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Overview
John Tanner Park is a "former" Georgia State Park located in Carroll County near Carrollton. Today (08/01/11), the park is operated by Carroll County. A relatively small park with a unique history, there are a number of pros and cons to visiting here.

John Tanner Park has two lakes, one with a rather large beach and paddle boats. The story of John Tanner and his piece of Florida in Carrollton Georgia is very interesting. During the 1950's, John Tanner decided to build a Florida resort in Georgia. He had 8 train-car loads of Florida sand hauled in for the beach, planted palm trees along the shoreline, and draped Spanish moss from the trees. During the 50's and 60's, the park was a popular destination. The park was even frequented by Carrollton native Susan Hayward (a famous actress in her day to you youngsters).

Eventually, the resort became a state park. It's hard to imagine the park as a state park today. It is now very much a local county park with lots (and lots) of locals enjoying the accommodations. The beach is still there, but the palm trees and  Spanish moss are long gone. The campground needs some updating, but isn't half bad. The only draw-back to camping here (on the weekends anyway) is the large crowd of beach patrons.

Would we recommend the park? It depends on what your priorities are, and when you plan to visit. I can't help but think that a visit, during the week, might be great. On the weekends, it is crowded.

Scroll down for more pictures and an Adventure Journal entry/review.

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Features	Rating (1-10)	Description
Official website Georgia State Park's Site	6	Carroll County's website needs some work to make it more tourist friendly. Finding information and pictures is difficult. John Tanner park was formerly a state park, so the Georgia State Parks website may have a bit more information.
Campground	8	The campground has 32 tent, trailer and RV campsites with water, electric and cable hookups. There is a dump station on site. Sites - $25 & $27 per night. The campground is old, and the somewhat crowded spaces are in need of an update. Reservations  please phone or email: John Tanner Park, 354 Tanner Beach Rd, Carrollton, GA 30117 email: jtpinfo@carrollcountyga.com - 770.830.2222 The Pioneer camping area is ideal for groups wanting a more primitive experience. The site is more secluded and will accommodate groups of 35 or less. - Pioneer - $40 per night
Motel efficiency units	*	Located near the beach, these have fully equipped kitchens, dining and living areas - Units - $80 per night (as of 8/01/11
Group Lodge	*	The popular Group Lodge located on the lower lake will accommodate 40 and has a large kitchen and living area. - $300 per night with $75 housekeeping fee
Beach	8	Well, the beach is big, and the kids loved it, but it was crowded.
Hiking/biking	7	There's a path that encircles the lake.
Visitor Center	6	This former state park has an office/visitor center that includes a handful of items, and a short video about the history of the park (which is pretty interesting. That's about it.
Geocaching	*	Geocaching is available, but we didn't have a chance.
Rockhounding	*	There are rockhounding opportunities everywhere. Nothing caught our eye here.
Local Attractions	7	McIntosh Reserve, Banning Mills, Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Carroll County Gold Museum, Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historic Site
*Note: We rate only the amenities we have personally reviewed. No financial consideration or favor has been received for listing in PB&J Adventures' website. We are in no way affiliated with this facility or any other facility we review. Any paid advertising seen on this site was arranged after the destination was reviewed. You can trust the reviews to be unbiased.

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