Spend the Day at Stone Mountain Theme Park

Stone Mountain Theme Park is located outside of Atlanta Georgia and attracts over 3 million visitors every year. It sits on over 3200 acres of natural beauty and offers a variety of fun, family-friendly activities. You can come for the day, weekend, or week! Lodging and camping is located nearby.

While you're there you can try your hand at miniature golf, check out the laser show, get on the Summit Skyride, check out the Geyser Towers, take a trek on the treetops on Sky Hike, check out the Dinotorium, visit the Stone Mountain Museum, kids love visiting the Farmyard, explore the Mega Bugs exhibit, take a guided Land & Lake Tour, take a 5 mile train ride through the area via a 1940's era locomotive, go boating, and enjoy dining and shopping nearby.

During a day trip to Stone Mountain Park we spent time at Geyser Towers, took a ride on the Summit Skyride, explored the Mega Bugs exhibit, and enjoyed a fun round of miniature golf. If we had known ahead of time that they offer so many different activities, we would of planned ahead and spent the weekend. However, we were just passing through and heading to Florida, so we were limited on time.

One of the main highlights while we were there was viewing the granite carving that was carved on the mountainside. Here's some information about it from Stone Mountain Theme Park's website.

"The entire carved surface of the Memorial Carving measures three acres, larger than a football field. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain's surface."

Who are the three men on the Carving on the mountain?

"The Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson."

If you're going to be in the Atlanta, Georgia area or just passing through...we highly recommend that you stop in to Stone Mountain Theme Park for a visit. You can check out their website for a full list of activities that are offered, a current schedule of operation, driving directions, and ticket prices. If you plan on spending the night, their website will give you a list of resorts, hotels, and campgrounds that are nearby.

Cow Parade Street Art - Music COW Extravaganza

The Cow Parade is one of the largest and most successful public art events in the world. All of the life-size cows in the parade are painted by various artists from all around the world.  The finished piece of artwork is then put on display, sold or auctioned off to raise money.  Individuals, groups and businesses can sponsor an artist and/or artistic cow design.

According to their web site, over 250 million people worldwide have seen at least one of their artistic cows on display. I know here in south central Pennsylvania, I have seen at least a dozen of them. You'll often see them displayed at local businesses, tourist attractions or at community events.

We love street art and when we travel...we try to document what we see. Luckily for us, Harrisburg Pennsylvania and the surrounding area has several of the commissioned pieces on display. If you want to see a few of the other artistic bovines that we've located in the area, you can read our previous Cow Parade feature on that.

Cow's Name: Music COW Extravaganza

Artist: Ophelia M. Chambliss

Location: Northwest corner of the intersection of The Harvey Taylor Bridge and Front Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If you're traveling from the east shore over to the west short you'll see it on your right side. It basically sits on the banks of the Susquehanna River.

As you can see...this bovine is decked out in beautiful bright colors and has a music theme painted onto it. The first photo shows the Susquehanna River in the background. The second photograph shows houses & buildings along Front Street in the background. You can get some nice photos of it if you're walking the trails down at Riverfront Park which run along the Susquehanna River and Front Street.

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Historical Marker in North Wildwood

Over the past 7 years we've been following the New Jersey Historical Marker Trail all through the Garden State and documenting them here on the blog. Millions of people walk or drive by these markers every year and never give them a second thought. They're a great source of historic information and we're trying to bring some much needed attention to them.

While on a road trip through southern New Jersey we stumbled upon the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Historical Marker located behind the lighthouse (up on the North Wildwood Seawall) in New Jersey. You can view the marker by one of two ways: Walk through the lighthouse gardens to get to the seawall which runs behind the lighthouse or Walk up/down the seawall from Anglesea or from the North Wildwood direction. It's marker number N3 in the series. Check out our LINK to see all of the beautiful photos that we took of the lighthouse and to learn more about it.

