At the state's geographic center, Macon, founded in 1823, has more than 100,000 flowering cherry trees, which it celebrates each March with a knockout festival. With 14 historic districts and 6,000 individual structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its antebellum and Victorian homes are among the state's best preserved. Everywhere you turn in the downtown business district there are preservation and rehabilitation projects—new lofts, shops, and restaurants now occupy once-abandoned buildings. Following a $1.2 million restoration, the Capitol Theatre (originally founded as a bank in 1897) is a popular venue for movies and concerts; after a three-year renovation, St. Joseph's Catholic Church is more impressive than ever; and the old Armory, complete with its first-floor dance hall, is finding new life as a special-events space.
Daily news is reported in the Telegraph. The Georgia Informer, the 11th Hour, and the upscale Macon Magazine are good sources of information on local arts and cultural events.
