Hundreds of mourners gathered at the Carter Presidential Center on Monday night before President Jimmy Carter’s body is taken to Washington D.C.

The center will be welcoming visitors who wish to pay their respects to Carter until 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

More than 20,000 people have visited the center since Saturday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Each person who visited the center had the chance to go through the museum and write a note before spending time to pay their respects to him.

Kevin Schreffler said he planned for years to pay his respects to Carter.

He made the plans with his mother years ago.

“This is something we always knew we would do,” he told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna. “She was born in Sumpter, Georgia and it brins a lot of pride and comfort.”

On Monday, Schreffler boarded one of 22 buses and walked through security so he could remember what Jimmy Carter’s life represented to him.

“Hope, courage, perseverance,” he said. “It was definitely rewarding and something I will always be thankful for, that I took the time to get here and spend those few minutes and show respect to Jimmy Carter.

The center will remain open overnight until 7 a.m.

You can spend as much time inside the center as you like, as well as explore the museum.

If you just go to pay your respects to President Carter, the process takes about a half hour.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Man accused of killing MARTA driver has turned himself in to police, charged with murder

• Suspicious vehicle leads to 3 being charged with trafficking meth in northwest GA

• Woman describes hearing her dogs scream as robbers stole them from backyard

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]