Strong community and state support fuels the success of Middle Georgia schools. In 1993, the state launched a lottery, a movement spearheaded by former governor Zell Miller. The profits from the lottery were distributed to several educational programs, most notable being the Hope scholarship, funding tuition for college students who maintain a B average.
The Office of Educational Readiness, later renamed Bright From The Start, was formed in 1996 to administer the state pre-K program. Research has shown that children who attended pre-K were rated higher academically and socially than children who enter school without the program. Bright From the Start grew quickly to serve more than 70,000 students in less than 10 years. By 2005, Georgia’s pre-K program had reached a higher proportion of students than any other program in the country. Midstate counties are very active in the pre-K program with 93 state-funded sites dispersed among public school systems and privately owned child-care facilities. You may be partial to a flashy Broadway musical at the Some Southern clichés are valid. Here in the Midstate, watermelon is a popular summer snack, roadside peach stands dot the landscape and high school sports is a way of life for many communities. But everyone doesn’t drive a pickup truck or chew tobacco. Those stereotypes have been laid to rest. Thankfully, Southern hospitality and charm still ring true.
The cities of Macon and Warner Robins are large enough to provide many of the advantages of city life, but both are small enough to avoid the hassles that plague major metropolitan areas. Smaller cities such as Perry, Dublin and Forsyth have lovely historic downtowns within minutes of the shopping, restaurants, hospitals and entertainment of Macon and Warner Robins. Warner Robins has a bounty of shopping centers, while Macon boasts the Macon Mall, a long-time shopping destination for the region, in addition to the Shoppes at River Crossing, an outdoor mall with a regional focus that continues to draw new stores and restaurants to its north Bibb location.
It takes only minutes to escape town for a day of fishing or hiking. Hugh M. Gillis Public Fishing Area in Laurens County, for example, offers 109 acres of waters teeming with bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish. In Jones County’s Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge you may catch sight of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. And, of course, large lakes such as Juliette, Oconee and Sinclair are all a short drive away.
Here in Middle Georgia you can enjoy fine dining, live theater, art exhibits and classical music without driving to Atlanta, and you’ll rarely have to pay for parking.
Dining in the South is not limited to fried chicken and collard greens. Innovative Southern cuisine can be found at such locations as Grits Café in Forsyth or the Red Tomato in Bolingbroke. But Midstate cuisine ranges far beyond that. If pizza’s to your liking, there’s Ingleside Village Pizza - located in a charming shopping area - which also boasts the best selection of beer in Macon. Family-style Italian and more can be found at Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta. In downtown Macon one of the nation’s most famous hot dog establishments, Nu-Way Weiners, resides.
In fact, Nu-Way restaurants are scattered around the area. Also in downtown Macon is Market City Café, which has recently expanded its lunch business to include dinner on select nights. Of course, there are plenty of dining options away from Macon, including 1903 Page House, a fine-dining destination in Dublin. Throughout the Midstate you’ll also find a wide range of international cuisine such as French, Italian, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Korean and Japanese. Also, some of the best things in life are free. Macon was recognized as having the best drinking water in the country in 2009 at the annual American Water Works Association meeting.
There is not a better way to experience the theater than sitting in crushed-velvet seats or peeking over the edge of gilded balconies. Seeing a show in one of the Midstate’s breathtaking historic theaters is a truly theatrical experience. Hawkinsville’s Old Opera House and Macon’s Grand Opera House offer acts as varied as Willie Nelson, “The Producers” and “Chicago.” There is a also a vibrant community theater presence in the Midstate, offering a wide variety of performances. For more classical fare, the Macon Symphony Orchestra offers a full season of performances, and local colleges and universities share their cultural talents. During the academic year it’s possible to hear classical music played by professionals several times a week at Mercer University, usually for free.
To get an idea of all the musical and athletic talent Georgia has produced, comb through the extensive exhibits of Macon’s museum district. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, The Tubman African American Museum and the Georgia Children’s Museum are all located within a block of each other. The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins is one of the largest aviation museums in the nation. Housing more than 100 aircraft and missiles, the facility is a 51-acre complex with interactive displays on the nation’s Air Force history.
However, you don’t have to walk the halls of museums to learn about Midstate history. Sherman’s troops left the area almost completely intact during the Civil War. While the post-war economy might have been in ruins, the houses and buildings were not. The Midstate serves as an encyclopedia of architecture, with examples of Victorian, Neoclassical, Renaissance, Greek revival, Italianate and Early Republic structures. Macon leads the area with 5,500 historic structures and 11 historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
