Inn of the Month: Plains Historic Inn & Antiques

Who needs the Lincoln Bedroom, anyway?Between humanitarian projects, former president Jimmy Carter has found time to open an inn and antiques store in Plains, Georgia (population 637), his hometown and now a National Historic Site. "Hundreds of tourists come through each day, and they had no place to stay," Carter explains. So he and his wife, Rosalynn, converted the upstairs portion of two buildings into seven guest rooms, each themed to a decade. (The 1970's room is, naturally, the presidential suite.) "Rosalynn spent months studying old Sears, Roebuck catalogues, so every piece of furniture, every bathroom fixture, is appropriate to its era, down to the telephones," he says. Across the street is the old railroad depot that served as Carter's campaign headquarters. The Carters, who still live a few blocks away, occasionally join guests on the inn's porch for afternoon tea and perhaps some boiled peanuts. Plains Historic Inn & Antiques, 106 Main St., Plains, Ga.; 229/824-4517; doubles from $75. —Peter Jon Lindberg