Today, we’re sharing a report on our camping trip to Plains, Georgia, home of President Jimmy Carter. At the same time, Devin will share interviews he did with friends of the former President in his newsletter and podcast, Superpowers for Good.
Plains, Georgia, is not that different from other small towns in rural America and yet is entirely unique. President Jimmy Carter was born there and plans to continue living there. He’ll reach the age of 98 on October 1st.
Elected President in 1976, he sealed the town’s place in history. His homes and haunts would become historic. In some ways, the town is a bit of a time capsule. If Carters had a connection to a place, the community has sought to preserve it.
Downtown Plains is a don’-miss part of your visit. A row of nine buildings comprises the heart of the community. The businesses include an antique shop, an inn, a peanut store (that sells locally famous peanut-flavored ice cream) and a political collectibles store claiming the most extensive inventory in the world.
Just across the street from downtown, you’ll find the train station where the former Governor of Georgia launched and ran his Presidential campaign. He chose the building because it was the only one available for rent in the tiny town in 1974 with a functioning restroom.
This famous peanut statue is just a few blocks out of town. RVers, note there is a little RV park at this spot, along with a convenience store. We camped in a beautiful RV park in nearby Albany, Georgia.
The Carters both attended Plains High School. Today, the National Park Service operates the building as a museum. The exhibits focus on the segregation that Georgia imposed strictly during the years the Carters attended. The Carters are champions of inclusion and always have been.
We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the childhood home of Jimmy Carter. He lived here from age four until he entered the U.S. Naval Academy. Typical of the 1930s, the rural dwelling had no running water or electricity. The family kept a battery-powered radio in the living room.
A complete visit to Plains should include attending a service at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Mr. Jimmy, as locals often call him, famously taught Sunday School for four decades following his Presidency. An avid woodworker, he made the cross that hangs at the front of the sanctuary and the collection plates.
Near Plains, we visited Albany and found the Ray Charles memorial downtown. The artist, born in 1930, lost all vision by age six. He had an extraordinary musical career before passing away in 2004. The plaza is part of a large, beautiful river-front park. It is well worth a stop.
We were surprised to find a little place to stand outside the Carters’ home with some signs and information. The home, difficult to see in the photo above, is a 3,200-square-foot ranch-style house built for them in 1961. They have lived there, except for time spent in public housing in Atlanta and Washington, ever since. Assigned a driver for security, the Carters converted the garage to a woodworking shop, representing the only significant change to the home. Talking with Zac Steele, who visited the Carters in their home on the day of our visit, we learned that it remains virtually unchanged inside.
As we visited the delightful town, we routinely felt that the community had preserved it much as it was when the President returned from Washington in a downpour locals attributed to heaven weeping.
Visiting Plains, Georgia, the Home of President Jimmy Carter