When I was a little girl we used to sing a song in Bible class that went something like “Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, heavenly breezes blow…”

When we visited Stone Mountain, Georgia a few weeks back I think I sang those words over and over as we climbed the mountain with our kids.

Audley kept singing Alabama’s “Mountain Man”.

We are all a little crazy.

One side of Stone Mountain holds the famed carving of the 3 of the Confederacy’s heroes; Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E Lee.It’s the largest carving of it’s type in the world.

{You know us Southerners, we may have lost the war, but we are proud of our heritage.}

Anyway, the other side of the mountain is the walk-up trail that we took.

Before I get to climbing the mountain, let me assure you, there is so much more to Stone Mountain than just a climb, so a visit is well worth your time.  First is the quaint historic village of Stone Mountain Georgia with shops and restaurants to enjoy.  As for the park itself, there is golf, museums, riverboat & train rides, ropes course, antique car museum an interactive play area, antebellum mansion, water park, tram and so many other things that you can do, creating a vacation that would last for several days.And if you like history, there is plenty of it to be found here!

Stone Mountain with it’s carving was originally envisioned by the Daughter’s of the Confederacy in 1916 as a memorial to the South.  The project took a lot longer than envisioned as the original artist abandoned the project in 1925,  then the family that owned the property actually forbid any more work on the the project, leaving the sculpture unfinished.  It sat unfinished through the depression and WWII, until the state of Georgia purchased the land (in the 1950’s) to turn into a park and hired two other artists to finish the work during the 1960’s.

General admission to the park for a couple of the museums, hiking the area, picnicking, and watching a fabulous laser show on the side of the mountain after dark is only $10 per vehicle.  Each of the other available activities to do have their own price and I was feeling rather cheap the day we visited.

{I can be that way sometimes.}

We really only had a few hours, so climbing the mountain was our main goal anyway.

I grew up climbing Stone Mountain at least once a year, since we lived just outside of Atlanta.  At the time all the park consisted of was the train ride & tram, antebellum mansion, a couple of museums, the golf course (which has been been upgraded) and naturally the mountain climb and the laser show added when I was in the 9th grade.

{I feel old now.}

Audley and I took our kids about twelve years ago and climbed it.  I was already on my way to gaining tons of weight (well, I was clinging to baby weight …. for 13 years!) so it was not a very enjoyable day for me.

When I put together my Fit Girl Bucket List a while back I added this as a test to see how far I had come.

This time I planned our little climbing adventure and was really looking forward to it.  We couldn’t have picked a better day to climb the mountain.  It was mostly sunny with a few clouds, not too hot although that Southern humidity was weighing heavily in the air & when we got to the top of the mountain there was an amazing breeze!

My kiddos ready to roll!

The United Daughters of the Confederacy flag terrace at the base of the mountain.

The actual climb up the mountain is one mile.  Sounds easy enough, but it has been a challenge before. I was super excited just to see how much I’ve changed over the years!

The rocky hike up

And it is a very steep climb at some points which is why many people will take the tram to the top & maybe walk back down.

Believe me, I thought about it.

But, I didn’t.

The views of from the top of Stone Mountain are breathtaking.

Downtown Atlanta from the top of Stone Mountain

At the top after our climb.

That’s Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in the background

And this once very unhealthy woman climbed right up the mountain making very good time (for me) …. about 20 minutes. Besides being REALLY thirsty when we reached the top, I felt great!

{There is a snack bar with plenty to drink once you get to the top!}

This was a really huge deal for me!

Enjoying the views with my Audley

It’s amazing the little things you find on top of a granite rock…..

So full of spirit and adventure!

After the hike back down we really enjoyed a fun supper picnic.

Do you really expect them all to be serious & paying attention?!

Like I mentioned earlier, there is so much more to do than climb the mountain (they have some pretty good homemade fudge as well).  If you are planning a day trip (& you live in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, or South Carolina), this is a perfect one for you!

You are only 15 miles from downtown Atlanta, so it also makes for a great two or three day get-away You’ll love being close to Six Flags, the Atlanta Braves, the Georgia aquarium, lots of great shopping, & a little fun local history in Marietta that you won’t be bored!