Bibb County

Macon is home to Wesleyan College, founded in 1836 as the Georgia Female College, the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.

In Macon there are 11 National Register Historic Districts and 2 national Historic Landmark as well as a national momument.

Macon is home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. These two facilities play an integral role in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Macon. The Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion, the Hay House, was built in the 1850. This National Historic Landmark is over 18,000 square feet and has 24 rooms decorated with museum pieces.

Georgia's largest African American museum, Tubman African American Museum, offers fourteen exhibition galleries, a resource center and magnificent 63-foot mural depicting African-American art, history and culture. Permanent collections are accompanied by touring national and international exhibitions by well-known African American artists.

The Douglas Theatre, built in 1921 by black entrepreneur Charles Douglass, is a restored historic theatre that has hosted greats like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox and Cab Calloway. The Douglass Theatre now pays tribute to the African American influence on film and theatre.

Two notable Georgians from Bibb County are Sidney Clopton Lanier (1842-1881), poet, author, and musician, and the late Otis Redding, the recording star whose hits included "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay".

The Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion, the Hay House, was built in the 1850. This National Historic Landmark is over 18,000 square feet and has 24 rooms decorated with museum pieces.

The most popular event in the county is the Macon International Cherry Blossom Festival held in March. The city has more Yoshino cherry trees than anywhere else in the world, and people come to the annual festival to see the trees.

Other festivals include the annual First Night Macon, Tubman Museum Pan African Festival in May, and the Georgia State Fair.

« Back