This Small Southern City Is the Under-the-Radar Home of Music Royalty

Eat, Drink and Sleep:

Bars and restaurants in Macon

Macon’s cuisine melds elements of soul food, lowcountry cooking, and global fusion, with sips and bites often infused with music inspiration. Have a round of music-inspired cocktails at Hightales, the rooftop bar at Hotel Forty Five; the lip-tingling Got the Feelin’ is named for the 1968 James Brown tune, with blanco Tequila, jalapeno- and habanero-infused agave, raspberry, and lime.

Visit global bistro Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails for a cocktail that pays homage to The King with his favorite ingredient, and stay for the winning starters and sides. Priscilla’s King combines rum that is fat washed with peanut butter with banana liqueur, allspice dram, and demerara syrup. Dishes on the food menu all dial classics up a notch. Japanese milk bread yeast rolls arrive with a trio of butters, baked plump Gulf oysters are topped with garlic butter and tangy pecorino, and cucumbers are tossed with ingredients like ponzu and sambal.

H&H Soul Food Restaurant is an institution, drawing in locals, visitors, and musicians alike since 1959, so having brunch there is practically a requirement for visiting Macon. They don’t take reservations and the wait can be brutal on the weekends, but it’s well worth it when you tuck into boneless chicken and waffles washed down with sweet tea. When you leave, snap a selfie next to the mural in the parking lot, which depicts chef and owner Mama Louise Hudson and The Allman Brothers, who formed a bond with her and tapped her to cook for the band on tour.