Part of historic hotel in Americus, Ga. is named in honor of Jimmy Carter

PLAINS, Ga. — The people of Plains, Jimmy Carter’s hometown, are sharing their favorite stories about him.

There is one famous place down the road that’s even more famous because of him.

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Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was live in the City of Americus at the Windsor Hotel. Part of the Victorian hotel was named in Carter’s honor.

You know how lots of places are famous because George Washington slept there? Well, just down the road from Plains, Jimmy Carter slept “here.”

Steve Short with the Americus Welcome Center calls it the icon of downtown Americus.

“You can Google Americus, Georgia and the first images you see are the Windsor Hotel,” said Short.

He takes visitors on tours of what looks like a Victorian palace built in 1892 when Americus was the eighth largest city in the state.

The famous and the infamous have stayed here as well.

“They say that Al Capone has stayed there. He had his own private security guard at the foot of the stairs leading up to the suite back in the day,” said Short.

In this day, the Windsor is known for the beloved guests who were here one night in Nov. 2002. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter stayed in what is known as the presidential suite.

It’s so special, Channel 2 was not allowed inside the suite unless we booked it, but images from the hotels website show what it looks like.

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“The story goes that President and Mrs. Carter had never spent the night at the Windsor Hotel. The previous owner, Mr. Patel, wanted them to spend the night so he could officially say the Carters had stayed at the Windsor. After they did, once President and Mrs. Carter stayed there, they named it the Carter Presidential Suite,” said Short.

If you’d like to stay in the Carter Presidential Suite—tonight—you can. You can book the room for $293.

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