Two of metro Atlanta's last remaining legacy "fun centers" will close at the end of the month. Mountasia Marietta, located at 175 Ernest W Barrett Parkway, and Malibu (Grand Prix) Norcross at 5400 Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross, will both close September 28 after about 30 years in business, according to an announcement from the company.
Scott Demerau and his wife and business partner Juli co-founded Fantasy Golf Development Company in Alpharetta in 1985 to develop, build, and operate "Mountasia Family Fun Centers." The company went on to number 24 locations before tweaking its name - Mountasia Entertainment International (MEI) - and going public in 1993 on the NASDAQ under the symbol "FUNN." Within a year of the IPO, MEI acquired the 25-unit racing-centric Malibu Grand Prix amusement parks, formerly owned by Warner Communications.
Did you even grow up in metro Atlanta in the 90s if you didn't attend at least one birthday party at Mountasia or Malibu?
Given changes in the ways people are "entertained" today and the advancements and expansions of large theme parks like Six Flags, Universal Studios, and Disney World, as well as arcade venues like Dave & Buster's and Main Event, smaller places like Mountasia and Malibu Grand Prix have largely disappeared.
Online research suggests that the Marietta Mountasia was the last surviving Mountasia branded location, while the Malibu Grand Prix in Norcross was the last remaining Malibu Grand Prix.
Another Atlanta area Mountasia was located at 8510 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell/Alpharetta, but it was demolished in the early 2000s and replaced with townhomes.
State records suggest that there was another Mountasia in Brunswick near Savannah and another in Cocoa Beach, Florida. We could find no listing of former Mountasia locations, but there are both a Wikipedia page and an Arcade Preservation page dedicated to Malibu Grand Prix and its former locations.
Both brands were most recently owned by Pittsburgh-based Palace Entertainment (which itself was owned by Madrid-based Parques Reunidos) but were acquired, along with several other brands, this past March by Peachtree Corners-based Herschend.
Herschend's holdings include stakes in multiple Dollywood properties as well as Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain, Wild Adventures in Valdosta, and The Original Harlem Globetrotters, among others.
When was the last time you visited Mountasia or Malibu Grand Prix? Do you plan to visit Mountasia before it closes? What is your favorite "fun center" activity?
Please share your thoughts below.
10 comments:
It’s really a wonder that it has lasted this long. It’s always dead. Way past its prime. I have a lot of good memories going there as a kid. The bumper boats have been shut down for many years, and I severely doubt they have remodeled/upgraded anything. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve been, and it seemed like it was 25 years out of date then.
Was charmingly out of date. Had a lot of fun dates here. Will really miss it.
I actually remember going to the one in norcross in 1992. Me and my friends were all high on crystal meth one Saturday night and got kicked out of the go kart track
Had a lot of fun at Malibu as a kid... Batting cage, go karts, bumper boats, putt putt golf, arcades, and eating a bunch of pizza all on the same day.
The whole place stinked like poop the last time I went with my church group. Gagged the whole time
Let me guess what will happen to the Malibu property...apartments! But more importantly, who remembers Malibu Speed Zone??
Places like this went out of style in 1968….
No they didn’t. They didn’t exist in 1968.
Mountasia was definitely past it's prime, but I have good memories of going there in the past. Sad to see it go
Anon @ 7:12 am - really, 1968? I doubt even you were alive then.
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