Margaritaville at Lanier Islands offers snow, fastest snow tubing hill in North America

BUFORD, Ga. — Lanier Islands is known this time of year for its holiday lights display. The resort has been doing it for 25 years.

But this year, there's a lot more winter fun to be had. And that fun starts with License to Chill Snow Island.

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"It's the largest (and) steepest, it's over 400 feet of snow, in North America," Josh Lush, from Margaitaville at Lanier Islands, told wsbtv.com's Nelson Hicks. "(It) averages about 24 to 26 seconds from the top to the bottom. There's nothing like watching these young kids come down and seeing them smile from ear to ear almost."

Lake Lanier Islands has transitioned to Margaritaville at Lanier Islands over the last year, and with the new name comes all kinds of new attractions.

At the top of the list is Parrot Mountain. Its named is derived from the Mayor of Maragitaville, Jimmy Buffett, and his legion of fans, called Parrotheads.

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The mountain features as many as 10 lanes on the snow slide and offers one wild ride. No matter the temperature, guests will always find plenty of snow at Parrot Mountain, as snow machines constantly fill the area with snow flakes. Parrot Mountain is the centerpiece of License to Chill Snow Island, but there's more fun for families, too. This year, the resort offers two snow play areas with plenty of snow for an old-fashioned snow ball fight. There are fire pits and s'mores, hayrides, lights on the beach, visits with Santa and more.

"I think between the real ice rink, the real snow, the new carnival rides and the new lights, it's a great place to bring your family and enjoy some time before Christmas," Lush said.

As the resort puts it, trade in your flip-flops for snow boots this winter for a flurry of fun at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands. The snow runs through March.

But the expansion of the facility isn't done.

"We're looking at adding one or two more water rides to expand the water park," Lush said. "We're also about to start redoing all of our docks, we're going to add some more docks and a dry storage, and we're real excited about our RV resort that we've already started."

This story is sponsored by Margaritaville at Lanier Islands.

Cox Media Group