Borough of Anglesea 1885-1906 Hereford Inlet Lighthouse

Work was completed in the spring of 1874 at this site, the original location of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. The fourth-order Fresnel Lens in the tower was illuminated for the first time on May 11, 1874. Erosion on the south side of the Inlet, due to repeated coastal storms, caused the foundation to be severely damaged, and the Lighthouse was moved 150 feet west in September 1913 to its current location. City of North Wildwood, New Jersey

By: City of North Wildwood, New Jersey

If you're following the New Jersey historical marker trail you'll find several other markers located on the Wildwood island. Matter of fact, the Hotel Anglesea historical marker is located just a few feet away on the North Wildwood Seawall. One of the really cool things about documenting these two markers is that you'll be treated to the BEST Atlantic Ocean views on the entire island while you're there!

Edgar Arthur Draper Historical Marker in Cape May

We've been going down to the Jersey Shore several times a year for the past 30+ years. When it comes to my family's vacation time, we love spending it down at the Jersey Shore. Our favorite coastal towns in New Jersey are Ocean City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood and Cape May. Yes, visiting south Jersey is the best in our book!

Every time we go down there we're on the lookout for new street art, outdoor wall murals, roadside oddities, and historical markers. When it comes to historical markers, thousands of people walk or drive by them and never give them a second thought. These markers are full of educational information, often times the information that we don't learn in history books.

We were shopping at the Washington Street Mall in Cape May, New Jersey when we stumbled upon the Edgar Arthur Draper historical marker. One thing that caught my eye was that Dr. Draper was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, our home state.

Here's the information on the marker.

Edgar Arthur Draper
1886 – 1956
Physician in Cape May for 40 Years

Born in Philadelphia May 12, 1886. Graduated Central High School 1906. Same year entered University of Pennsylvania in pre-medical studies. Accepted in Medical School of this University in 1908. Received degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1912, finishing second in his class. Interned at Mercy-Douglas Hospital and then started practice in Cape May in 1914. Continued until his death except for two years service in World War I. In 1917 commissioned 1st Lt. in U. S. Army Medical Corps. One of first negroes to be accepted. Served in U. S. and France. Discharged as major in 1919. Returned to Cape May. Died 1956.

If you're waymarking, you really need to look for this one. I had walked up and down the mall and then finally spotted it on Draper Walk (a walkway between two shops), which sits between Washington Street and Carpenter Lane...in the Washington Street Mall. Some people actually refer to the mall as the Cape May Mall.

Magical Holiday Displays and Christmas Lights at Koziar's Christmas Village

Koziar's Christmas Village has been delighting holiday visitors for over 70 years. Located in Bernville, Berks County, just off route 183. They're open seasonally from the first Saturday in November through January 1st. They're open 7 days a week from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, including the holidays!

You'll find free parking once you arrive. Admission prices range from $10.00 to $12.00 per person (depending on age), with children 3 and under admitted for free.

GPS Directions: 782 Christmas Village Rd. Bernville, PA 19506

Mr. Koziar started decorating the outside of his home and surrounding property in 1948. The display started out small and just for his family's personal enjoyment. Every year Mr. Koziar added new lights and items to his display and it kept growing. As it grew...so did the fan club! Millions of people have visited the property over the years, and it keeps getting bigger and better.

The village is lit up like a Christmas tree, literally. There are over 1 million Christmas lights decorating walkways, buildings, trees, fences, the gift barns, holiday displays, etc. You will be amazed at all of the colorful holiday lights and animated holiday displays. It's a magical place complete with a reflective lake.

Your winter wonderland tour includes the following: Santa's Post Office, Old-Fashioned Holiday Bakery, The Night Before Christmas, The Kissing Bridge, The Manger, Toy Maker & his Toy Shop, Christmas Beneath the Sea, and Christmas in Other Lands. There are indoor and outdoor train displays, and the kids can get their photo taken with Santa Claus!

While you're there you can do some shopping to pick up Christmas gifts, holiday decorations, freshly made baked goods, toys & items for the kids, products for your home, and souvenirs. Make sure you stop by the Refreshment Barn too!

You can learn more about Koziar's Christmas Village by visiting their official website online. You can connect with them on Facebook., on Twitter @Koziars, and check them out on Instagram too. You can tell all of your friends and family about the Christmas Village by sending them a free e-card through their site.

