You’d expect a President’s house to have marble pillars or maybe a gold-plated bathroom. Not Jimmy Carter’s. If you pull up to 209 Woodland Drive in Plains, Georgia, you’re looking at a ranch-style house that looks like it belongs to a retired schoolteacher or your favorite uncle.
It’s small. Honestly, it’s tiny by modern standards.
The Jimmy Carter house tour is basically a masterclass in staying grounded. Most former presidents leave the White House and move into multi-million dollar estates or high-rise penthouses. Not Jimmy and Rosalynn. They went right back to the house they built in 1961, before Jimmy ever even thought about becoming Governor of Georgia, let alone the leader of the free world.
The Reality of 209 Woodland Drive
When you actually see the house, the first thing that hits you is the simplicity. It’s a four-bedroom ranch. The red brick is classic 1960s. The timber is painted a light green. It’s tucked away behind some trees, and for decades, the only thing that made it look "presidential" was the Secret Service gate and the black SUVs parked out front.
There's a famous story about the value of the place. Back in 2018, the home was assessed at around $167,000. To put that in perspective, the armored vehicles the government used to protect him cost more than the house itself.
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Walking through the property—which only recently became accessible to the public as a museum—feels like stepping into a time capsule. This isn't a curated set designed to look humble for the cameras. It’s just how they lived.
What's actually inside?
If you're looking for luxury, you're in the wrong place. But if you want to see how a Nobel Peace Prize winner spends his Tuesday, this is it.
- The Kitchen: You won't find a Sub-Zero fridge here. Instead, there’s a microwave from 1985. It’s one of those old-school ones that makes a loud "tick-tick-tick" sound. Their grandson, Jason Carter, once joked that it takes forever to pop popcorn, but they never saw a reason to buy a new one because it still worked.
- The Furniture: A lot of what you see was actually made by Jimmy himself. He was a master woodworker. He built the four-poster bed in the primary bedroom and a cocktail table made out of a literal livestock trough.
- The Vibe: It’s blue carpets and "homey" decor. There’s a painting from Fidel Castro hanging on a wall, right near photos of their kids. It’s a mix of world history and small-town Georgia life.
The Grounds and the "Andrew Jackson" Connection
The yard is where Jimmy spent most of his time when he wasn't traveling for Habitat for Humanity. He personally dug the pond on the property so he could go fly fishing. There’s something deeply human about a guy who sat in the Oval Office deciding to spend his weekend with a shovel, digging a hole for some fish.
There is one very cool "Presidential" detail outside, though. You’ll see a magnolia tree. It isn't just any tree; it was grown from a sprout of the tree Andrew Jackson planted on the White House lawn nearly 200 years ago. It’s a living link between the 7th and 39th presidents, sitting in a quiet backyard in Sumter County.
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Making the Trip to Plains
Getting to the Jimmy Carter house tour requires a bit of planning. Plains isn't exactly on the way to anything. It’s about two and a half hours south of Atlanta, surrounded by peanut fields and pine trees.
The National Park Service (NPS) now manages the site. For years, the house was strictly off-limits because the Carters were still living there. Since their passing, the NPS has been working to transition the private residence into a full-scale museum.
How to see it all
You sort of have to view the house as part of a larger ecosystem. The town of Plains is the museum.
- Plains High School: This serves as the visitor center. It’s where Jimmy and Rosalynn went to school. You can see their old classrooms and a video about their lives.
- The Train Depot: This was his campaign headquarters in 1976. It’s small, rustic, and a reminder of how "grassroots" his rise to power really was.
- The Boyhood Farm: Located a few miles away in Archery. This is where Jimmy grew up without running water or electricity until he was a teenager. Seeing the contrast between the farm and the Woodland Drive house helps you understand why he thought the ranch house was "plenty big enough."
The Grave Site
Across from the house, near the pond Jimmy dug, is the final resting place of Jimmy and Rosalynn. They chose to be buried on their own land, under a willow tree. It opened to the public in July 2025. It’s incredibly peaceful. There’s a pollinator garden nearby—a nod to Rosalynn’s obsession with saving the Monarch butterflies.
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Why This Place Hits Different
Most presidential libraries are monuments to ego. They’re built to impress. But the Carter home does the opposite. It’s designed to remind you that the person inside was just a citizen who took a temporary job in Washington.
The Carters bought their clothes at the local Dollar General. They ate dinner with neighbors on Friday nights. They made their own yogurt.
When you do the Jimmy Carter house tour, you aren't looking at "greatness" in the way history books usually define it. You’re looking at a life of radical normalcy. It’s a bit of a shock to the system, especially if you’re used to the flashy, high-speed world we live in now.
Practical Tips for Your Visit
- Check the NPS website first. Because the transition from a private residence to a museum is still ongoing, certain rooms or areas might be closed for conservation work.
- Wear walking shoes. Plains is a walking town. You'll want to stroll from the Depot to the High School and then out to the residential area.
- Visit the Maranatha Baptist Church. Even though Jimmy isn't there to teach Sunday School anymore, the church is a huge part of the story.
- Bring a camera for the Peanut. You can't leave town without a photo of the "Smiling Peanut" statue. It’s weird, it’s iconic, and it’s very Plains.
There is a real sense of quiet in this part of Georgia. It’s the kind of place where you can actually hear the wind in the trees. Visiting the home isn't just about seeing where a famous person lived; it’s about understanding a specific philosophy of life. One that says you don't need a palace to be important.
Next Steps for Your Trip
If you're planning to go, start by booking a room at the Historic Plains Inn. There are only seven rooms, and each one is decorated to represent a different decade of Jimmy Carter's life. It fills up fast, so check availability at least three months in advance.