- Tubman Museum in Macon
Celebrating African American art, history and culture for over 40 years, The Tubman Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeast. The wonders of the museum begin outside the structure, as the unique architecture is reflective of African designs. Within the doors of the museum, exhibitions celebrating renowned black inventors and artists await. The museum frequently hosts events celebrating African and African American culture while encouraging visitors to get engaged with an essential part of history.
2. Cotton Avenue District in Macon
With its roots as an avenue where enslaved laborers would transport cotton for shipping, Cotton Avenue grew to become a mecca for successful Black businesses during the Jim Crow era. Today, the Cotton Avenue Coalition works to preserve and share this history. The Cotton Avenue district is home to the Otis Redding Museum, featuring memorabilia and merchandise from the “King of Soul,” and the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, which opened its doors in 2025 to educate, inspire and empower the youth of Macon with music and art.
- Otis Redding Monument in Macon
As you journey north along the Trail, be sure to stop in downtown Gray to experience the Otis Redding Monument. This heartfelt tribute honors the legendary soul singer who spent much of his life in Jones County. Created by the Redding family and the Otis Redding Foundation, the monument celebrates Redding’s enduring legacy with the interactive marker playing 15 of his hit songs.
4. The Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton
For more than half a century the Uncle Remus Museum has conserved Joel Chandler Harris’ early years in Eatonton, GA. Harris voiced the African American critter tales he heard as a boy working at Turnwold Plantation through Uncle Remus, a composite character drawn from several local slaves who shared the stories with him.
Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear skip to and fro in the Uncle Remus stories scheming and trying to out wit the other.
The Uncle Remus Museum strives to educate visitors about the life and work of Joel Chandler Harris using historic storytelling, period artifacts, dioramas of the more famous Uncle Remus characters, local history during Harris’ formative years, and informative tours.
5. The Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum in Columbus
Be sure to pay a pilgrimage to this museum. Ma Rainey was a musical revolutionary, incorporating various styles of blues, jazz, and her own personal flair into the minstrel and vaudeville acts. Her deep, raspy vocals were said to be an influence on blues singer Bessie Smith, who had toured with Ma Rainey for a period.
After a long career of touring and over 100 recordings with Paramount, Ma Rainey moved to her 5th Avenue home in Columbus in the early 1930’s to retire. Ma Rainey left behind a legacy as the “Mother of the Blues.” During her long career, she tutored, sponsored, performed with, and recorded with many of the foremost pioneers of American blues and jazz — Louis Armstrong, Thomas A. Dorsey, Blind Blake and the list goes on.
6. Morgan County African-American Museum in Madison
With a mission to “research, collect, educate, and preserve the history and the art of the African American Culture,” the Morgan County African-American Museum houses an array of historic artifacts, artistic exhibits, and diverse displays that illustrate the stories and achievements of individuals from Morgan County. Before its time as a museum, this quaint building was home to John Wesley Moore. Born in the last years of slavery, Moore worked as a tenant farmer for James Fannin while providing for his four children and wife.
7. The Andrews Family Legacy Exhibit at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center
The permanent The Andrews Family Legacy Exhibit chronicles the stories and creative works of the incredibly talented Andrews family as they navigated life in the rural, segregated South. Patriarch George Andrews, affectionately known as the “Dot Man,” began his creative journey by painting rocks, before expanding to furniture, shoes, and eventually canvas. His son Benny Andrews became a nationally recognized artist and activist, co-founding the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition to advocate for Black representation in major New York museums. Another son, Raymond Andrews, channeled his artistry into writing, earning the James Baldwin Prize for his debut novel. His vivid stories of 1930s–40s Morgan County are illustrated by Benny, making their work a true family legacy.
8. Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History in Augusta
Explore the preserved home of pioneering educator Lucy Craft Laney, where inspiring exhibits celebrate the achievements, resilience, and lasting contributions of Black Augustans to the community and the nation. Lucy Craft Laney (1854 – 1933)was born a free person of color, became a nationally prominent educator and social reformer. Chiefly she founded The Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, the first kindergarten for African- American children in Augusta and The Lamar School of Nursing. A tireless leader during Georgias’ Progressive Era, Miss Laney also courageously promoted women’s voting rights and interracial co-operation.