Macon Things to Do

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Within a 10 square block area you can observe a wealth of different architectural styles and nicely restored buildings currently used for different purposes; retail, entertainment, museums, restaurants, etc.

Built around 1853, this house carries the odd name due to it being hit by a Union-fired cannonball during the Civil War. Behind the house there is a brick kitchen building. There are many Civil War era artifacts displayed.

Admission:
$6.00 - adults
$5.00 - age 62+ and military with ID
$2.00 - students (college with ID)
Under 6 free.

The largest museum of African American items in the State includes African art, Folk art, Fine art, historical items, etc.

As of 2009 arrangements are being made to move from its present location to near the other Macon museums along MLK Blvd.

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The Classical Revival structure was built in 1837 as the headquarters of the Monroe Railroad & Banking Co., before later serving as City Hall. During the American Civil War it was called into duty as a military hospital beginning in 1863. Its greatest notoriety came the next year, when Governor Joseph E. Brown, fleeing the Union army's advance into Milledgeville, moved the state capital to Macon and set up an office at City Hall, beginning November 18, 1864. The General Assembly met in the building the following February and March, the last legislative session under the Confederate States of America. The building ceased to serve as capitol on March 11, 1865.
An eternal flame burns in front of the main entrance on Poplar St.

Birthplace of noted poet, musician & soldier, Sidney Lanier (1842-1881), known for his poems "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chattahoochee."
The Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1976, the cottage was designated a Landmark of American Music, and in 2004, designated a Landmark of American Poetry by the Academy of American Poets.

Admission:
$5 adults; $4 for seniors, $3 for youth, ages 6-18.

The Douglass Theatre was the premier movie theater and vaudeville hall open to African-American citizens in the city. In the '20's and 30's stars such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington filled The Douglass. In later years Otis Redding and Little Richard also performed here.

It closed its doors in 1972 after showcasing diverse entertainment for more than fifty-two years.
It was then restored and reopened on January 11, 1997. It now hosts all kinds of shows, concerts, and events.

18,000 sq. ft. mansion built between 1855-59 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, a marked contrast to the more restrained Greek Revival architecture of the antebellum period. Only2 different families have lived in this house since it was constructed.

Tours are given Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. and start of the hour.

Admission Price:
Adults $8
Seniors (Ages 55+) and Military with ID: $7
Students: $4

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Unique remnants of a highly structured Indian settlement with more than half dozen earth mounds. It is estimated that people lived here as far back as 1000 BCE. The Earthlodge was recreated, although the clay floor is original. It is the only one in the country that you can actually enter. The Greater Mound is over 55 ft high and its base measures 300 by 270 ft!

There are several walking trails and a picnic area.

The park is open every day except December 25 and January 1 from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.