If you visit Macon, you must stop and tour this impressive home! I was so happy to get to hear…read moreabout the history and see the stunning interior. Many items are original. You can pay a few dollars more to go to the very top (4 flights up) and I highly recommend that for a nice view of the city.

Shoutout to Vicky for the amazing tour! The Hay House ended up being way more than I expected and I…read morewant to come back again in the winter time (it's so hot in the house during the summer).

Okay--what I want to know is why there are only four reviews, including this one? Come on,…read moreYelpers--you've reviewed gas stations, car rentals and dry cleaners in Macon. What's up? A gas pump more interesting than this gem of a museum? Get with it, folks!!! Ah, that felt good! Our senior's group from Kerrville, TX was on its way home and the Cannonball House was our only stop of the day. The majority of us were appreciative of all things Southern, so this was a special treat. The house's name is derived from a Union cannonball that crashed into the house during the Battle of Dunlap Hill on July 30, 1864. The Cannonball House was owned by Judge Asa Holt during the Civil War and is now owned by the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy who saved if from demolition by the City of Macon. Thanks to these ladies, you're able to visit a Greek Revival mansion and not a parking lot! The House also hosts Father/Daughter Dances and Mother/Daughter Teas. And then there's--thank the Powers That Be--Miss Elizabeth's Academy for Young Ladies which "will instruct the girls in what it means to be a proper lady. Subjects covered: Introductions, sit like a lady, how to set a proper table and table etiquette, walking with confidence and Art of the Fan." And, lest you think the boys will escape, there's a co-ed course, too. My stogy old Southern heart sings with joy; civility and gentility are not dead!!! But I digress. The House is less a museum in the formal sense and more of a time capsule of Ante- and Post-Bellum Georgia. Architecture and period furniture buffs will be right at home here. The House consists of seven rooms. The Main Foyer with its period wall paper and imposing grandfather clock. The Family Room contains period furniture and portraits of the Holt Family. The Formal Dining Room houses a heavy wood table and silver serving sets including a large sterling punch bowl and ladle which survived the invasion of the Union Army only because it was buried. The Ladies' Bedroom contains period clothing, a hand-cranked sewing machine and a bed complete with a hand-tatted spread among other objects. Depending on when you visit, a collection of antique dolls may be displayed. Two Parlors display the furnishings of the founders of the Adelphean and Philomathean Societies which were organized at Wesleyan College, in 1851 and1852 respectively. These are the two oldest female societies in the world and continue to this day. Last, but certainly not least, is Judge Asa Holt's bedroom with its grand four-poster bed, marble-top table and chairs and a large bureau and chest of drawers. In my opinion, the Cannonball House should be on every tourist's itinerary. Seldom does one get such a personal glimpse into the lives of one of Macon's influential families. And if you're traveling with children, this is the perfect opportunity to make history come alive. For only $8.00 (as of this writing) you gain not only admission to the House but a guided tour as well. It's a bargain!

We enjoy civil war history and ole time ways of life. Our tour guide took us thru each room of the…read morehouse explaining the history of the house and the happenings of the time when the house was hit by a "cannon ball." It was really more of a large bullet like mortar. The house is in mourning-- all of the mirrors are covered by black cloth. There's even a casket in one of the parlor rooms. The tour guide says they do something different each month to highlight different traditions that were kept back in the day. The highlight of the tour for us was entering the servant's house and kitchen. Just as we walked in the room, we heard a squeaky toy sound. When I asked what that noise was - thinking it was a dog playing with a squeaky toy, she kinda hestitated and said we call him Matt. I thought, maybe that it was her grandson that she was watching during the summer. No. It's the little child that they hear playing sometimes. The ghost child they hear playing sometimes! Wow! Thanks for a terriffic tour!! We'll be back to investigate more of Macon history

It finally clicked for me that the Mississippian people had been here long before any of the more…read morepopular Native American nations, such as the Cherokee, Lakota, etc. In my mind, the history of the USA begins with the arrival of the religious exiles known as the pilgrims. However, before the pilgrims, the Spanish conquistadors were here, and they had a different welcoming party than the pilgrims did. It was the Mississippian people, who had been here for about 1000 years. The Ocmulgee area is very important to us. It tells the story of the land, rather than the story of the USA. Also, it withholds the most ancient sacred site in the USA, according to academic archeologists. For people interested in American history, indigenous peoples history and rights, and for people interested in spirituality, this monument is a place to see.

