Macon isn't just a place to visit — it's a place to perform. As the hometown of musical icons like Otis Redding, Little Richard, The Allman Brothers Band and countless other trailblazers, Macon offers student performers the opportunity to take the stage in a city where American music helped shape the world.
This performance-focused itinerary blends educational discovery with opportunities for students to connect through music, theater, arts and hands-on experiences. Whether your group is a choir, band, orchestra, dance team or theater ensemble, your students will experience inspiring performance opportunities while exploring the history, creativity and culture that make Macon unlike anywhere else.
Create a memorable finale to your Macon experience with a student performance at a historic or community venue.
Performance opportunities may include a showcase at a historic music venue, community space, or cultural partner location. Students will experience the excitement of performing for an audience while connecting their own creativity to the musical and cultural history that makes Macon unique.
Tubman Museum
Students will explore the powerful connection between Black history, art, music and storytelling at the Tubman Museum. Through inspiring exhibits featuring artists, inventors and cultural leaders, students will discover how creativity and resilience have shaped American culture.
Enhance the visit with an interactive drumming experience where students learn traditional rhythms, participate as an ensemble and connect movement, music and teamwork through the universal language of rhythm.
Recommended Time: One-two hours
Rock Candy Tours
Take the story of Macon to the streets with Rock Candy Tours. Students will explore the city’s architecture, neighborhoods, music history and cultural movements while discovering how Macon became a destination known around the world for creativity and innovation.
Students will step into the early story of one of music’s most influential pioneers at the Little Richard House & Resource Center. Explore the place where Richard Penniman’s creativity, passion and unmistakable sound began to take shape.
Performance students will gain inspiration from his journey as an artist who broke barriers, blended musical styles and helped shape the foundation of rock and roll. This immersive experience connects students to the power of originality, perseverance and finding their own voice through music.
Recommended Time: Two hours
The Rookery
Wrap up your first day with a private group dinner at one of Macon's favorite local restaurants. This cultural landmark has been a gathering place since Jimmy Carter ascended the White House and Capricorn Records was a world known hit maker.
The Rookery offers student-friendly group menus and a welcoming atmosphere that introduces visitors to the flavors of Macon.
Douglass Theatre
Students will step into one of Macon’s most treasured cultural landmarks, the historic Douglass Theatre. This legendary venue has welcomed performers including Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Otis Redding, Little Richard, James Brown and Gertrude “Ma” Rainey.
Students will learn how this theatre preserved a century of music and culture while exploring opportunities for student performance, workshop or special event. Enjoy a group lunch featuring a catered box lunch from Satterfield’s Barbecue.
Recommended Time: Two hours
Artist Experience
Continue your musical journey at Mercer Music at Capricorn, where students step inside the legendary recording spaces that helped define Southern rock and soul music. Interactive exhibits, studio artifacts and behind-the-scenes stories reveal how artists collaborated, experimented and created songs that influenced generations.
Just moments away, the Otis Redding Museum offers an intimate look at the life of the "King of Soul." Through personal memorabilia, photographs, stage costumes and family-curated exhibits, students discover how Otis Redding's talent, determination and authenticity left a lasting mark on music history.
For young performers, the experience highlights the importance of artistry, collaboration and staying true to your creative voice.
Recommended Time: Two hours
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park
Explore one of Georgia's most significant cultural landscapes at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. Students can walk through space that has been occupied for more than 17,000 years, climb ancient ceremonial mounds and enter the remarkable Earth Lodge with its preserved original floor.
For performance groups, the visit offers a deeper understanding of how music, dance, ceremony and storytelling have long been part of community life. During special events such as the Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration, students may experience traditional songs, dances and cultural demonstrations that connect the past with the present.
The park provides a meaningful opportunity to explore the relationship between culture, performance and identity across centuries.
Recommended Time: Two-four hours
Dining Options
Groups staying near Macon West student-friendly hotels can enjoy walkable dining options and an evening movie experience at AmStar Macon.
Alternatively, students will step into the story of one of Macon’s most iconic musical landmarks, the Big House Museum, where the sounds, stories and creativity of the Allman Brothers Band come to life.
This immersive experience gives students a behind-the-scenes look at the dedication, collaboration and passion that shaped a legendary music journey. Students will explore the spaces where musicians lived, created and connected while gaining inspiration from the artistry and teamwork behind one of America’s most influential bands.
**Dinner can be arranged at this location or at Society Garden or nearby Ingleside Village Pizza
Museum of Arts & Sciences
Kick off the morning with interactive STEM learning at the Museum of Arts & Sciences.
Explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics through interactive exhibits, a planetarium experience, mini zoo and rotating educational displays designed to inspire curiosity and creativity.
Recommended time: Two-three hours
Hay House
Step inside one of Macon’s finest historic homes. Through a guided tour of this 1860 Italian Renaissance Revival mansion, students discover decorative arts, craftsmanship, technology and the details that made this immersive home unlike anything else of its time.
Groups can also add a stained-glass craft activity to create a memorable keepsake inspired by the home's beautiful design.
Recommended Time: One-two hours
Cannonball House
Step into living history at the Cannonball House, where students can explore what life was like during the Civil War era through the stories of the families who lived here.
A guided visit brings history to life as students discover personal stories, period details, and the events that shaped Macon’s past.
Recommended time: One hour
Museum of Aviation
Take learning to new heights at one of the nation's largest aviation museums.
Students explore historic aircraft, engineering concepts, military history, STEM exhibits and immersive virtual reality experiences.
Recommended Time: Two-three hours
Rhythm & Rally
Finish your Macon adventure with an active team-building experience at the World's Largest Indoor Pickleball Facility.
Students can participate in friendly competitions, build teamwork skills and enjoy a memorable group activity.
Recommended Time: Two-three hours
Farewell Dinner & Departure
Enjoy a final group meal in Macon before departing with new memories, meaningful connections and an experience that celebrates student talent, creativity and achievement.
