Malibu Norcross, the go-kart and arcade landmark just off I-85, is shutting down after more than two decades of family fun. The last rides and games wrap up this Sunday, marking the end of an era for Gwinnett families who grew up celebrating birthdays and summer weekends there.
🌊 What’s Happening: The park’s new owner, a company better known for running big attractions like Dollywood, has decided to close both Malibu Norcross and Mountasia Marietta on the same day. Officials say the company is focusing on larger parks rather than neighborhood family fun centers.
⏳ Between the Lines: The decision isn’t about performance. Malibu Norcross added a water play area in 2013 to keep families coming back, and its location off Brook Hollow Parkway made it an easy draw. But smaller centers like this are harder to keep afloat in a market shifting toward bigger, flashier options.
📍 The Big Picture: As Norcross keeps redeveloping around the busy I-85 corridor, the land Malibu sits on is now more valuable than the go-kart track itself. What comes next for the site isn’t clear, but one thing is: a piece of Gwinnett childhood is fading into memory this weekend.
The Sources: Malibu Norcross official website; Herschend Family Entertainment company statement.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