The visitor center has really cool stuff in its shop along with a fascinating museum inside of it…read morewith a good deal of interactive displays! They were very thoughtful and creative with how they made the museum! The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We got a map and checked out the mounds which were huge! The highlight was the earth lodge. It was surreal ducking down into this tunnel that let out into such a cool piece of history! Be sure to press the button to hear the audio guide built into the display- the info they gave really enriched our experience! Worth a two hour trip to check out!

What a great historical site. This is a diamond in the rough. A hidden Gem of a site…read more This site is north of Macon, Georgia by about 15 miles. It is off of the Jarrell Plantation road. Once you turn off the road, it is a very short drive to the visitor's center. There is a small parking lot (about 10 cars). The center is a very nice building with a counter manned by a ranger, a small movie about the site, and a gift shop. You enter and pay at the counter and then go on the self-guided tour around the site. The tri-fold brochure was very well done and describes the various parts of the site. There are signs at each of the various locations to describe the buildings and activities nearby. The site has houses from different eras. You can actually walk through them. There are engine house, blacksmith shop, evaporator house, wheat house, and more. There are paths to go around the site but some of them are steep so be careful. The entire sight was extremely informative and had a lot for any student interested in history. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this site to anyone interested in the history of the area. Enjoy.

We took advantage of Super Museum Sunday and weren't disappointed! This place is absolutely…read morehumbling. For the kids to see how much the world has changed since those times, it's so educational!

This place is way out there. That was kind of the point of course, as this POW camp would have left…read moreits prisoners with few places to escape to. The site includes a museum, a cemetery, and a driving tour around the area where the camp once stood. The museum is dedicated to prisoners of war more generally, and strikes a nice balance between telling the history of this specific place (including in a harrowing movie), but also connecting the issues faced by POWs throughout history. It also clearly explains the U.S. military code with regards to how to handle being captured. It's not a huge museum, but with the film I spent the better part of an hour. A tour of the camp can be done by either walking or driving. A piece of wooden stockade has been built, which offers a striking audiovisual experience when the lively atmosphere is cut off as you enter it. The area otherwise just marks where the rest of the stockade used to me, and also includes a variety of war monuments and informational signage. The cemetery is still active, containing not just the identified remains of many former Union POWs, but also American service members who have lived and died in subsequent eras. A map of the other major POW camps spans broadly. I've been to a few of those areas, but it would be quite a project to see all of them, even just the ones that have an actual surviving site and exhibition. However, the topic is compelling, combining the mechanics of war history with a lesson in the depths of human depravity, and an issue that will unfortunately always be relevant.

What can really be said that hasn't already? Well managed, well maintained National Park that every…read morehuman being should visit at least once. The museum was my favorite part, as the video and artifact offerings are excellent. If one takes the time, they will be enlightened on the American POW experience in all its wars. Our visit took about 2.5 hours on a crowd-free Wednesday in March, with most of the time spent in the museum. We briefly walked some of the grounds afterwards. Hallowed ground for sure. Cheers! RS

Elegant. Stately. Informative. These are just a few words that could be used describe the Old…read moreGovernor's Mansion. With the help of world-class tour guides, you'll find yourself instantly teleported to war-era Georgia, and one feels as though they are actually a servant, or a dignitary, or even a member of the governor's family. My tour guide, Deanna, gave an absolutely delightful tour that was both informative and entertaining. The whole experience left me with a renewed hunger to learn more about my state's troubled history.

