Start your tour downtown in the historic center of Macon with fabulous Civil War era homes to explore, such as the Canonball House and Hay House, an extravagant Italian Renaissance Revival mansion that’s a definite must-see. Take in interactive history at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, where you’ll find mementos of famous Georgia athletes like Evander Holyfield and Hank Aaron; or the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, which pays tribute to Georgia musicians of past and present, from Ray Charles and Little Richard to R.E.M. and the B-52s. Experience African American history at the Tubman African American Museum and the Historic Douglass Theatre.
Click here for a listing of Macon museums.
Macon, Georgia, the city known as the “The Song and Soul of the South,” holds a treasure trove of potential story ideas. The Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau is eager to assist writers by gathering information, providing photos and coordinating interviews, as requested. Below are general topics of interest with brief descriptions; please call or e-mail the MBCCVB Communications Director at any time to discuss your ideas or needs.
Architecture
One of the great cities of the American South, Macon has been called “a textbook of historic architecture,” with 5,500 individual structures in 11 historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places - more acreage on the prestigious register than any other city in Georgia. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Macon one of America’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations.” Great books for research include Macon’s Treasures Remembered: The Antebellum Years, Living Macon Style and Macon Sketchbook; www.historicmacon.org also provides valuable information.
History
Ocmulgee National Monument
Part of the National Park Service, Ocmulgee National Monument preserves evidence of 12,000 years of human habitation. Earthen mounds, a ceremonial earthlodge, artifacts and dioramas help tell the story of Native American life. The monument hosts the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration every September.
Rose Hill Cemetery
Established in 1840 along the Ocmulgee River, Rose Hill remains one of the oldest surviving public cemetery parks in the U.S. Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, are buried here side-by-side. Also laid to rest are 600 Confederate soldiers, three Georgia governors, architect Neel Reid, author Harry Stillwell Edwards, an accused ax-murderer and Lt. Bobby, whose inscription reads “Just a Brown Dog….”
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