Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525586
88 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2024 images are lit up and really vibrant. There's an audio component that you can listen to and hear those voices of the past. It's a living, modern art installation that anyone can see, and it is ever-changing. And after breakfast and the walk down Poplar Street? Obviously, you've got to do the walk across downtown and get over to the park, right? And that's exciting. You don't have to leave. You don't have to be in a car to get into what is going to be the next national park. You can walk it. Go through the back gate and see. And when you come in that way, it's a really pretty walk. But it's more than pretty. You see the hills of Georgia. Most people don't realize how hilly this landscape is, and that it was once ocean. As you approach, you'll start seeing diff erent structures in the landscape. Depending on which way you go from the back entrance, you can head toward a beautiful, shaded woody area and end up at the Temple Mound, or you can take the other path toward the Earth Lodge. But seeing the park as a seamless part of a downtown tour, that connection with the present day and how close we are to history in Macon today, that's my favorite part of the tour. Come back into downtown for lunch at Rookery. It's an establishment of Macon and such a great spot to continue to highlight the music scene, with all the local burgers and talking about the diff erent names and who they are, like Sign your name to support the creation of Georgia's fi rst National Park at ocmulgeepark.org/addyourname. Otis Redding or Hamp Swain. And I love for people to write their names on the tables because then you become a part of that history as well. The Otis Redding stop is a big one because a lot of people from outside of this area do not realize that Otis came from here. They don't understand the pivotal impact that Otis had on history and music and who he really was and his message – that love and music go beyond color, that people are people, and not focusing on the past but focusing on the present and the future. Otis's message, and the fact that his family still controls his legacy, says a lot about what Macon represents today. People love that, and it's exciting to bring those cultures together, to talk about the historic Indigenous culture, the music culture, Black history and culture, and to bring that into the modern sense of who we are. There are some newer great stops that I love to highlight. Obviously, Sweet Eleanor's. You can grab a great cup of coff ee and a pastry. For dinner, I usually recommend Piedmont Brewery and Kitchen. In my opinion, they have the best brisket. And I'm a brisket girl. Another stop we always try to hit is Visit Macon. They do such a great job in their video of giving an introduction to Macon and an overview of the history. I also love to take people to [Mercer Music at] Capricorn to show off the records, the museum, and the historic sound studios. I love how you are so passionate about all of downtown, in addition to the Muscogee side. I truly think what makes Macon unique is that Macon has a past like any other town, but is embracing that past. At the same time, Macon really is focused on creating change for its future. And you see that in the development downtown and some of the revitalization eff orts like the historic markers. For example, when the county commission passed our legislation to raise the fl ag, it wasn't, you know, Democrat versus Republican to say whether we should do it. Now, we are working with Visit Macon and NewTown to redo the downtown signage, with the same English names and Muscogee underneath, in acknowledgment of our ancestral lands. Rather than get into party lines, it's about "we need to do what's right for the community." Any fi nal thoughts? When people visit this land, there should always be reverence and understanding. When you go out to the park, remember that this land is older than all of us, and it has more than one story. We were removed, another story came along, and Macon grew out of that. The land is old enough and wise enough that it can embrace all the stories. We can respect them all, too.