The Small Southern City That’s Produced Some of the Biggest Names in Music
Plan a trip to the soulful city of Macon, Georgia.
Some say the best music in the country is produced in cities that start with M. Manhattan, Miami, and Memphis tend to get all the recognition, but don’t overlook Macon, Georgia.
This charming city in Georgia is the hometown of legends in several genres, including soulman Otis Redding, Southern rockers The Allman Brothers, and native son Little Richard, who’s credited as the “architect of rock and roll.” After just a couple-hour drive from Atlanta, you’ll quickly hear and feel the lasting impact of these artists at museums, music studios, and other venues in this music-rich city.
But take a road trip solely in search of music history, and you’ll find the city has all that and more. From global-influenced restaurants and top-notch cocktail bars to trendy hotels, there’s no shortage of things to do in Macon, Georgia on a music-fueled getaway.
Drive time:
2 hours from Atlanta, Georgia
If you don’t do anything else: Visit the house and museum dedicated to a quintessential Southern rock band
Even if you know little-to-nothing about The Allman Brothers, you’ll appreciate being immersed in their story at The Big House Museum, the Tudor-style dwelling where the band and their families lived in the early ’70s. A self-guided tour on the first-floor museum offers a peek into life on the road and in the studio with exhibits featuring their instruments, memorabilia, and personal artifacts.
Don’t miss the glass-topped pool table, now filled with backstage passes and ticket stubs from their shows, and Greg Allman’s handwritten lyrics to their brooding hit “Midnight Rider.” If you’re lucky, their former official photographer and archivist Kirk West might be there to regale you with stories about the various album and magazine covers he shot with the band.
The second floor has been meticulously restored to look exactly like it did when the Allmans lived there with their wives and children. Duane Allman’s framed New Year’s Resolution for 1969 “to be the best man I possibly can” sits on his nightstand, while his fringed suede jacket and guitar cases are arranged in his closet. A funky room called the The Casbah was their favorite communal space, with velvet sofas, a turntable, LPs, and a legendary seven-headed shower.
Fill Your Days:
Music museums in Macon
Small but filled with exhibits celebrating his musical influence, the Otis Redding Museum was created by his widow and daughter to honor the soul musician, whose life was tragically cut short at age 26 by his death in a plane crash en route to play a concert in Wisconsin. Artifacts from his family’s personal collection include original lyrics, phone messages and photos. Just down the street, a new arts center in his name is opening this fall.
Little Richard’s impact on rock can’t be overstated. He’s credited with launching the concept of rock and roll and inspiring countless other musicians. Book a tour of his childhood home located on 416 Craft Street to see where he grew up and check out photos and lyrics while learning about the educational and job searching services their resource center provide and its impact on the community.
Recording studios and venues in Macon
In the 1970s, Capricorn Records was the harbinger of the Southern rock movement, with a portfolio of artists including The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman Brothers, and Edwin Bishop. Now visitors can take a peek behind the curtains at Capricorn Museum & Studio. The walls of the upstairs museum are covered with promotional posters, letters, and photos. Two rows of touchscreen digital listening stations resemble record bins; select an album and it becomes a virtual turntable on which you can listen to tracks while perusing photos and artifacts about that band or musician.
On certain days and times you can tour the original studio and adjacent sound room where groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded some of their biggest hits. It’s still a working studio for musicians wanting to soak up the vibe of the lauded artists who came before them.
Douglass Theatre is one of the country’s first Black-owned theaters, which opened in 1921, some of the biggest names in jazz and blues graced the stage. Visit the Douglass Theatre and stand in the footsteps of Little Richard, James Brown, and more. It’s been meticulously restored to its former glory, and now you can take in music-focused movies produced by local filmmakers.
Eat, Drink and Sleep:
Bars and restaurants in Macon
Macon’s cuisine melds elements of soul food, lowcountry cooking, and global fusion, with sips and bites often infused with music inspiration. Have a round of music-inspired cocktails at Hightales, the rooftop bar at Hotel Forty Five; the lip-tingling Got the Feelin’ is named for the 1968 James Brown tune, with blanco Tequila, jalapeno- and habanero-infused agave, raspberry, and lime.
Visit global bistro Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails for a cocktail that pays homage to The King with his favorite ingredient, and stay for the winning starters and sides. Priscilla’s King combines rum that is fat washed with peanut butter with banana liqueur, allspice dram, and demerara syrup. Dishes on the food menu all dial classics up a notch. Japanese milk bread yeast rolls arrive with a trio of butters, baked plump Gulf oysters are topped with garlic butter and tangy pecorino, and cucumbers are tossed with ingredients like ponzu and sambal.
H&H Soul Food Restaurant is an institution, drawing in locals, visitors, and musicians alike since 1959, so having brunch there is practically a requirement for visiting Macon. They don’t take reservations and the wait can be brutal on the weekends, but it’s well worth it when you tuck into boneless chicken and waffles washed down with sweet tea. When you leave, snap a selfie next to the mural in the parking lot, which depicts chef and owner Mama Louise Hudson and The Allman Brothers, who formed a bond with her and tapped her to cook for the band on tour.
Hotels in Macon
The Woodward Hotel is a modern, contactless nine-room boutique hotel downtown. There’s no lobby or common area—you’ll receive the check-in code to gain access to the building and your room before your arrival. Their cozy cocktail bar Quill serves up literary-themed cocktails like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, with bourbon, bergamot black tea, blueberry, and lemon.
Hotel Forty Five has 94 rooms, and the name is a double entendre for its location, a 45-degree angle between Cherry and First Streets and Cotton Avenue and a reference to all the 45 RPM records that make up its storied musical history. Elements and furnishings have been incorporated into the guestrooms, meeting spaces, and common areas, and chef-driven restaurant Loom is an ode to Macon’s textile industry, with classic fare like crispy chicken and pimento cheese fritters.