Carter Gardens, final resting site of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, now open

PLAINS – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter chose their home property in Plains as their final resting site, and now the garden where they’re buried is open to the public. 

The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park announced the opening of Carter Gardens Monday. The large green space sits next to the Carters’ home, which is still closed to the public. The peaceful park features two memorial gardens, designed by Rosalynn Carter; the couple’s gravesites; brick pathways; benches, and a large pond. 

Park Ranger Jennifer Hopkins said the Carter Gardens were designed to be enjoyed in two different ways. 

“On the memorial side, it’s contemplative and reflective; and in the recreational area, the Carters wanted visitors to enjoy time with family and friends in the same spaces that they enjoyed time with their loved ones,” Hopkins said. 

She said the Carters wanted to invite visitors in to experience the simple lifestyle they led in Plains. Hopkins said the Carters’ home will be open to the public in the future.

The Carter Gardens is open to visitors free of charge from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., seven days a week. It will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. It’s located at 1 Woodland Drive in Plains. Passenger vehicle parking is available along Woodland Drive. 

Before the gardens were open to the public, its initial visitors – alongside friends and family of the Carters – were six-legged, colorful winged creatures. 

Butterflies have been frequent flyers in the gardens since April 2013, when the first Memorial Garden was placed. They flutter and land among milkweed, hydrangeas, black-eyed susans and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter native azaleas.

Annette Wise, the co-founder and President of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, was bent over, pulling weeds around the second Memorial Garden at the Carter Gardens Tuesday. She wiped sweat from her brow as she perfected the site, butterflies and bees zooming alongside her. 

About 12 years prior, she worked alongside Rosalynn Carter to plant the first butterfly garden on the Carters’ property.

“(Rosalynn Carter) said, ‘I’d like to have a pollinator garden and have the focus on monarch butterflies. Will you help me?’” Wise said. 

The two filled the garden with native pollinators that would attract monarchs and other butterflies. They designed the metal logo that sticks in the ground. Wise said the first garden was perfectly situated so that Rosalynn Carter could see it from her office, and guests visiting their home could view it as they drove up the driveway. Jimmy Carter would take walks to the garden, looking for caterpillars and other bug visitors. 

“It was real exciting for (the first lady),” Wise said. “Then, she just wanted people to know about it.”

A few months later, Wise helped Rosalynn Carter plant Memorial Garden No. 2 right by the roadside with a viewing path so that members of the public could still see the gardens, despite being on private land. The butterfly gardens piqued interest in Plains, and Rosalynn Carter would direct those interested in starting their own to Wise. 

“I said to her, ‘maybe we need to expand this,’” Wise said. 

The two worked with the National Park Service to plant butterfly gardens at various sites throughout historic Plains and the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park. 

“I said, ‘What if we just have a trail with lots of gardens?’ and she said, ‘I like the sound of that,’” Wise said. “I went back to her later and said, ‘What if we call it the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail?’ She smiled and said, “I like that.’ So that’s how it got its name.”

Sixteen gardens have been planted since 2013 along the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. Wise and other volunteers, including local students from the Future Farmers of America, take care of the gardens five days a week. Rosalynn Carter wanted to bring awareness to conserving butterflies, their habitats as well as her love of nature. 

The gardens are either inground or in container gardens. Each registered garden must include nectar plants and host plants for butterflies common to the local area.

Wise said she thinks the Carters would be excited to have the public in their gardens for the first time. She said the Carters made the decision to be buried in Plains many years ago. 

“They could have been buried in a lot of different places, including Atlanta at the Carter Center, which would have been a big draw for them,” she said. “But they loved their land. They loved their home, the family roots and everything. It’s just really peaceful here. It’s very fitting for the Carters – back to nature, back on their land.” 

Wise said she’s honored to assist the National Park Service in maintaining the gardens but also honoring Rosalynn Carter’s love for monarchs. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s headstones rest next to each other with the first Memorial Garden as the backdrop behind them. Wise encourages people to learn more about how they can aid with conservation efforts for monarch butterflies. 

To learn more and register a garden, visit https://rosalynncarterbutterflytrail.org/our-mission/. To find more information about the Carter Gardens, visit https://www.nps.gov/places/carter-gardens.htm.