The main reason to base yourself in Americus is access to two of the most significant historic sites in Georgia, both within 20 miles.
Andersonville, 10 miles north, preserves the site of the Confederate prison camp where nearly 13,000 Union soldiers died during the Civil War. The National Historic Site includes the original camp perimeter, a museum, and the national cemetery. It is one of the most somber and important places in the American South, and should not be rushed.
Plains, 10 miles west, is Jimmy Carter's hometown — a tiny community of a few hundred people that sent one of its sons to the White House. The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park encompasses the old railroad depot that served as Carter's 1976 campaign headquarters, the school he attended, and his family farm. Carter himself lived in Plains in retirement until his death in 2024. The 39th president remains inseparable from this part of Georgia.
