Living in the Atlanta suburbs means there is almost always something to do. My husband had the week of Thanksgiving off which is the perfect time to visit the local snow and Christmas attractions in area. Earlier this week we went to Lanier Islands Christmas and Lanier Islands Snow World. My husband had been to Lanier Islands for a work conference the week before and mentioned they were setting up the lights. Then there are all of the radio commercials that talk about lower prices.
Wait, what? There’s Lanier Islands Christmas AND Lanier Islands Snow World? I know, confusing. But I hope to help make you less confused.
Lanier Islands Christmas
This is the classic drive through the lights that many of us have done before.
From the website:
We invite you to join us under the lights and enjoy the twinkle of millions of lights as you create new memories and establish traditions for years to come! Pack your car full of family, friends and neighbors and head out to the lake for an evening to remember!
Drive over the Lanier Islands bridge, down through Teddy Bear Land, past your classic favorites and all the way to the dancing Holiday House, Santa’s Workshop, Christmas Carnival and more! We’ve also included free skating after 5pm at the Polar Rink presented by Coca-Cola.
My Thoughts on Lanier Islands Christmas:
The ride through the lights is much shorter than previous years. That translates to this: There are fewer light displays. The price was cut in half and the light displays were shortened.
But I love the drive. There are some really fun displays. My favorite is Wizard of Oz…..oh, and I can’t forget Peter Pan. I love that the price is half of what is has been in previous years. It really makes it affordable for families.
Included in your Lanier Islands Christmas rate is free “ice skating.” Now, this is not traditional ice skating. It just doesn’t get cold enough here for ice to stay frozen throughout the day. Lanier Islands uses a combination of PVC plastic with layers and layers of wax on top to achieve a realistic ice skating experience. It is still slippery and you can still fall. My girls absolutely loved skating.
The one thing I was not a fan of was the mess. The small plastic shavings get everywhere the minute you sit down to tie your ice skates. Because there is so much wax the shavings do not come off clothing with a simple brush of the hand. We had to wash all of our clothing that had “ice” shavings on them. I definitely recommend “ice” skating but I would suggest you do not wear your nicest clothing. You will most likely want to wash all of your clothing (and even shoes) the next day.
You can purchase s’mores kits and roast marshmallows and make s’mores while you are at Lanier Islands Christmas. (Please note, the picture of my girls above was taken on the sand, which is a part of the attraction that you have to pay to get to. There is a giant fire pit where you do not need to pay to get to).
Lanier Islands Snow World
Going to Lanier Islands Snow World costs extra. We went to Lanier Islands Snow World on Day 4 of it being open. They were still working out all the kinks and getting the attraction ready. We were able to do all of the Snow World attractions at no additional cost. After talking with a manager they were using the time as training for the new employees. It was a win-win for us and them! However, everything was not functioning at 100 percent. There was no snow while we were visiting.
At Snow World you are able to sled down the water slides. The water is turned completely off. Instead of taking a tube to the top of the ride you take a sled with you instead. The “life guards” give you a big push down the ride. There are giant air-type bags at the bottom of the ride to ensure that you don’t fly off.
When you ride the water slides on a sled you are given a hair net and a helmet for safety.
The wave pool is set up similar to Snow Mountain where you pull your tube to the top of the ride and then everyone whooshes down all at once in their own lanes. It would be such an incredible ride with snow. During our visit there was only astro-turf like carpet. It was so fun! The height limit is pretty low and there are some small tubes, so smaller kids should be able to ride this ride (the height limit may be around 42 inches – you may be able to find more information on the Lanier Islands website).
There are carnival rides. Lots of carnival rides. An unlimited ride band is $20 per person (prices subject to change). We didn’t do any carnival rides and focused on the attractions that are true to Lanier Islands. We felt like we could have spent a few more hours there and didn’t do one carnival ride.
Santa is also at Lanier Islands Snow World. The photo packages are very reasonable. You can order the “additional sheet” for $10 as a solo “package.” That is a very affordable option to get pictures with Santa!
My Thoughts on Snow World at Lanier Islands
We were able to do this attraction for free based on it not operating at 100 percent. We really enjoyed riding the rides on sleds. It is more fun that you can imagine. I don’t know that our family would pay $20 to go through the lights and then $120’ish ($30 per person from 10:00 to 11:00 am) + tax to go to Snow World. It was fun, very fun, but that is a high price tag. It is definitely an experience that can be turned in to a full day event if you get there early and all the attractions are open. If we were to go at 10:00 when they open and spend the day at Snow World and THEN do the lights afterwards (which I don’t know if that is really an option based on how the traffic is directed) then I feel the cost is justified. But to pay $104 ($26 per person from 3:00 pm until close) + tax to go at night….well….there just isn’t enough time to do everything! So go early in the day…and call to make sure the snow is working before you go.
I would love to go back when this Atlanta attraction is fully operational. I am positive it will only get better as time goes on. I would love to find coupon codes or Groupon deals to help with the cost.
Please note: We paid money out of our pocket to attend this attraction. All opinions are my own and are completely honest. I did not receive compensation or anything of promotional value for this post.
There are many fun things to do in Atlanta. Check out our recent posts about Activities in Atlanta for more suggestions and ideas.
Bonnie Landry says
Are there any snow discounts?