Carter family farm in Georgia to be preserved and opened to public

The family farm of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, located just outside Plains, Georgia, will be preserved and opened to the public for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.

The Conservation Fund announced on Monday that it has acquired the 2,458‑acre (995‑hectare) property as part of a larger purchase. The fund plans to transfer the land to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources next year, with public access expected as early as 2025.

Carter spent his youth tending peanuts, corn and sugarcane on the farm and later returned with his wife Rosalynn for walks and hunting trips. He made a final fishing visit to the pond shortly before his death in 2024 at the age of 100; Rosalynn Carter died in 2023.

Jason Carter, a grandson, said the land was “more than a farm – it was home” and thanked the Conservation Fund for protecting it for future generations.

The purchase price was reported as $8.5 million. The farm includes a stand of mature longleaf pines retained at Jimmy Carter’s request, and recent replanting of young longleaf pines will help expand the nearby Lanahassee Creek Wildlife Management Area to almost 7,000 acres (2,833 hectares).

Stacy Funderburke, vice‑president of the central Southeast region at The Conservation Fund, noted that the land shaped Carter’s legacy and will now provide healthy habitat for wildlife and public enjoyment.

Source: ABC News. Photo: Brandon Ricketts / Pexels.