Sweetwater Creek State Park unveils yurt village

ATLANTA — Atlanta’s closest state park, Sweetwater Creek State Park, celebrates a landmark occasion this fall with the opening of its first overnight accommodations: a 10-unit yurt village and a tent campground. Starting September 1, the state park will take reservations for the yurts and tent camping.

The yurts are tucked away in a quiet, wooded section of the park. Made of wood and canvas, yurts sleep up to six people and come with beds, futons, screened windows and locking doors, as well as an outside deck, picnic table and grill/fire ring. Yurt reservations are $85 per night. Nearby, five tent campsites will also be available for campers to reserve, and a bathhouse with hot showers is centrally located.

The public is invited to the opening and ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday, August 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can tour the 10 yurts and the park’s tent campground. Throughout the day, the park will offer wide variety of outdoor activities for free, such as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, camping demonstrations, wildlife programs, kids programs with Scout the Gopher, and information booths. Chick-Fil-A at Arbor Place Mall will be on-site to sell sandwiches, chips, drinks, and cookies, and Kona Ice of Douglasville will be on-site to sell flavored shaved ice. Parking is $5, or free with a Georgia State Parks annual pass.

The opening of the new Sweetwater yurt village and tent campground is one of the many initiatives Georgia’s State Parks system has done to improve the park experience for their guests. In addition to Sweetwater Creek’s new yurt village, they have been renovating and building additional accommodation options which allow visitors to turn day trips into weekend getaways. Cabin renovations have added modern, fresh décor and updated kitchens and baths to multiple parks including Crooked River (St. Marys), F. D. Roosevelt (Warm Springs), Hard Labor Creek (Rutledge), Indian Springs (Flovilla), Magnolia Springs (Millen) and Fort Mountain (Chatsworth). The state parks have unveiled new camper cabins at Fort Yargo (Winder), Laura S. Walker (Waycross) and Skidaway Island (Savannah).  The parks have also worked to update their outdoor recreation options and the agency is also committed to new environmental initiatives.

WSBTV