Historic Macon, Visit Macon, and Rock Candy Tours released a tour brochure, which highlights places that are strongly connected to Macon’s music legends and history.
 
Debuting Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 11 a.m., the event held at Visit Macon’s Downtown Visitors Information Center (450 Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.) opened with a news conference, featured an H&H biscuit bar, and concluded with abbreviated tours led by Rock Candy’s Jamie Weatherford and Rex Dooley.
 
Historic Macon Foundation, in partnership with Rock Candy Tours, NewTown Macon, and the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association (GABBA), launched the Historic Macon Music Registry in September 2016, made possible by the generous support of the Cox Family Trust of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. The program is an ongoing documentation project that interprets and celebrates Macon's rich and diverse musical heritage. Plaques are placed at influential sites that represent the diversity of music's role in shaping the character and soul of Macon. The project boasts over 20 plaques throughout Macon.
 
“The music plaques are an important visual reminder of the legacies that have been born out of this community,” said Ethiel Garlington, Executive Director of Historic Macon Foundation. Visitors and residents alike can discover an amazing piece of Macon’s history when they’re simply heading to dinner at one of our long-standing eateries! These plaques make our connection to American music evident to all and solidify Macon’s place in the story of our country’s music narrative clear.”   
 
This past October, Visit Macon and Rock Candy Tours announced the Rock N’Soul riding tours. Offered every Saturday, the two-hour driving tour traces the journey of Southern rock and soul legends and highlights their landmarks along the way. During the comprehensive driving tour, participants learn about the legends, landmarks, and favorite haunts of Southern music's most influential players.
 
“Rock Candy Tours has been providing walking tours since 2011 but now thanks to our partnership with Visit Macon we have expanded into weekly riding tours. This allows us to show more sites in less time without the concern of hilly terrain. The success of the riding tours has led us to explore new tour topics which we will be announcing details of in the near future,” said Jamie Weatherford of Rock Candy Tours.  
 
Considering the clear interest in Macon’s music heritage from the community and visitors alike, Historic Macon, Visit Macon, and Rock Candy Tours came together to create a brochure for a self-guided music tour, funded by a Downtown Challenge Grant from the Community Foundation. This brochure features locations from both the Historic Macon Music Registry and the Rock N’Soul riding tours, totaling 43 points of interest in total. The Macon’s Music History brochure perfectly complements these existing programs but can also be self-guided at any time.
 
“This Macon’s Music History brochure is another example of collaboration in celebrating Macon as a true music destination. Visit Macon is proud to partner with Historic Macon and Rock Candy Tours in creating experiences for visitors and fans of our music past, present, and future,” said Gary Wheat, president and CEO of Visit Macon.
 
The news conference on Wednesday, December 12 featured remarks from Ethiel Garlington of Historic Macon Foundation, Valerie Bradley of Visit Macon, and Jessica Walden of Rock Candy Tours. After a brief biscuit reception by H&H, abbreviated tours, featuring the brochures, departed, lasting roughly an hour.