Once you make enjoyment of state parks a function of the thickness of your billfold, at that point the parks become a rich man's playground and poor folks can stay at home.
Rooms with king beds at the Amicalola Falls State Park lodge near Ellijay, Ga., are going for $79 a night during the middle of the week in January.
Staying in the same room on the third weekend of October will cost you $279, a glance at the lodge’s rates show.
With the lodge now under private management, rates can climb higher than what the state may have previously charged, especially during peak times like fall weekends, said Bill Donohue, executive director of the state’s North Georgia Mountains Authority.
The price differences reflect an aggressive shift toward demand pricing and are one example of the corporate strategy that a private company could bring to Tennessee if the state finds one to run hospitality services at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer.