Stone Mountain Park Operations

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA), a Georgia state authority, is issuing a Request for Proposal to solicit private sector proposals for operating and managing Stone Mountain Park's amenities, activities, and events on a long-term basis. The park, located 16 miles east of Atlanta and encompassing approximately 3,400 acres, includes recreational facilities, hospitality assets, golf courses, camping, special events, and attractions such as the train, SkyRide lift, and zip line. Offerors must propose comprehensive operational and financial plans for managing assets across the Recreation District, Park Center District, and Events District, while SMMA retains control of natural resource preservation, the memorial carving, the interpretive museum, and law enforcement functions. Prospective operators must demonstrate organizational scale, financial depth, and operational sophistication through detailed financial projections covering a minimum five-year period, operational plans, capital investment commitments with timelines and cost estimates, visitor experience strategies, and evidence of relevant experience managing large-scale parks or resorts. Required facility standards include maintaining an AAA 3-Diamond rating for hotel operations, 95% compliance with published operating hours, 90% minimum food service health ratings, and annual golf course condition assessments by the United States Golf Association Green Section. The RFP was released February 16, 2026, with an on-site tour available by RSVP by February 20, 2026, a question deadline of February 27, 2026, and proposals due by 5:00 PM on March 16, 2026; finalists will be announced on or before March 31, 2026, with a transition date of June 1, 2026. The initial contract term is 20 years with four optional 5-year renewal periods, conditional upon satisfactory performance and no default.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations eligible to respond. Offerors may propose either a long-term lease model or a concessionaire agreement model, with fee structures subject to negotiation but including minimum annual fixed rent or management fees, percentages of gate revenue and gross revenues, and performance-based incentive fees; a minimum of 3% of annual gross revenues must be placed in a replacement reserve for maintenance and capital improvements. The current operator generated approximately $36.7 million in FY2025 revenues with an adjusted EBITDA of $6.965 million excluding lease payments, compared to the previous operator's $46.5 million in revenues and $12.656 million EBITDA in 2019, providing baseline financial performance data for prospective bidders. SMMA is currently engaged in discussions with the park's existing operator to obtain more detailed financials and supporting documentation, which will be shared with prospective bidders as it becomes available. While specific award values or budget ranges are not explicitly stated in the procurement documents, the financial performance data and pro forma template requirements indicate that successful proposals should align with the historical revenue levels and operational metrics of the 3,400-acre destination park complex.