Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Presidential heritage site in Plains, Georgia
Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is a national park in Plains, Georgia, protecting several sites tied to the life of the 39th US president, including his boyhood farm, a former high school, and a railway depot. The buildings are spread across and around the small town of Plains and are open to the public.
The site was first designated as a historic site in 1987 and became a full national park in 2021. That change brought more federal support for the care of the buildings and their contents.
The restored Plains High School shows classrooms from Carter's school years alongside objects from his political career. Many visitors come not only because of the president but to get a sense of what small-town life in rural Georgia looked and felt like during that era.
The different buildings can be explored on foot, with paths connecting the various stops around town. Plan for several hours if you want to visit all the sites without rushing.
Plains is a tiny town that changed very little since Carter's childhood, so many of its streets and buildings look much as they did decades ago. Carter continued to live there into old age, which means the town had a living connection to history that most presidential sites do not.
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