Udderly Austin Cow Parade Street Art in Austin Texas

The Cow Parade is one of the largest and most successful public art events in the world. All of the cows in the parade are life-size and were painted by various artists. They are then put on display, sold or auctioned off to raise money. Individuals, groups and companies can sponsor an artist and/or artistic cow design.

According to their web site, over 250 million people worldwide have seen at least one of their artistic cows on display. I know here in south central Pennsylvania, I have seen them a few times...mainly at local tourist attractions and events. With that said, you'll now find these adorable bovines all around the United States and the World.

The Udderly Austin Cow Parade Statue is located in Austin, Texas. You'll find it along Lamar Boulevard, near Toomey Road. The sponsor for this statue is Schlotzky's. This is one of the BEST ones that we've seen yet!!!

Udderly Austin is totally decked out from head-to-tail in beautiful colors. If you look at the design it depicts the Austin skyline, buildings and lists some of the area's attractions. No part of this beauty was left untouched! I really love the artwork depicted on this one!

If you're a fan of the Cow Parade Street Art Statues you can check out our Street Art section here on the blog to see other's that we've documented while traveling. Each of them are unique and I love that they're predominately done my local artisans.

Casual Dining at the Peachtree Restaurant and Lounge

Peachtree Restaurant and Lounge has been around for decades and is a favorite with the locals. It's located at 251 N. Progress Avenue in Harrisburg. If you're unfamiliar with the area...the restaurant sits in a little shopping plaza and is right across the street from a large church.

The restaurant serves classic American cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When you walk through the doors you can choose to sit on the restaurant side or on the bar/lounge side. They're divided nicely, so if you're looking for a quiet, family-style meal...choose the restaurant side. When dining on the restaurant side you can choose between a booth or a table with chairs. If you're looking for alcohol, you can dine in the lounge.

Upon arrival we were seated immediately in a booth and handed a menu. One thing that really impressed us was the wide variety of menu offerings. You could order burgers, steaks, pasta dishes, fish & seafood, all kinds of appetizers, soups, salads, classic diner-style comfort foods like meatloaf & roast beef, desserts, etc. Something for everyone and frankly, it was all affordably priced.

We placed our order 10 minutes after being seated and within 20-25 minutes it arrived on our table. Everything looked pleasing to the eye and smelled wonderful. My wife ordered a t-bone steak, French fries and cole slaw. I ordered a shrimp pasta dish and our granddaughter went for a big bowl of French onion soup. Complimentary dinner rolls with butter came with our meals.

Everything we ordered was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The hot food was hot, cold food was cold. You could tell that everything is made-to-order and tasted freshly prepared. You receive generous portions and we received take-out boxes to take our leftovers home. Yes, we had enough leftover for lunch the next day.

If you're looking for cleanliness...you'll find it here! The floors, tables, chairs, booths, and even their restrooms were extremely clean. Regarding the decor...it had that homey-diner feel, but on an upgraded level. Very pleasing to the eye and the noise level was minimal. A nice and quiet dining experience.

The Peachtree Restaurant and Lounge can get extremely busy during the weekends, especially on Sunday mornings after church lets out and customers are looking for a late breakfast or early lunch. If you want to avoid the crowds...try visiting during a weekday or during a weekend afternoon. Even though they're a combination restaurant and lounge, they're family and kid-friendly.

A Family Adventure at the Cape May County Park and Zoo

The Cape May County Park and Zoo is located in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. When heading to south New Jersey...you'll want to come down the Garden State Parkway or down Route 9. Both of these major routes will lead you to the zoo. If you're a GPS user, the zoo is located at 707 N. Route 9 in Cape May County. The zoo is less than a 30 minute drive from Atlantic City, Ocean City, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Wildwood, and Cape May.

This beautiful park and zoo is open year-round. During the summer tourist season you'll find the zoo opening at 10:00 AM and closing at 4:45 PM. Closed during major holidays or during severe weather conditions. One of the nicest things about this place is that its 100% FREE to visit. They do have a donation bucket at the entrance gate into the parking lot and I recommend that you drop in a nice donation if you can afford it. The attendant will direct you where to park and hand you a map. If you're handicap, you'll find the handicap parking up near the inner entrance to the park.

You'll be doing a lot of walking and you'll be spending the majority of your time outdoors. Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions and wear comfortable walking shoes. If you're visiting with children, I recommend that you write down all of your emergency contact information on a slip of paper and put it into the pocket for each child. No pockets? Use a Sharpie Marker and write your info and phone # on the bottom of their shoe! The park can get crowded during the summer season and during special events.

As soon as we passed through the gate we were greeted by some guinea hens and peacocks who roam around the zoo freely. They're not caged and they're not afraid of people. Please watch where you're walking, don't try to pet them and you should NEVER feed any of the animals. If you walk calmly and slowly...you can get up close and personal with them to take your photographs.

My grandchildren were thrilled to head to the farm animals section next. These animals will allow you pet them and feed them (you have to purchase feed from the machine) right through the fence. On the day that we were there...my grandchildren had a blast feeding the overly-friendly cow. Matter of fact, she left them pet her too. One of their highlights from our visit. After visiting this section I recommend that you stop by their hand sanitizer station to clean your hands.

There are two indoor, air-conditioned exhibits and the first one that you'll come upon is the indoor bird aviary. Head on inside to walk through the aviary to see all of the various birds flying around, nesting, eating, swimming, playing, etc. They're not caged, so they can indeed "poop" on you! If you're sensitive to smells or afraid of birds, you should skip visiting the aviary building.

You'll find various areas within the park where you can stop and get some family photographs. I love snapping pictures of my grandchildren posing with the various props along the way. I counted at least 6 different areas where you can get some really nice photos to remember your day. There is a decent sized snack bar in the middle of the zoo where you can get some finger foods, ice cream, popsicles and cold beverages. You can sit at tables that are shaded by large umbrellas if you need to sit down and get out of the sun. You'll find a small public restroom nearby too.

Some of the areas that you walk on are paved pathways and other areas are wooden boardwalks. I'm partially disabled and I found it all to be easy walking. If you're disabled and have issues walking you can rent a manual or motorized wheelchair at the gift shop. Just be forewarned, I think they're expensive. In addition, all of the public restrooms that I visited that day were handicap accessible. In my honest opinion, the entire park is handicap-friendly, so you shouldn't have any issues.

The park can get crowded especially during the summertime and during weekends. We prefer going to the zoo early in the morning (right after they open), during a weekday. It's one of our family's favorite activities to do when we're down at the Jersey Shore. You'll want to allow around 3 hours in your schedule when visiting. This will allow you to visit at your own pace and to see all of the exhibits. If you plan on having lunch or dinner at the park, you'll want to add on some additional time.

After our visit we like to head into their air-conditioned gift shop to pick up some souvenirs. You'll find t-shirts, hoodies, hats, jewelry, home goods, toys for the kids, snacks, bottled beverages, stuffed animals, books, etc. Overall their prices aren't too bad.

Cape May County Park and Zoo in Cape May Court House, New Jersey is one of the best zoos on the entire east coast...definitely the best in the state of New Jersey. It's beautiful, well maintained, easy to navigate, and you gotta love that its free! The perfect way to spend the day.

Captain Leon Lock Veterans Memorial at Hampden Township Veterans Park

The Captain Leon Lock Veterans Memorial is located in the Hampden Township Veterans Park and was made to honor all veterans past, present, and future. The park is located at 4345 Marketplace Way, in Enola, Pennsylvania. If you're unfamiliar with the area...you'll find the park located behind the Giant grocery store. The memorial was presented by the Hampden Township Veterans Recognition Committee in November 2019.

* This is a graphic-intensive travel feature. Please allow all images to load.

Veterans park and the memorial honors all six branches of the military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines. It's FREE to visit and you'll park in the designated parking lot upon arrival. You'll want to dress appropriately for the season and wear comfortable walking shoes as you'll be doing a lot of walking on paved paths. Some of it will be uphill and downhill, but its an easy walk.

You'll enter the park through the entrance and follow the paved walking paths that are lined on both sides with the American Flag. As you walk along you'll come upon granite memorials that honor the different branches of the United States military and memorials that will give you information on the different wars & conflicts that have been fought.

