Southwest Georgia: Warm Springs, Providence Canyon and Plains

Route description

Take I-85 southwest out of Atlanta and then country roads through rolling farmland to Warm Springs, about 1.5 hours. Franklin D. Roosevelt first came here in 1924 hoping the 88°F spring water would help his polio, and later built the Little White House on the ridge above the village. Visit the museum and the cottage, then the historic pools in the village, where the short main street has cafes and gift shops.

South of town, GA-190 runs along Pine Mountain through F.D. Roosevelt State Park, the largest state park in Georgia, with overlooks such as Dowdell Knob, where FDR liked to picnic. Then drive about two hours south via Columbus and US-27 to Lumpkin and Providence Canyon State Park. Walk the rim trail for the colored canyon walls; the trail down onto the canyon floor is muddy but short, and the park has backcountry campsites.

From Lumpkin, back roads lead east to Plains, the hometown of Jimmy Carter, in about 45 minutes. Jimmy Carter National Historical Park includes the former high school, the railroad depot that served as his 1976 campaign headquarters and his boyhood farm just west of town. Carter died in December 2024; he and Rosalynn Carter are buried beside their home on Woodland Drive, and the gravesite opened to visitors in 2025.

Andersonville National Historic Site is about 30 minutes northeast of Plains via Americus. Walk to the reconstructed corners of the stockade, then visit the National Prisoner of War Museum and the national cemetery, where burials still take place. Finish in Americus, which has a restored Victorian downtown. The trip covers about 370 km on quiet two-lane roads that suit RVs; summers are very hot, so spring and autumn are best.