List of Georgia state parks explained

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]

Since the economic crash of 2008, 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

Park name	County or counties	Size	Year established^[4]	Location	Water body(s)	Image	Remarks
acres	ha
		1177disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1933	33.5623°N -82.8957°W	Alexander Stevens State Park Lake
		829disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1940
		1743disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1952	34.9094°N -83.4153°W
Chattahoochee Bend State Park^[5]		2910disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2011
		3488disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1938
		500disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1939	30.8431°N -81.5581°W
		1316disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2013
		447disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1953
		9049disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1938	32.8319°N -84.8081°W
		173disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1985	32.0908°N -85.0433°W
		1725disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1980	31.8911°N -81.1961°W
		3712disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1938	34.7609°N -84.7072°W	Fort Mountain Lake
		1816disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1954	33.9696°N -83.7296°W	Fort Yargo Lake
		1511disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1970	31.524°N -82.767°W
		1634disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1975		Parish Pond
		700disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1970	31.666°N -85.057°W
		1308disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1946	31.9564°N -83.9161°W
		662disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1956
		741disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1968		Hamburg Mill Pond
		5804disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1946		Hard Labor Creek
		1050disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1966
		528disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1825	33.2439°N -83.9311°W	Sandy Creek
		561disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1973	34.4372°N -85.3396°W	Sloppy Floyd Lake
		1293disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1938	31.4715°N -84.9294°W	Yahola & Kolomoki Lakes
		626disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1941		Laura S. Walker Lake
		1360disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1935		Little Ocmulgee Lake
		1070disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1939	32.8867°N -81.9556°W	Magnolia Springs State Park Lake
		1920disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1965
		32disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1966
		1635disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1974	33.6353°N -84.1703°W	Alexander Lake & South River
		1003disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1971
		1776disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1950	34.1515°N -84.7155°W
		1613disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1958		Reed Bingham Lake
		2508disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1987		Russell Lake
		604disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1956
		588disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1975
		5664disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1994
		1579disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2004
		80disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1954
		2549disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1972	33.7583°N -84.6361°W	Sweetwater Creek
		2739disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1993	34.725°N -83.3703°W
		393disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1965	34.4948°N -83.0679°W
		1050disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1954	34.723°N -83.7223°W	Unicoi Lake
		502disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1952
		233disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1927
		1118disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1969	34.0261°N -83.0731°W

Historic sites

Park name	County or Counties	Size	Year established^[6]	Location	Image	Remarks
acres	ha
		137disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1952
		0.264disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1966
		54disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1953
		12disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1940
		67disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1968
Hardman Farm State Historic Site^[7]		173disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2014
		1286disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1974
		200disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1974
		13disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1997
		1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1971
		163disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1948
		200disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1962
		765disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1974
		6110disp=tableNaNdisp=table
		4.34disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1982
		5.1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1955
		1232disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1973

Former state parks

Park name	County or Counties	Size	Year established	Year disestablished	Location	Image	Remarks
acres	ha
		800disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1937	1977			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.
		665disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1950s	2015			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]
		345disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1950	1975			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]
		147disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1968	2020			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]
		5700disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1947	1950			It was formerly a state park, but since 1951 it has been managed by the Jekyll Island Authority, a self-supporting state agency.
		138disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1971	2013			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				1934	1946			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]
		1372disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1993	2013			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

• 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.

See also

• List of U.S. national parks

External links

• Georgia state parks
• Map of Georgia State Parks

Notes and References

1. Web site: Indian Springs State Park History. . Georgia State Parks. Georgia. 14 December 2022. January 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108040319/https://www.gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/indiansprings/Indian-Springs-State-Park-history.pdf. live.
2. Web site: Don Carter State Park. State Parks & Historic Sites. September 24, 2017. en. 21 February 2017. September 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170922015530/http://gastateparks.org/DonCarter. live.
3. Web site: Omarzu. Tim. Georgia tries to balance cuts with need to draw visitors to state parks. TimesFreePress.com. September 25, 2017. May 29, 2013. September 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170926143100/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2013/may/29/state-tries-to-balance-cuts-with-need-to/109340/. live.
4. Web site: History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division. . Georgia State Parks. Georgia. 13 December 2022. January 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108040140/https://www.gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/HistoryOfGSPHSD.pdf. live.
5. Web site: Chattahoochee Bend State Park. State Parks & Historic Sites. September 24, 2017. en. 3 March 2017. October 1, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171001201732/http://gastateparks.org/ChattahoocheeBend. live.
6. Web site: History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division. . Georgia State Parks. Georgia. 13 December 2022. January 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108040140/https://www.gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/HistoryOfGSPHSD.pdf. live.
7. Web site: The Georgia Trust. www.georgiatrust.org. September 24, 2017. September 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170923150808/http://www.georgiatrust.org/news/preservation_issues/hardman_farm.php. live.
8. Web site: Bobby Brown Park . 11 Oct 2022 . Explore Georgia . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206045051/https://www.exploregeorgia.org/elberton/outdoors-nature/fishing/bobby-brown-park . live .
9. Web site: George Washington Carver State Park. . 2022. Visit Carterville, GA. 14 December 2022. December 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221214071059/https://visitcartersvillega.org/gwcp/. live.
10. Web site: Hartwell Lakeside Park . Georgia Department of Natural Resources . 11 Oct 2022 . December 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207075507/https://gastateparks.org/hart . live .
11. Web site: Let the camping begin: Ceremonial groundbreaking launches Hartwell Lakeside . Grayson Williams . 24 June 2020 . 11 Oct 2022 . Hartwell Sun . May 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210520192415/https://www.thehartwellsun.com/local/let-camping-begin-ceremonial-groundbreaking-launches-hartwell-lakeside . live .
12. News: Hall. Christine. 27 September 2013. Carroll sees green with improved green spaces. Atlanta Business Chronicle. Atlanta. 14 December 2022. February 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206060836/https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2013/09/27/carroll-sees-green-with-improved-green.html. live.
13. News: . 17 March 1946. Estate to Make Men . Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia.
14. Web site: History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division. . Georgia State Parks. Georgia. 13 December 2022. January 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108040140/https://www.gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/HistoryOfGSPHSD.pdf. live.
15. Web site: Sprewell Bluff Park . upsoncountyga.org . November 18, 2018 . November 19, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181119010854/http://upsoncountyga.org/199/Sprewell-Bluff-Park . live .