Jimmy Carter National Historic Site

Our final stop on our Georgia National Park Service day trip was Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Jimmy Carter hails from Plains, Georgia, about a 30 minute drive from Andersonville. The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site includes Jimmy’s childhood home outside of town, their former high school in town, the historic district, a butterfly trail, and the old train depot that served as his campaign headquarters. Politics aside, it was interesting to explore the roots of one of our presidents.

The town of Plains is really, really small. Be careful to follow the signs posted in the town to the various sites. We used our GPS, and it took us to the Carters’ actual house. They still live in Plains, and their house is fenced in with Secret Service on site. So yeah, don’t try to turn into their driveway.

We got in town around 4 pm, so we opted to check out the Plains High School site. Each of the sites does have its own hours, so be sure to check if you want to visit more than one. Jimmy and Rosalynn both went to school in the building (before it had running water and electricity), and it has been converted into a museum. This site focuses more on Rosalynn and her life and the presidential campaigns. It had an interesting selection of memorabilia and a replica of the presidential desk. The Plains Historic District is right off the state highway / main road and has several restaurants and shops. As the Carters were peanut farmers, the businesses all sell peanut products.

Have you ever visited the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site?