Located in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse, you just about can't find a courthouse in the…read moreSouth that doesn't have one of these. The marker is in excellent condition with no deterioration. The cornerstone reads, "Erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Mrs. G.W. Jordan, President. Mrs. P.H. Lovejoy, Secretary and Treasurer." The obelisk is about 30 feet tall and features THREE statues on it. I assume the two lower ones are Jefferson Davis (President of the CSA) and Robert E. Lee (General of the Confederate Army) with the one atop a model confederate soldier leaning on his rifle. There front between Davis and Lee has a Confederate "Stars & Bars" with the words "Comrades." and "To our Confederate Soldiers." Normally, I would rate this two stars because the Civil War is over and the South lost. But this marker is actually very nice (for what it is) and is A-OK. [Review 14051 overall, 1373 of 2020, number 342 in Georgia.]

Though erected in the Jim Crow era its still a part of this countries and counties history. By…read moretaking it down or moving it is to deny one's history. If we remove parts of our past were doomed to relive it .

This museum highlights a fairly depressed looking downtown area, and while the outside doesn't have…read morea ton of aesthetic appeal, the interior rotunda is quite impressive. It houses a small, eclectic collection of exhibits focusing on subjects ranging from the local music scene to the history of segregation. The titular Harriet Tubman is memorialized in art and sculpture, but I could not figure out why the museum had this focus; Tubman is of course an impressive figure but as far as I could tell she was never anywhere near Georgia (the national park site in Eastern Shore Maryland is the area where she actually lived). Another aspect of the museum which puzzled me a bit was an exhibition on Tyler Perry, who again doesn't seem to have any local ties but is apparently a bigger cultural figure than I would have guessed. A mural on important historical figures is intriguing, but bizarrely excludes native Georgian Clarence Thomas and casually throws in figures like Bill Cosby and OJ Simpson while omitting some rather important pieces of context. Other parts of the museum focus on some starkly negative aspects of local history, as well as inspirational stories of success; military heroes get detailed stories here, but I was also impressed by a wall of black inventors. Overall, I found it a museum with some good highlights, but overall a mixed experience with some unfortunate lapses and not really a large enough place to drive from anywhere not in the Macon area just to see it.

A source of inspiration, triumph, and empowerment of African American stories told through Art,…read moreInnovations, Videos, Artifacts, and storytelling. Host of an annual Pan-African festival in April and All Souls Jazz Festival in January. An entire gallery dedicated to the Soul of Macon - highlighting Otis Redding, James Brown, and Little Richard among others with stories and artifacts from their recording life. Beautiful fine art and folk art both expressive and abstract from African American artists formally and informally studied in art. Stories of Harriet Tubman's life and journey to free slaves through the Underground Railroad and her dedications to freedom late in life. Innovations gallery of inventions and innovations patented by African and Black Americans along with a highlights mural of black Americans dedicated to civil rights. Give the museum an hour or two to take in all the exhibits, videos, art, and galleries. A great stop for Black History and African American appreciation.

It's pretty hard to miss a hundred foot tall missile parked in a gas station lot alongside the…read morehighway. But here it is. The Martin-Marietta Titan I was the first multi-stage intercontinental Ballistic missile produced for the United States Air Force. Using a liquid oxygen and jet fuel propellant, it was the nuclear deterrent from 1959 to 1962 until it was replaced by the Titan II missile that lasted until 1987. Independent from launch through controlled flight until the ballistic release of the warhead, the warhead would then descend to its target by simple gravity and air resistance. You're not going to find too many of these babies still standing. I assume it's disarmed but you never know. [Review 14052 overall, 1374 of 2020, number 343 in Georgia.]

Just off of I-75, drivers can exit and get up close to a relic of the Cold War: a Titan I missile…read more This retired delivery system for nuclear payloads has stood outside Cordele since July 17, 1969. Rotary Club president and missile-lover John S. Pate Jr. managed to arrange for the 98-foot-tall ballistic weapon to be donated by the U.S. government, dismantled in California, shipped to Robins Air Force Base, and then trucked here.