Forsyth County waives day-use fees at Lake Lanier parks for Presidents Day

Forsyth County waived standard day-use fees at four county-operated Lake Sidney Lanier parks for Presidents Day, the county announced Feb. 10. The waiver applied on Monday, Feb. 16, and covered Mary Alice Park, Young Deer Creek Park, Six Mile Creek Park and Charleston Park.

The county’s Parks & Recreation social posts used the headline tone of a holiday invitation: "Presidents Day plans, anyone? We're waiving standard day-use fees on Monday, Feb. 16, at these County-operated lake parks:" followed by the four park names. The department’s Instagram post mirrored the Facebook language, and the Facebook capture showed the post had two reactions and three shares.

The Forsyth County news release on Feb. 10 carried the official administrative language that framed the move in the USACE context: "Forsyth County Department of Parks & Recreation will waive day-use fees on Presidents Day and other select dates at County-operated parks located on USACE property." The county item placed the Presidents Day notice amid a busy civic news feed that included Feb. 9’s "Construction Set to Begin on Sharon Springs Park Campus," Feb. 11’s "Chairman Alfred John Delivers 2026 State of the County Address," Feb. 12’s "Forsyth County Proposes Precinct and Polling Place Changes," and Feb. 13’s "VIDEO: Forsyth County Announces Multiple Traffic Improvements Surrounding Bannister Road/SR 369."

Officials and social posts specifically tied the waiver to Lake Sidney Lanier locations that operate on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property. County posts encouraged readers to consult the county website for "select fee-free days throughout the year in Forsyth County and at other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Sidney Lanier sites," while the Forsyth County news release served as the formal notice of the Feb. 16 waiver.

Local reporting archive shows similar fee-waiver activity has occurred before; a Forsyth News story published June 12, 2025 by Jeff Gill noted that "Day-use fees will be waived on two days at Lake Lanier recreation areas operated by the Army Corps of Engineers." That June 2025 story is presented as subscriber-exclusive in the capture.

The county and its social posts limited their wording to "day-use fees" or "standard day-use fees" and did not specify whether vehicle passes, per-person charges, boat ramp fees, camping fees or shelter reservation fees were included in the waiver. The announcement also did not list hours of operation or any restrictions for Mary Alice Park, Young Deer Creek Park, Six Mile Creek Park or Charleston Park on Presidents Day. The county directed readers to its website for further details.