5 Affordable Things to Do at Panola Mountain State Park
Panola Mountain State Park spans three Georgia counties - Henry, DeKalb and Rockdale - and is the crown jewel of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, one of only three National Heritage Areas in the state. A National Heritage Area is a site intended to encourage historic preservation. Panola is also a National Natural Landmark, which means it is part of a program to recognize and encourage conservation of outstanding examples of the nature history of the U.S.
In addition to all these designations and accolades, what makes Panola Mountain a bit different than other Georgia State Parks is that it is a 100-acre granite outcrop, similar to Stone Mountain. Aside from the obvious beauty of the park, there is also a lot to do. Here are five affordable things to do at Panola Mountain State Park. Note, these programs are very popular, and registration is required.
Climb Trees
Tree climbing at Panola Mountain State Park isn’t anything like I remember as a kid. Participants use a rope and harness to ascend into a 200+ year old Southern Red Oak. Swinging on the ropes is perfectly acceptable, as is sleeping in the trees. Cost: $15
Shoot Arrows
The popularity of movies like “The Hunger Games” has created renewed interest in archery. Learn the basics at an introductory archery class at Panola Mountain. If you want more of a challenge try the intermediate archery classes. In addition to instruction, Panola has two archery ranges, one static and one 3-D. Don’t have your own equipment? No worries, Panola has a rack full of compound bows with various draw weights. Cost: $12
Get Married
The grey of the stone outcrops against the green of the trees are the perfect backdrop for a stunning wedding photo, or stop for a first wedded kiss on the boardwalk over the lake. You may not have thought about a wedding at a state park, but why not? Cost: Varies
Become a Ranger
Kids don’t have to grow up to become a ranger; they can request a free booklet and complete the activities to be sworn in as an official Junior Ranger. They’ll receive a badge to make it official, and probably learn a few things along the way. Cost: FREE
Find Treasure
There’s treasure buried all through Panola Mountain just waiting to be found. Panola Mountain participates in the Georgia State Park GeoTour program. To play, simply download a Geo-Challenge Passport, go to geocaching.com, create a log-in and find the GPS coordinates and more information for the Georgia State Park Geo-Challenge locations. Find a cache using a hand-held GPS unit, log your name in the logbook and put a stamp in your passport. Secure enough stamps and trade them in for Geo-Coins. Cost: FREE.
