Macon, Georgia Cherry Blossom Festival Tips From A Local

Use these tips to enjoy your visit to Macon, Georgia, for the International Cherry Blossom Festival this year. As a local, I have been attending this festival for many years.

My family moved to Macon in the late 1960’s. I still live in the area. Attending the International Cherry Blossom Festival each year is a must-do event for my family. The festival is huge. It lasts 10 days, through two weekends. There is something for everyone to see, do, and enjoy.

The historic city of Macon, Georgia, comes alive during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Spring has brought blooms from not only the Yoshino Cherry Trees but also Crepe Myrtles, Azaleas, Forsythia, Dogwoods, and more. Business owners have decorated their store fronts with all things pink for the occasion. Even the downtown streets will have pink cherry blossoms painted on them. You will feel the excitement in the air as you tour the city during the festival.

Macon is known as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World for the many thousands of Yoshino Cherry Trees that bloom here each spring.

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About Macon

The city of Macon was founded in 1823 and has a rich cultural history. Classic Greek revival architecture and Victorian-style homes are a part of that heritage, with over 6,000 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Be sure to ride through historic downtown and take in some of those sights. My daughter’s wedding was held at The Hay House, located downtown, which will be open for tours during Cherry Blossom.

About Macon
Carolyn Crayton Park aka Central City Park Events
View The Cherry Blossom Trees
Mulberry Street Arts & Crafts Festival
Food Truck Frenzy
Side Walk Chalk Art: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
Take A Walking Tour of Downtown Macon
Tunes & Balloons Festival Finale is a must-see
More Cherry Blossom Events
Why Should You Visit the Macon, Georgia Cherry Blossom Festival

More Georgia Travel Ideas

Rides and food vendors at Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon

Carolyn Crayton Park aka Central City Park Events

We always make the trip downtown to Carolyn Crayton Park, aka Central City Park to locals, which is the hub of the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival. Gate admission into Carolyn Crayton Park includes access to all shows and attractions, except amusement rides. Arm Bands are sold daily for the rides. Parking is free at the park.

The park itself is a wonderful, large tree-lined outdoor recreation area with picnic tables, pavilions with grills, fields perfect for playing frisbee, and playgrounds. It stretches along the southernmost part of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, and you can often feel a breeze from the Ocmulgee River.

Historic Luther William Field is located in the park. Luther Williams Field, built-in 1929, has been home to farm teams such as the Macon Braves and is a popular movie location site.

Amusement rides (daily arm bands)
Food trucks
Concerts
Dog Shows
Pig Racing
Circus
Animal shows
Car Show
Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides
Helicopter rides
more

This is also the location of the Pink Pancake breakfast sponsored by the local fire department. They usually also sell Hot Boiled Peanuts at the park.

Daily performances on the Coca-Cola entertainment stage at various times during the day and evening. Plan to grab a bite of food, then have a seat and enjoy a performance.

There is a variety of entertainment at the park, and every year it may be different. Check the Cherry Blossom Festival site park link.

View The Cherry Blossom Trees

You might be thinking that you can see trees at home. Sure, but Macon has over 350,000 Yoshino Cherry Blossom trees. It really is the ‘pinkest party’ when all of those trees are blooming at one time.

Download the festival app to your phone. There will be information for a driving tour or bus tours that will take you around Macon to see the Yoshino Cherry Trees. It is up to nature if they will bloom during the festival.

You will see more than Yoshino Cherry Trees in bloom. Crepe myrtles, azalea, daffodils, and pansies will be showing their colors as well along this scenic drive. We make the drive every year and never get tired of how gorgeous it is.

As you drive out the Rivoli and Wesleyan Drive area, if you end your driving tour that way, you will be very close to the Shoppes at River Crossing, a huge outdoor shopping mall with lots of restaurants, too. Plug it into your GPS and go shopping! Poke around at the plethora of stores and restaurants there. One of our favorite places to eat at the Shoppes is La Parilla Mexican Restaurant.

