Macon, Georgia

Macon is the heart of Georgia and it’s one of those places that you have to experience for yourself as people’s opinions about Macon can be greatly varied. Most try to compare Macon to Atlanta and tend to overlook it since it’s smaller than Atlanta. Others grew up here or near here and remember hearing about all the crime and murders back in the 80s and 90s and avoid it or have a bad taste for it due to the past. (Key thing to note here is that majority of the crime and murders were drug and gang related, if drugs and gangs is not part of your lifestyle then you won’t even cross paths with those type of dealings) however since that was a part of Macon’s history I will warn those who visit to try to avoid East Macon if you can. Macon has many areas and communities now and you can find all you need in either North Macon, Zebulon Road, Bass Rd, Riverside Drive, Forsyth Ave, Vineville and Downtown areas just to name a few.

Another key thing to note. Macon is not Atlanta. It’s not trying to be. It’s just Macon. Very homegrown, very friendly, community type city that has grown into a nice hub offering tons of things to do. It’s a very cultural city where blacks are the majority. The city poured a lot of money into revitalizing the downtown area and it’s now a fun, safe place to visit with lots of black owned shops and restaurants. Black barbershops, black owned yoga studios, and black owned chiropractor offices to name a few. Macon is a city where they recognize the value that African Americans contributed to the history and therefore built the Otis Redding Center for the Arts as well as Tubman Museum in honor of Harriet Tubman. I’ve lived here for a month now and I really enjoy it. Like I mentioned blacks are the majority but there are many white people here as well and they have all been friendly and I’ve had no issues with anyone. Like I mentioned it’s a very hometown type feel and numerous festivals are thrown throughout the year with the International Cherry Blossom Festival being the most noted.

Places I’ve been so far and would recommend:
Coleman Hill Park
Amerson River Park
Lake Tobesofkee
Shops at Rivercrossing
Museum of Art and Science

Macon has a variety of things to explore but I can only recommend what I’ve explored so far.

Follow @downtownmaconga and @visitmacon on Instagram for more to explore!