x
Breaking News
More () »

Macon ranks in 12 Best American ‘Music Cities’ That Aren’t Nashville list

Macon ranks within the top 5 on the list.

MACON — It's no secret Macon is home to some of America's biggest music legends like the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, and Jason Aldean, so much so Macon has claimed a top spot in a national traveler's guide.

"If walls could talk, they would sing, because there is music in every corner and every alley in downtown Macon, you just have to know what you're looking for," Jamie Weatherford who co-operates Rock Candy Tours said.

Weatherford says his tours give visitors a glimpse of Macon's musical history like the Allman Brothers Band, but Weatherford says that's not all.

"Everything that it took from basically the early '50s, with Little Richard, James Brown and the Famous Flames, Johnny Hooker lived in Macon," Weatherford said.

Those musical greats are why Macon is getting "Tutti Frutti," being ranked number 2 on Fodor's travel "12 Best American Music Cities Not in Nashville." With that ranking, Valerie Bradley with Visit Macon said their hard work has paid off.

"That makes us feel great, it makes us feel like our messages are getting out to the masses," Bradley said.

According to Fodor's Travel Southern Rock Bands, H&H Restaurant, the Big House Museum, and Bragg Jam are some of the reasons they have been loving Macon too long. Weatherford credits the work of music greats for the number 2 spot.

"This is something that people have been working to put together for a long, long time -- this just did not happen overnight, it's just a tremendous amount of effort put in by a large number of people to give us that opportunity," Weatherford said.

And Bradley said when people visit Macon they will understand why Macon ranked so high.

"Everything that we have in Macon that people can experience the unexpected, and we promote that internationally and domestically as well," Bradley said.

After Nashville, Fodor's said the nation's number 1 music spot is Clarksdale, Mississippi, which they called "Ground Zero of the Blues."

Before You Leave, Check This Out