Georgia’s newest state park is officially opening Monday, culminating a project that stretched over nearly two decades. The 1,316-acre Don Carter State Park began as a view of tree-covered land from a helicopter by the park’s namesake, Gainesville businessman Don Carter, and former Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Joe Tanner. The DNR ended up buying land for what would be Hall County’s and Lake Lanier’s first state park, with that process lasting nearly 16 years.