Quote Originally Posted by FUBeAR View Post
Welp… ‘96 is nearing 3 decades ago and most of the renaissance in Macon, coincidentally or not, has taken shape since the rebirth of Mercer Football in the early 2010’s.

But don’t take FUBeAR’s word for it … or even the AJC’s. Just to look to everyone’s most trusted news source … CNN…just yesterday.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/23/trave...ica/index.html

America’s Best Towns to Visit 2024
Macon is No. 7 on the list thanks to its musical history, thriving downtown and new national park push

How the Southern city of Macon went from ‘ghost town’ to ‘popping’ destination

Macon, Georgia (CNN)
Stroll through downtown Macon, and you’ll find craft brewpubs not far from a lounge that’s been keeping music lovers entertained for half a century. A beloved new bagel shop is a half-mile walk from a soul food classic that’s still serving fried chicken and collard greens 65 years after opening.

The past and the present are both alive and well along streets lined with architectural beauties dating as far back as the 1820s.

But not too long ago, this hilly city on the Fall Line between Georgia’s Piedmont and Coastal Plain had fallen on hard times.

“When I first got here, Macon was a ghost town,” said Richard Brent, who arrived in central Georgia in 2007 as a construction project manager and eventually went from a volunteer to executive director at The Big House Museum, which is packed with memorabilia from its time as headquarters for the Allman Brothers Band. “I traded in a hardhat for some AC and rock ‘n’ roll music,” Brent said.
As I said, it might have improved. It's was always sort of dilapidated. Probably since Sherman visited. I was last there at a game in 14. Last time there at all was in 15. Very rarely went to Macon. Especially at night. Too much crime. Downtown was about 25 miles from the house. I will say, you could see some improvements over the years, so if it continued, it might have turned the corner by now.