It’s your last weekend to visit these 2 metro Atlanta family theme parks
This weekend is your last chance to visit two metro Atlanta amusement parks that have been around for decades.
Mountasia Marietta and Malibu Norcross, two “family fun centers” featuring miniature golf, go-kart tracks, bumper boats and arcades that opened more than 30 years ago, are closing permanently Monday. The attractions catered to young families and teenagers, promising wholesome, now-nostalgic thrills right in their own neighborhood.
Sunday will be the last opportunity for visitors to enjoy the parks, once staples in an evolving entertainment industry that have faced increased competition in recent years.
The parks both announced the closures via Facebook.
The sudden news prompted an outpouring of sentimental responses from commenters, some of whom said they used to work there, met their spouses there decades ago, or took their kids there through the years.
Angie Monday, of Marietta, said she and her son Presley, 25, who has autism, are disappointed Mountasia is closing. Presley had a few birthday parties there, where he learned how to ride go-karts as a child. At times, he almost drove his go-kart into the employees, who “were always so helpful,” she said.
“One time, we let him go in the bumper boats and he would not come back,” she said. “They had to go get him. He kept squirting everyone. It was hilarious.”
Others shared via social media what the parks meant to them, and some even posted photos of their final visits this week.
Mountasia Marietta, located off Barrett Parkway near Town Center at Cobb, opened in 1988, according to a spokesperson for its parent company. Malibu Norcross, located off Brook Hollow Parkway not far from the Gwinnett Place Mall site, opened just a few years later in 1991 and also has a water park.
Similar types of family attractions have emerged in recent years as competition, including Top Golf, where players can tee off from an elevated platform to a course below, and Andretti Karting, an indoor racing facility and arcade hall.
But plenty of other arcades, bowling alleys and skating rinks that have been around for decades still manage to find players.
The parent company that owns Mountasia Marietta and Malibu Norcross was purchased earlier this year by Herschend, a national theme park company that runs other Georgia attractions like Callaway Gardens and Wild Adventures Theme Park, along with many others across the U.S.
Andrew Wexler, Herschend’s CEO, said in a statement provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the decision to close is a “recognition that family entertainment centers operate differently than the types of attractions we are best structured to support.”
“These centers have played an important role in their communities, and we’re incredibly grateful to the hosts who’ve created so many joyful memories for families,” Wexler said.
The parks invite patrons to “enjoy one final trip” before the last day of operations Sunday.
“We hate to see it close,” Angie Monday said. “We had great times there.”
About the Author
