Stone Mountain brings together art history, historic sites, and outdoor activities to appeal to a range of interests. In historic Stone Mountain Village, ART Station is located in the Old Trolley Station. The nonprofit arts center offers theater, galleries, crafts, classes, events, and a gift shop. The building was constructed in 1913 by the Georgia Railway and Power Company as a streetcar car barn and was later converted into an interdisciplinary arts center. Its current cultural use and original function tell two distinct chapters in the same building’s history.
Art and History in the Village
Stone Mountain Village was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The Visitor Center is housed in a historic wooden caboose from 1915 and provides a walking map of the village. Another way to get oriented is the self-guided Stone’s Throw Tour, which describes the town’s history and attractions; the brochure is available at the Visitor Center. Those interested in the town’s history can use it to get an overview, while the individual buildings and arts venues offer further topics to explore.
A public artwork also evokes history: a sculpture featuring a replica of “Sherman’s Neckties” marks approximately the spot where Sherman began his “March to the Sea.” The Confederate Memorial Carving is the world’s largest bas-relief. Together, these two features add further, very different aspects of the past to the historical points of interest in the village.
Historic Buildings in Stone Mountain Park
Historic Square offers another way to explore history. It features original buildings from different parts of Georgia, built between 1793 and 1875. The area can be explored on a self-guided tour. It includes a working cookhouse as well as a garden. The broad time span highlights different periods of construction, while the buildings’ origins in various parts of Georgia also draw attention beyond a single location.
Trails, Water, and Outdoor Activities
Stone Mountain Park encompasses 3,200 acres of natural areas to explore, along with 15 miles of hiking and walking trails of varying difficulty. You can choose a route based on whether you’re planning a stroll or a hike and which level of difficulty suits you. The trails offer a distinctly different experience from the historical tours in the village and at Historic Square.
At Stone Mountain Lake, Adventure Outpost offers kayak and paddleboard rentals. Sightseeing cruises aboard a pontoon boat are also available there. This gives you two different ways to get out on the water: explore by kayak or paddleboard on your own, or take a boat tour. An adventure course adds seven zip lines and ten obstacles; the zip lines are up to 400 feet long. The course’s operating details may vary by season.
Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests
Before searching for hotels in Stone Mountain, you can decide what you want your stay to focus on: art and theater, the village’s history, historic buildings, trails in the park, or activities on the lake. These interests offer different ways to experience the area.
Explore more destinations: Chamblee, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur
View the broader travel overview: DeKalb.
