Happy New Year! Is the National Heritage Area Open?
Photo: Riley Golden IV
Remember: Even outdoors, it is important to keep COVID-19 safety in mind. Please wear a mask, wash/sanitize your hands when possible, practice physical distancing, and stay home if you feel unwell.
It’s a new year, but COVID-19 is still with us – and that means that the hours and openings in the National Heritage Area are still a little different than normal. Here’s a guide of what’s open, what’s not, and how to enjoy the NHA:
Hours & Openings:
Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort (AWARE) is CLOSED.
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve is OPEN. Please note that public programs are canceled and Nature Center is closed, however. (See below for tips on where to park.)
Open from sunup to sundown, every day of the week.
Flat Rock Archives of Stonecrest, Georgia, is CLOSED.
Monastery of the Holy Spirit is CLOSED, but grounds and trailhead remain OPEN.
Grounds & trails open from sunup to sundown, every day of the week.
Panola Mountain State Park is OPEN. Some public programs (such as guided hikes) are available. You can learn more about what is available at the State Park here.
Park open 7 a.m. to sunset, every day of the week. Nature Center/Park Office open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The Historic Gateway to the National Heritage Area, located at the Lithonia Woman’s Club, remains OPEN. Learn more about the gateway here.
Open from sunup to sundown, every day of the week.
As you hike, remember that rare and endangered plant life lives in the innocuous sand pits and muddy patches of Arabia Mountain. Check out this video from the Arabia Mountain rangers on how to hike while protecting the native plants and habitats of the National Heritage Area:
Happy hiking!
Arabia Mountain
Dominated by two granite outcrops, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area offers natural wonders, compelling history and heart-pumping activity. This nationally significant landscape includes vibrant history, breathtaking beauty and intriguing cultural changes from early settlers to immigrant rock cutters, Trappist monks and one of the oldest African-American communities in Georgia.
