Pat’s Wildways: Macon, Georgia

Bucko and I always try to find an interesting place to spend our anniversary. And to be interesting to me, it has to be something or some place that is different. I hate routine. And, even though Bucko would usually rather be at home, he acquiesces to accompany me on these expeditions. That’s what 48 years of marriage gets you. Compromise. And it usually works.

I scrutinized the map and discovered a city within a four-hour drive that we had never been to. Macon, Georgia? Why not? I got us reservations at the Woodward Hotel, the only hotel smack in the middle of the downtown restaurant/museum area with everything in close walking distance. As directed, we parked our car in a decrepit, ancient garage along an alley close to the hotel and we were set. No more driving for two days. In many respects, the location and the hotel room were perfect. Except that our room was on the ground floor bordering the alley, with the hourly and half-hour chimes of the nearby old courthouse telling us the time all night and the clatter of all the garbage trucks clearing up the dumpsters along the alley before dawn. Oh well. Next time we will get a better-located room, if there is a next time.

There was a lot to do in Macon, even for us oldsters who don’t stay up late. Macon is a music-centric place that is proud of its heritage as the home of the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, and others, with statues and monuments scattered around that honor these famous natives. There are also a number of large music venues attracting big-name performers, but all of this happens after our bedtime. Many of the restaurants and bars don’t even open until 5 p.m. But we found a lot to keep us busy.

Take the Tubman African American Museum for instance. This impressive facility was funded mostly by a Northerner who admired Harriet Tubman for her work with the Underground Railroad and named the museum after her, even though she had no connection to Macon. The museum honors the African American history in Macon and the South in general with displays depicting everything from native art from Africa, to the horrifying Jim Crow days when whites and blacks had very different accommodations, all the way through to present-day activists and accomplishments. This place is a “must-see” for anyone traveling through this area of Georgia.

When it came to choosing a restaurant for our anniversary dinner, there were so many choices within a block or two of our hotel. We settled on what some say is the best restaurant in Macon, the Dovetail, and we could definitely agree with the hype. For a couple of hours we feasted on gourmet garden-to-table appetizers, entrees, desserts and fine cocktails. It may be the best restaurant I have dined in anywhere! A great find.

Besides being a music-loving place, Macon is proud of its art community. There are a number of graffiti walls where large murals are displayed and a number of sculptures that are positioned and regularly changed. The Macon Arts Alliance has a facility where potters and sculptors and painters, and all kinds of other artists have room to work and classes are held. A monthly map of art walks is distributed, encouraging people to find the art installations around town. It was fun to walk around the back alleys of downtown, looking for the murals. And at 5 p.m. live music emanated from a variety of bars and restaurants. Even, alas, in our downtown hotel room, we could “enjoy” this music wafting down the alley our room was on until 2 a.m. or later.

We could have easily spent another day there. On Saturday, there was a benefit for the Boys and Girls Club with a race of rubber duckies down the Ocmulgee River that runs on the edge of downtown. We could have visited a number of historic homes, the Otis Redding Museum, the old Bibb County Courthouse (with its chimes), and the Rose Hill Cemetery, where Gregg and Duane Allman and other band members are buried. Who knows what else there is to do in Macon?

You can find out for yourself with a visit to Macon. Be sure to check out their events schedule to plan your trip there, as there are a number of top-notch bands performing in the many venues here — great for those who don’t go to bed at 8 p.m.! Have fun, you youngsters!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. Patandbucko@yahoo.com