This is a list of state parks in Georgia. The park system of the US state of Georgia was founded in 1931 with Indian Springs State Park and Vogel State Park. Indian Springs has been operated by the state as a public park since 1825, making it perhaps the oldest state park in the United States.[1] The newest state park is Don Carter State Park.[2]
Location of Georgia’s 49 state parks
Since the Great Recession, Georgia has halved the budget for the Division of State Parks and Historic Sites and turned over the management of five of the parks to Coral Hospitality, a Florida-based hotel and resort management company. The five parks are Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge, Unicoi State Park & Lodge, Little Ocmulgee State Park & Lodge, Georgia Veterans State Park, and George T. Bagby State Park.[3]
State parks
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Historic sites
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Former state parks
edit| Park name | County or Counties | Size | Year established | Year disestablished | Location | Image | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acres | ha | |||||||
| Chehaw State Park | Dougherty | 800 | 320 | 1937 | 1977 | 31°37′3.44″N 84°8′17.17″W / 31.6176222°N 84.1381028°W | In 1974, the city of Albany leased 100 acres (40 ha) of unused land in Chehaw Park from the state of Georgia to develop a wild animal park where exotic and indigenous animals would be displayed in their natural habitats. With the inception of the wild animal habitat, the State donated the entire Chehaw Park acreage to the city to further develop. | |
| Bobby Brown State Park | Elbert | 665 | 269 | 1950s | 2015 | 33°58′26.93″N 82°34′43.6″W / 33.9741472°N 82.578778°W | The park was established on the waters of the newly constructed Clark Hills Lake in the 1950s. It was downgraded to Bobby Brown State Outdoor Recreation Area in 2009. In 2015, a lease agreement was reached with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The park is now operated by the government of Elbert County, Georgia.[8] | |
| George Washington Carver State Park | Bartow | 345 | 140 | 1950 | 1975 | 34°8′20.86″N 84°40′1.06″W / 34.1391278°N 84.6669611°W |  |
It was established during segregation on land adjacent to Red Top Mountain State Park and billed as Georgia's first state park for African Americans. It was removed from the state park system due to budget cuts, turned over to Bartow County, and renamed Bartow Carver Park. It returned to its original name in 2017.[9] |
| Hart State Park | Hart | 147 | 59 | 1968 | 2020 | 34°22′35.16″N 82°54′38.4″W / 34.3764333°N 82.910667°W | In April 2020, management of the park passed from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to the City of Hartwell.[10] In June 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony was officially held for the renamed Hartwell Lakeside Park.[11] | |
| Jekyll Island State Park | Glynn | 5,700 | 2,300 | 1947 | 1950 | 31°4′12″N 81°25′13″W / 31.07000°N 81.42028°W | It was formerly a state park, but since 1951 it has been managed by the Jekyll Island Authority, a self-supporting state agency. | |
| John Tanner State Park | Carroll | 138 | 56 | 1971 | 2013 | 33°36′7.92″N 85°10′3.72″W / 33.6022000°N 85.1677000°W | Operated from 1954 to 1971 as Tanner's Beach, it was purchased by the state in 1971, and opened in 1972. It became managed by Carroll County in 2010 and was purchased by Carroll County in 2013.[12] | |
| Santo Domingo State Park | Glynn | 1934 | 1946 | 31°19′37.28″N 81°29′13.13″W / 31.3270222°N 81.4869806°W | The state of Georgia conveyed the Santo Domingo State Park property to J. Ardell Nation in 1946. Ardell established the Boys Estate, an orphanage for homeless boys modeled upon Boys Town, Nebraska.[13] The former property of the Boys Estate is now run by Morningstar Children and Family Services.[14] | |||
| Sprewell Bluff State Park | Upson | 1,372 | 555 | 1993 | 2013 | 31°52′15.85″N 84°28′26.15″W / 31.8710694°N 84.4739306°W |  |
It was a state park leased from Georgia Power. In 2013, Upson County, Georgia took over management of the property and it was de-listed.[15] |
Other
edit- Lake Lanier Islands were leased from the US Army Corps of Engineers by the Georgia Department of State Parks for a recreation resort. The islands are now managed by a private company.
- Stone Mountain Park is owned by the state and managed by the self-sufficient state agency, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. It is operated as an amusement park under a contract with the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation.
Images
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Georgia State Parks Dept. seal, ca. 1939 -
Enjoy Yourself in Georgia We Have Variety -
Georgia's state parks
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Indian Springs State Park History" (PDF). Georgia State Parks. Georgia. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Don Carter State Park". State Parks & Historic Sites. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ Omarzu, Tim (May 29, 2013). "Georgia tries to balance cuts with need to draw visitors to state parks". TimesFreePress.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ "History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division" (PDF). Georgia State Parks. Georgia. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Chattahoochee Bend State Park". State Parks & Historic Sites. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division" (PDF). Georgia State Parks. Georgia. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "The Georgia Trust". www.georgiatrust.org. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "Bobby Brown Park". Explore Georgia. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ "George Washington Carver State Park". Visit Carterville, GA. 2022. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ "Hartwell Lakeside Park". Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Grayson Williams (June 24, 2020). "Let the camping begin: Ceremonial groundbreaking launches Hartwell Lakeside". Hartwell Sun. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Hall, Christine (September 27, 2013). "Carroll sees green with improved green spaces". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Atlanta. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ "Estate to Make Men". Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. March 17, 1946.
- ^ "History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division" (PDF). Georgia State Parks. Georgia. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Sprewell Bluff Park". upsoncountyga.org. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.