There are plenty of Yoshino Cherry Trees in bloom in the downtown area as well. If you visit the arts and crafts festival, you will have an opportunity to snap some pictures of the trees and other downtown sites.

Huge painting on side of downtown building in Macon Ga.

Mulberry Street Arts & Crafts Festival

The arts and crafts festival is a personal favorite in my family. We have been going for more years than I can remember. It’s a very pleasant walk in downtown Macon.

This festival is situated on closed-off city streets with a wide park-like divider between each side of the street. It’s a very pleasant outdoor event. There are food trucks and tons of vendors. Some of the downtown shops and restaurants in the area are also open during the street festival.

Food Truck Frenzy

Outdoor festivities downtown include the Food Truck Frenzy during the last weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival. It is just plain fun to order and eat the variety of foods offered at these food truck events.

Southern Food Trucks will be coming from all around, so there is a lot of variety to choose from. This event usually occurs downtown. This is one of our favorite events to attend.

Also see my list of Where The Locals Eat in Macon, Ga., for great sit-down restaurant options.

Sidewalk chalk in front of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon, Ga. — Sidewalk chalk art

Side Walk Chalk Art: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

We love to walk down to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame during the Cherry Blossom Festival to see the sidewalk chalk art. It is absolutely amazing. You can’t believe the depth. Bring a selfie stick because you will want to take pics. Every year, the art is different.

Macon, Ga. cityscape at dark — Downtown Macon, Ga.

Take A Walking Tour of Downtown Macon

While you are downtown for the Arts & Crafts Festival and Food Truck Frenzy, go ahead and take a walking tour to see a few notable sites right where you are. We are not even going to leave Mulberry Street.

My recommended sites to see include:

Walk up Mulberry St. to the Grand Opera House, which is right next door to the courthouse.
Keep going up the hill to see the historic Mulberry St. United Methodist Church, where they may be allowing tours
Cross over the street carefully and come back down the other side. There you will see the First Presbyterian Church with its spire soaring 183 feet in the sky. The building was finished in 1858, so the architecture is stunning.
As you continue back down the street, you will see the beautifully restored building of Lawrence Mayer Florist next door to the First Presbyterian Church. Macon Pharmacist G. Payne built and owned the building in the 1840s.

Mr. Payne cautioned a pharmacy customer in the spring of 1846 against taking medicine prescribed by Macon physician Ambrose Baber. Dr. Baber took issue with the fact that Pharmacist Payne didn’t believe his prescription to be correct. To prove he was not wrong, he drank the medicine himself and promptly died. Dr. Baber is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, which is another place you should visit while in Macon.

Tunes & Balloons Festival Finale is a must-see

The finale takes place at my alma mater, Middle Ga. State University. Bring your own chairs. There will be live music by the Macon Pops. You can take a tethered hot-air balloon ride for a fee. Bounce houses for the children and a fireworks display to end the evening.

You are allowed to bring in a cooler; see the site for more info.

More Cherry Blossom Events

I couldn’t possibly tell you all of the events that take place during Macon’s Cherry Blossom Festival. These are a few of my family’s favorites that we try not to miss.

We have also enjoyed the parade in years past. Although I have never seen the Bed Race in person, I have heard nothing but good things about it and would love to watch it in person one year.

Visit the Cherry Blossom Festival site right here for more info about the 10-Day International Cherry Blossom Festival.

Why Should You Visit the Macon, Georgia Cherry Blossom Festival

It is an exciting ten-day event, encompassing two weekends of family fun and entertainment. With live performances, animal shows, arts and crafts, food trucks, fair rides, and so much more. There is something for everyone of all ages to enjoy. It is good, clean family fun in an outdoor environment.

Macon is in central Georgia. You can make it a Day Trip from most places around Georgia and even east Alabama. Want to spend the night and make it a great weekend? There are plenty of nice places to stay in the Macon area. Use the Stay link at Visit Macon for hotel recommendations.

Also see my list of Best Things To See and Do in Macon, Georgia.