Q: Is Stone Mountain becoming Snow Mountain again this year?
A: If you're looking for a Winter Wonderland and don't want to drive to a ski resort, then Stone Mountain is the place for you. The park has transformed its Laser Lawn into a 400-foot tubing hill, where you and your family can brave Avalanche Alley. If you want to go alone, there's the Tube Runners area and the SnoLifts, which will take you back to the top. In the SnowZone, you can build your own Frosty in Snowman Valley, become an icy architect in Igloo City or wear out your arm in Snowball Shootin' Gallery, where there are plenty of targets to test your marksmanship. The Little Angels area is designed for the smallest children, and if you go with your honey, make sure to snuggle around one of the fires and make S'mores at SnoFire Point. You must reserve times for the tubing hill, so park officials encourage folks to buy advance tickets at www.snowmountainpark.com (they are $27 each for adults and kids 3-11, $17 for Stone Mountain members). Snow Mountain is open mostly on weekends until Feb. 20, so check out the website for exact dates and hours.
Q: Can you tell me about the town of Petersburg and what happened to it?
A: If you've never heard of it, I can't blame you, but at one time, Petersburg was the third biggest city in Georgia behind Savannah and Augusta. And now it's not even on the map because most of what was left of Petersburg is now under Clarks Hill Lake. Petersburg was founded in what became Elbert County, between the Broad and Savannah rivers, and quickly grew into a prominent community, thanks to tobacco farming and the town's tobacco inspection warehouse. It had 750 residents by 1800 and was reported to have 100 buildings, but by the 1820s, many folks had left for other areas. Gradually, cotton displaced tobacco in popularity, steamships couldn't navigate the rocky parts of the rivers and railroads were built elsewhere, so by 1854, only three families remained in Petersburg. Now, if you visit Bobby Brown State Outdoor Recreation Area (it was not named for the one who was married to Whitney Houston), and the water level is low, you can see the remnants of the once-thriving town.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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