Make #DTMac part of your New Year’s Resolution! Downtown Macon offers something for everyone. With 80+ shops and restaurants, 20 entertainment venues, 11 cultural sites, and numerous recreational opportunities, downtown is the perfect setting to fulfill your resolutions in 2019. Here are just a few suggestions of ways to incorporate downtown’s offerings into your plans for the new year.
1. If you want to get fit…
Join one of downtown Macon’s fitness centers. Fit Moguls, CrossFit AOA, Rush Mixed Martial Arts, Sparks Yoga, and Kinetix each offer a different fitness experience. Plus, Sparks Yoga often partners with downtown organizations and businesses to offer free yoga classes. After sweating it out, stop by Harp and Bowl for a protein shake, made with all fresh ingredients, to re-energize.
2. If you want to broaden your horizons…
Check out Macon Arts Alliance’s community calendar at Macon365.com. You’ll be able to find events to attend that will broaden your horizons like a show at Theatre Macon or the Grand Opera House, a concert at Hargray Capitol Theatre, or a Macon Film Guild screening at the Douglass Theatre.
And don’t forget about our great sports team in Macon! Never been to a hockey or arena football game? Buy tickets to see the Macon Mayhem and Georgia Doom. And don’t forget to check out the Macon Bacon in historic Luther Williams Stadium or cheer on the Mercer Bears at any sporting event.
3. If you want to gain a new skill….
Check out workshops and classes offered at the 567 Center for Renewal, Ampersand Guild, and 7th Street Salvage. From digital photography to variety of art media to handlettering, each of these venues offer many opportunities each month to try your hand at something new.
4. If you want to start shopping local…
What better place to do so than downtown Macon? With 80+ shops and restaurants, downtown offers many opportunities to buy gifts, and some essentials, on a consistent basis. Downtown boutiques are a great place to start if you’re also looking to freshen up your wardrobe: check out Posh Clothing Boutique, Frankie’s Boutique, Daphne’s 525, Dot’s Forget Me Knots, and Kaybee.
5. If you want to be more frugal…
There is always something free or inexpensive to do in downtown Macon. Check out a movie screening at the Douglass Theatre, it’s one of the best deals in town. $5 gets you admission to a movie in a beautiful historic setting AND popcorn and a drink?! Yes please.
Wear. offers a fun thrifting experience for the fashionista constantly on a hunt for a deal. Golden Bough Bookstore sells new and used books at great prices, perfect if you’re trying to save a few dollars and you want to read more in this new year. Win win!
And be sure to follow NewTown Macon on social media. Many free events are held throughout the year downtown and we promote these opportunities on Facebook and Instagram.
6. If you want to spend more time outdoors…
There’s a reason Macon is known as “a city in a park.” Our many downtown parks like Rosa Parks Square, Tattnall Square Park, Central City Park, and spacious medians offer many green spaces perfect for relaxing or a picnic. Grab a bike and explore the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail or attend NewTown Macon’s Flannels and Frost event on Saturday, February 9 (another free event)!
Or just take a walk! Check out the newly installed Macon Sculpture Walk featuring four incredible sculptures within the Central Business District. Downtown Macon is incredibly walkable and walking is a great way to discover businesses and venues you may have never supported.
7. If you want to travel more…
Be a tourist in your own home! Downtown Macon is the epicenter for culture in the Middle Georgia region. Tour the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Tubman Museum, Ocmulgee National Monument, Ruth Hartley Mosley Memorial Women’s Center or Otis Redding Foundation to learn local, state, and national history.
8. If you want to give back….
There are many ways to volunteer your time. Consider joining the Historic Macon’s Flea Market Brew Crew and help prepare for Historic Macon’s biggest fundraiser that supports preservation and revitalization efforts throughout our community. Get involved with a non-profit that fits your passion like Bike Walk Macon, the Mentors Project, Daybreak, and Loaves and Fishes Ministry, just to name a few.
And you can always make a donation to NewTown Macon to support our mission to attract, leverage, and invest in self-sustaining transformation of downtown Macon.
Cheers to 2019! Resolve to be a regular in downtown Macon for a happier and healthier New Year.