My family and our friends checked in the night of July 3 at Stone Mountain Park campground in order to make this July Fourth the most memorable experience. It was definitely the most memorable, but not in any way fantastic, as the brochure had marketed.

The campsites were trashy, bathrooms a little moldy. But it was the first camping trip for my 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, and I was not going to let a lack of maintenance get in the way of our memorable day.

We were told by staff who checked us into the campground that we should be sure to travel to the main field early on July Fourth to reserve a spot for the fireworks. We were told to avoid driving to the fireworks at all cost, and to take advantage of the water taxis and shuttles.

The next morning, we reserved our spot. There were orderly lines of blankets and chairs already set up on the field, so we melded our two blankets in the same set of rows. Then we traveled to the village to get some fun activities in before the kids crashed for the midday nap. Lines were long, which was expected and could not be helped. Overall, the morning seemed to start without a hitch.

We went back to the campsite for lunch and stopped at the check-in office to inquire about the water taxi and shuttles schedule. The lady at the counter gave us the same spiel: Do not drive, be sure to take the water taxi or shuttle. We repeated our question about the schedule. She said she didn't know, as she did not work with that department, but thought it would be every half-hour or so. That department? We were baffled but still listened to the advice and at 5:30 p.m. traveled down to meet the water taxi.

We waited only about 15 minutes and were greeted by our boat captain. We asked her about the water taxi schedule after the fireworks ended, and she cheerfully offered that the taxis would be running up to an hour after the show.

We arrived at the marina and happily walked to the front gates. We checked on our reserved blankets and had to squeeze through the small 3-foot walkway that was left and zigzag to our spot. It was 7:04 p.m. (more than two hours until showtime).

With two young kids in tow, at no point were we going to be able to keep them entertained that long. So we ventured over to play mini-golf, only to be told by staff it was closed. We asked the employee working outside the mini-golf area what else was open to keep kids busy for two hours only to be told, "I don't know; that is not my department."

We spent about 20 minutes running around the barnyard, then stopped to make candles and watch the master glassblower at work. This was good fun for the kids, even without assistance from park staff members. We traveled back at 8:15 p.m. to our field spot and were shocked to find all walkways blocked with blankets, chairs and people. Any sense of order that had existed earlier in the day was overtaken by the sheer numbers of people crowded together like a herd of cows in a rundown dairy farm.

It took nearly 20 minutes to travel a little more than 50 feet. The only visible Stone Mountain staff members were the three or four with wicker baskets of Fourth of July trinkets for sale. There were no walkways roped off to maintain emergency exits, no visible security and, once we got to our field spot, no way out. Fortunately, for the most part, everyone in the crowd was relaxed and agreeable. The dozen or so trash cans near the field were piled with trash (to the point you could not see the can itself).

Once the show started, smiles arose. The laser show was entertaining and the fireworks were fabulous. We walked back toward the water taxi to find two employees, who directed us instead to the riverboat. It was 11:04 p.m. After 30 minutes, no boat had arrived, so we made the first in what seemed like an endless string of inquiries. We were told the boat was on its way. Another 30 minutes passed. I was leaning against the rock wall, rocking my screaming 2-year-old to sleep. Three more inquiries later, we were told that the riverboat would only be taking us back to the Marriott boat dock (not the campground) and we would have to catch a water taxi from the hotel boat dock. Why was this information not shared by the first set of employees who were asked? Then I remembered. It was not their department, not their job. It was now 12:30 a.m.

The riverboat finally arrived sometime after 12:45 a.m.

We arrived at the hotel boat dock. While waiting for the water taxi, and being blocked by a staff member, we watched as people went behind him to board what we were told was our boat. When we questioned him, he stated: "That's their boat. You have to wait here." I asked him why we were just told that was our boat, and he replied —- you guessed it —- "That's not my fault."

We had to wait another 15 minutes for the next water taxi. After the taxi dropped us off, we were expected to maneuver through the dark from the dock back to our campsite, with no employees in view to welcome guests.

Since my husband had to work and it was already 1:37 a.m., we decided it would be smart to just pack up the cars and head home. We spent over $350 for this event and, although my children had moments of fun, there was nothing memorable to make me plan another guest adventure at Stone Mountain Park.

> Monica Powell, a corporate accountant, lives in Walton County.