If there is one must-see attraction in Macon for the sports lover, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is it! The sprawling museum covers an entire city block in the historic downtown area of Macon and chronicles the history of sports in the Peach State from 1800s to present day.
You enter the museum into a large rotunda with a hardwood basketball-type floor lit by natural lighting from an enormous basketball-shaped window. From the first-floor coridor, you have several options, each worth your time and attention. To the left, explore the plaques of the enshrined Georgia sports icons, from Josh Gibson (the Negro Leagues' Babe Ruth) to Evander Holyfield (the former heavyweight boxing champion) to virtual unknowns whose story alone brings credence to the presence of a state sports hall of fame.
As you venture back through the rodunda, you find the theater, made to look exactly like Ponce de Leon Park in Atlanta, where the historic Atlanta Crackers used to play. The film lasts about 10 to 15 minutes and is as educational as it is thrilling to relive great moments like the Braves winning the World Series or a Hershel Walker touchdown run while he was a University of Georgia Bulldog.
As you explore the upstairs area of the museum, the displays are as much interactive as they are interesting. You'll still find cases with mementos of history, from the gloves Holyfield wore in the infamous Mike Tyson "bite fight" to Olympic gold medals won by Georgians or personal trinkets of Ty Cobb or Hank Aaron. The true treat, though, is the hands-on displays. Call Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run on a virtual broadcasting station, try your luck at basketball in a specially designed basketball cage with three or four goals, or kick a field goal or throw some passes in the football cage. If you're not worn out yet, there's also a NASCAR simulator, computer sports trivia stations, and stations to test your equilibrium, measure your vertical leap, or experience what it's like to complete the New York City marathon in a racing wheelchair.
This museum is truly a wonderful experience. It's not very crowded, and as a result recently chose to close on Sundays, but it's an inexpensive ($6 for adults, $3.50 for kids) way to spend an afternoon or an entire day in downtown Macon.
When you're finished at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, you're still in the middle of downtown's shopping, dining, and museum district, so you can easily plan an exciting day all within a short leisurely walk.