Macon, Georgia - A Visitor’s Guide

1. Learn about Native American culture at Ocmulgee National Monument

Ocmulgee National Monument is a prehistoric Native American site that preserves more than 10,000 years of Native American culture. The site includes several major earthworks that were constructed prior to 1000 CE by native peoples from the South Appalachian region. The park has a visitor center with an archeology museum displaying various artifacts from the site. The museum provides interpretation of the artifacts as well as information about the prehistoric people who lived there. The center also shows an orientation film and has a gift shop while the park has 5.5 miles of walking trails. The popular Great Temple Mound can be reached by walking 0.5 miles from the visitor center.

Address: Ocmulgee National Park Road, Macon, GA 31217, Phone: 478-752-8257

2. Visit The Allman Brothers Band Museum

The Allman Brothers Band Museum is a house museum that honors and memorializes the Allman Brothers Band. The museum is also known as The Big House and was home to the band's original members, their families, and some friends from 1970 to 1973. The museum houses many of the band's archives and memorabilia, including artwork, instruments, hand-written lyrics, and more. Several of the rooms are set up to reflect the way they looked when the band members lived there. The museum has a gift shop that sells Allman Brothers Band merchandise, CDs, apparel, and a range of other gifts and souvenirs.

Address: 2321 Vineville Avenue, Macon, GA 31204, Phone: 478-741-5551

3. Take a tour of Hay House

Johnston-Felton-Hay House, typically shortened to simply Hay House, is a historic home on Macon's Georgia Avenue built in the late 1850s in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The house is 18,000 square feet and is beautifully decorated with items from the period as well as magnificent artwork.

It is currently open for tours and private events. The home tours take approximately 1 hour and include the basement and first and second floors. Several times a year the museum offers special behind-the-scenes tours that include all seven of the home's floors, the wine cellar, several attic spaces, and the so-called Secret Room.

Address: 934 Georgia Avenue, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-742-8155

4. Go on a self-guided walking tour of Rose Hill Cemetery

Rose Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the banks of the Ocmulgee River on Macon's north side. The cemetery was built by Simri Rose in 1840 and was designed as a place for people to gather and visit. The cemetery was a popular hangout for the Allman Brothers Band during their early years and the band drew some of their inspiration from the grounds. Guitarist Duane Allman and bass player Berry Oakley are both buried in the cemetery, as are many important Georgia politicians. The cemetery is a part of Macon's self-guided walking tour and it is also the site of the Rose Hill Ramble, which is hosted twice a year.

Address: 1071 Riverside Drive, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-751-9119

5. See a show at the Grand Opera House

The Grand Opera House is a historic opera house and Mercer University's performing arts center. The opera house was originally known as the Academy of Music and when it was opened in 1884, it had the largest stage in the American Southeast. The theater was renovated and renamed the Grand Opera House in 1905. Historically, the venue has hosted many famous celebrities including Charlie Chaplin and the John Philip Sousa Band, Will Rogers, George Burns, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore, Bob Hope, Ray Charles, and the local Allman Brothers Band. Today, the Grand Opera House hosts a variety of events such as Broadway shows, concerts, and theatrical productions.

Address: 651 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-301-5470

6. See an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Sciences

The Museum of Arts and Sciences is a community museum with four galleries offering a range of exhibits that change frequently. The museum's galleries include the hands-on Discovery House, several live animal habitats in the Mini-Zoo, a planetarium, observatory, garden, and nature trail. The museum store has a variety of merchandise for sale related to the arts and sciences. The museum is quite involved in community education and offers programs for schools as well as public programs in their on-site auditorium and classrooms. Short-run traveling exhibitions are frequently on display at the museum and may include art exhibits as well as other exhibits related to topics in the humanities and sciences.

Address: 4182 Forsyth Road, Macon, GA 31210, Phone: 478-477-3232

7. Tour The Cannonball House

The Cannonball House is an 1853 home built in the Greek Revival style. The home was called the Cannonball House due to cannonball damage that it received during the Civil War. The home is decorated and furnished with period furnishings from the 1850s and features re-created meeting rooms of the first sorority, The Adephean Society. A bronze 1864-era cannon that was forged locally at the Macon Arsenal sits on display outside the home. Visitors can tour the home, including the servant's quarters, the brick kitchen, and the gardens. The gift shop sells a variety of products including books, jewelry, souvenirs, and locally made food items.

Address: 856 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-745-5982

8. Hike in Amerson River Park

Amerson River Park is a large park with nearly 200 acres of wetlands, forests, and meadows encircled by a u-shaped section of the Ocmulgee River. The park has 7 miles of trails that take visitors to high, scenic bluffs and overlooks that offer stunning views of the river and surrounding area. The park features a handicap-accessible playground that is specially designed for all children to be able to play. Visitors can explore the river itself by kayak, by canoe, or by floating in a tube. The Jay Hall Memorial Canoe Launch is a jumping-off point for canoers and kayakers as well as the starting point for a 2-mile tubing float.

Address: 2551 North Pierce Drive, Macon, GA 31204, Phone: 478-803-0484

9. Visit the Tubman African American Museum

The Tubman African American Museum is an 8,500-square-foot museum that preserves and displays artifacts and documents from African American history and culture. The museum exhibits include a wide variety of African American art as well as other cultural artifacts. The museum offers a variety of educational classes and programs for the community, including dance, drama, drumming, and art and photography classes focused on African American culture. The museum often hosts special events, especially during Black History Month and the city's Pan African Festival each year. The museum store at the Tubman Museum offers apparel, gifts, and souvenirs as well as a selection of homemade goods and educational items.

Address: 310 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-743-8544

10. Take the kids to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is the country's largest state sports hall of fame encompassing 43,000 square feet. In addition to the hall of fame section of the space, there is exhibit space divided into sections that include various levels of sports such as high school, college, and professional sports as well Olympic and Paralympic sports. There is an exhibit dedicated to Great Moments in Georgia Sports History as well. The museum is very family friendly and has several interactive exhibits, such as basketball and football games and a NASCAR simulator. The building itself is an interesting structure and an attraction in itself as it is built to look like a turn-of-the-century ball park with a classic green roof and red-brick facade.

Address: 301 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201, Phone: 478-752-1585