There are a few benches along the way that you can sit down to relax and to take-in the beauty of your surroundings. The park is surrounded with mountains and during our late Fall visit we could see some of the fall foliage that remained...but you could definitely tell that winter was well on its way. One of our favorite sitting areas was located near a little stream and you could hear the water as you sat there to unwind. Nice!

As you walk along the marked path you'll come across the various memorials that mark the different conflicts and wars. The first one gives you information about The Revolutionary War which was fought 1775 through 1783. The graphics on these markers are incredible and you can get some really nice photographs along the way.

The next one that we came to was The War of 1812 which was from 1812 to 1815. This was a war that I had never heard of and then when I read the marker I understood why...it's considered to be the forgotten conflict. Wow...that's a shame since 27,000 people were killed during that conflict and that's just an estimate of the dead.

A few yards away was The Mexican-American War which was fought from 1846 through 1848. According the the limited information provided...there were 17, 435 killed...with total service members who fought 78,718. Again...another conflict that I am not familiar with.

My wife and I are very familiar with The Civil War and visit Gettysburg several times a year to continue to educate ourselves about it. The Civil War was from 1861 through 1865. This was one of the bloodiest wars with 780,213 casualties, died or wounded. This memorial has an image of President Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

The Spanish-American War of 1898 was one of those "short" conflicts that began on April 25th, 1898 when Congress declared war against Spain. The total casualties, killed, died, or wounded worldwide was 4,108. It features an image of President William McKinley and Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.

World War I featured U.S. involvement and began on April 1917 and lasted to November 11th, 1918.  According to the information the total casualties killed, died, or wounded in battle was 267,116. One thing that we really noticed was how far technology has advanced with the inventions of airplanes, tanks, more modern artillery, etc.

World War II featured U.S. involvement and began on December 8th, 1941 when Congress declared war against Japan and December 11th, 1941 when Congress declared war against Germany. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in battle 1,076,245. I think for many people from my generation, this is one of the wars most familiar with us.

A few yards away was The Korean War memorial and it was fought from 1950 to 1953. The U.S. President at the time was Harry S. Truman who ordered troops to defend South Korea. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in theatre 139,858.

The Vietnam War is one that took the lives of several family members on both sides of my family. It began on July 28th, 1965 when President Johnson ordered an increase of U.S. Forces in Vietnam and ended on January 27th, 1973 with a signing of a peace agreement with North Vietnam. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in theatre 211,523.

Dessert Shield and Dessert Storm is one that I'm more familiar with thanks to my age. This one began on August 2nd, 1990 and ended on February 28th, 1991. You can really see how far our military technology has advanced from the Vietnam War to Desert Storm just by viewing the graphics on the memorial marker. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in theatre 850.

Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 19th, 2003 when President Bush announced U.S. and coalition forces began military action against Iraq and ended on August 31st, 2010. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in theatre 31,957. This one reminds me a lot of the images we all used to see live on TV thanks to all of the journalists & reporters at the time.

Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7th, 2001 when U.S. Troops were deployed to Afghanistan and ended on December 28th, 2014...although some troops are still stationed in Afghanistan today. Total casualties killed, died, or wounded in theatre 22,438.

After a 15-20 minute walk we finally arrived on the top of the hill to see all six branches of the military being honored. You'll see all of their flags, the United States flag, the MIA & POW flag, etc. It's a beautiful view on top and was well-worth the walk up there. The surrounding mountain ridge just adds to all of the beauty.

To the right you'll see a cleared area with a fire pit in the center of it. We weren't sure what it was until we walked over to it. This is the area where they host the United States flag burning with an official ceremony. There is a drop-off box down at the entrance to the park where you can drop off your American flags for the official ceremonies throughout the year. You can call the township for information about the program.

We took our leisurely time walking back down the paved path...often stopping to re-read some of the memorials and markers that we had read on the way up. If you're worried about it being a difficult walk, don't be. If you're handicap...I do think you'll need some assistance but for those with no disabilities, you can walk it just fine.

Veterans Park and Captain Leon Lock Veterans Memorial in Hampden Township is free to visit and open from dawn to dusk. Please help to keep the park looking beautiful by picking up trash that you find and if you're walking your dog...please properly dispose your pet's waste.