loved this post, only because we visited family in Atlanta as well, and we also ended up at Stone Mountain (we go to a lot of the same places). We didn’t know anything about it, and we even had reservations to camp. It was summer and the kids played in the water park, went into some weird farm/funhouse attraction, and witnessed a crazy, country, super-patriotic light show. It was intense and kind of sad, and I can’t imagine that we’ll go back either.
When I moved to Georgia almost exactly 3 years ago I had researched Stone Mountain and just the mere fact that the location was basically the birthplace of the Klu Klux Klan in this area gave me the heebie jeebies and I just would not want to go there at all. I did enjoy your piece on your visit though.
I’m a professional historian, and a problem with amateurs in any field is that they often know just enough to be dangerous. Most of the people who protest the “erasing of history” are not being dishonest, but they are limited in their understanding. The history of Stone Mountain is NOT synonymous with the history of the Civil War. No significant battle was fought there. Jefferson Davis’ most significant connection to Georgia was his capture there as he attempted to flee the country! No Georgian combatants of the war are memorialized there, regardless of virtue. It IS synonymous with the history of segregation and white supremacy, and that’s a story that the park doesn’t tell at all. It’s the story of the bad bargain struck after the Civil War to reconcile the nation at the expense of Black citizens. Historians are trained to be very alert to “silences” in the narrative. We can all argue about the merits of sandblasting what now exists (many considered it vandalism in the 1920s and do so today), but if you’re going to plead historical significance, you can’t erase the rest of the story. Take your older kids here to tell them of the reality of segregation and what we still struggle to overcome as a nation. Give them encouragement for the fight to make America worthy of its ideals. If you want to understand the Civil War, go to Chickamauga or Andersonville, Georgia. Better yet, go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania!
Thank you for demonstrating precisely why Stone Mountain is problematic and confirming everything I said in here.
It’s called History, I don’t see it as promoting slavery. Yes it was a dark time in the United States, but by removing every thing that reminds us of this injustice doesn’t change our history. It make more sense to leave it as a reminder to the future generations not to make the same mistakes. ‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change’ Albert Einstein.
There’s history and then there’s allowing it to be continually glorified, not just remembered as a cautionary tale, and that’s what’s happening here.
Obie, I agree with you. The OP is ignornant to say the least. No one is glorifying SH!T! History is what it is … good, bad and indifferent. Not a SOUL on this earth would say that human slavery, regardless of skin color, origin or even religion, is the RIGHT thing… as a human race, we have learned and moved passed the injustice. Why can’t YOU, the OP, as a WHITE, gay dude? If ANYONE is druging up long buried ill-will, it’s you and your liberal programming.
QUOTE from my g-g-grandfather who fought in the 27th Illinois Volunteer Infantry: ” If I knew I was fighting to free the Negros. I wouldn’t have went.” How many people FORGET how BIG the STATES RIGHTS issue was !!
Because you HEARD that from your, and I quote, “g-g-grandfather”. Right. You really think anyone believes you heard that from your 3x Grandfather’s mouth? Please. For the record: States rights is STILL an issue… not was.
Thank you so much for writing this! I was on the fence about visiting Stone Mountain with my husband & always had hesitation. Now I know why!
Yes, and there’s so much drama around it due to people not wanting to acknowledge what glorifying the history means. Thanks for reading!
I appreciate you taking the time to write this review. I was on the fence about going, kinda seemed gimmicky & any place that’s has entrance fees AND high parking fees is usually not worth it. Thanks for assuring me that I’m not missing much!
Happy to always provide honest info and accurate context!
You are a terrible person I see you do not understand history at all. These men on Stone Mountain are all great leaders who stood for what they believed . This war was not about slavery it was about state’s independence and the north completely ruling the south nothing is racist about saying this and I understand u are un informed . This is part of our history and it should remain
Love being told that I’m a terrible person, especially when it’s coming from somebody who is providing a skewed and white-tinted version of history. I’ve studied all of this in depth, at the university level and on my own, both via books and in-person. Call it about states’ rights if you want, and even still the base of that argument is about states’ rights to enslave people. You can’t change that or spin that another way.
Be mindful about telling those you don’t know that they are terrible people, uneducated or uninformed. Perhaps you should take a moment to step back and try to relearn history through a lens that’s NOT purely whitewashed and that is event and action based, considering the roots of the events and historic viewpoints.
This is a piece of art. Art is meant to start dialogue, to get an emotional reaction, and to make a statement. All art isn’t about honoring the subject. It’s up to the viewer how is perceived, but why would we protect pornography as freedom of speech but not pieces of art? Communist societies destroy art to control the narrative. Free societies allow art even if people’s politics is offended. This was part of history. Let’s not try to erase history but own it and use it to remember we need to fight against human trafficking and slavery currently happening.
@Gale M, This is all good and well except the monument was carved in the 1970s as a reaction against the civil rights movement. It’s a symbol of white supremacy. You don’t see “art” nazi monuments in Germany. Why should we have confederate monuments here? I hope someone chips it right off.
Exactly. Thank you for eloquently stating the blatant racism.
Came here looking for some technical information, and all I found was a website owner that thinks only their point of view counts. I suggest others who are not capable of separating political ideology from history visit elsewhere.
Monumental memorializing is glorifying those being memorialized, and that includes both what they stood for and fought for. And don’t even try to wash it out as “states’ rights” and not what those specific rights were. Seriously.
AGREED! This obviously liberal “person” prefers to persuade his “beliefs” to push political views rather report on an actual park experience. Let me tell you this… I lived there on and off for thirty years. His “stance” has absolutely NOTHING to do with the park’s beauty, how entirely well kept it is year-round, all the seasonal-varied activities ANYONE and everyone is invited to enjoy throughout the year, the GLORIOUS campground EVERYONE is invited to experience, not to mention the sheer history the park teaches surrounding the largest mountain face in the world! As for the “historical” significance blacks choose to tout, it’s just that. History. Not a single one of you has experience with any of what the poor souls from the 1800s were put through. This country has grown and risen above. You’re talking over 150 years ago… Move on. No, really…. move the eff on!
This is absolutely outrageous. I wish I’d never landed for a search for Stone Mountain High School Chorus teacher I wanted to reach out to. I went to Stone Mountain High School in 1990. Blacks were BUSSED in forcefully to my high school when I was a sophomore. It was called M2M… Majority to Minority. It INSTANTLY created conflict as those being bussed there didn’t want to be there and we didn’t ask for the drama, crime and politicism that came with it. You know NOTHING of what you speak. You didn’t live through anything nor did your ancestors. You’re a couple of gay dudes who think speaking “your truth” means representing THE TRUTH. Go be gay, raise a couple of liberals… fine… but don’t you DARE come to my city and pretend you KNOW anything. Because you do NOT! Black, white, brown, green or lemon yellow. You know nothing until you’ve lived through it.