Discover Middle Georgia: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

MACON, Georgia. (41NBC/WMGT) -The Georgia sports hall of fame has been in existence since the 1950’s. About 20 years ago, it moved to its permanent location here in Macon.

It is the country’s largest state sports museum and one of a kind to Georgia with a wide variety of entertainment for guests.

The museum has two floors of artifacts on display, honoring the state’s best athletes, coaches and teams.

Most major sports, both men’s and women’s, are represented in the museum. It covers high school to professional leagues and skill levels in between. Olympic athletes have also left their mark at the museum.

The hall of fame honors over 400 inductees, 8 selected each year. Popular members include Chipper Jones, Champ Bailey and Arthur Blank.

Jim McLendon, Executive Director of the museum, notes that while the focus of the museum is on sports, the museum’s mission is to encourage the youth to develop attributes they can take with them into their life after sports.

Visitors can sit back and relax in the museum’s custom baseball themed theatre and watch motivational videos from athletes talking about the work ethic, discipline and goal setting that makes a player exceptional.

Guests will get a kick out of the interactive space upstairs including courts for basketball, soccer and football practice. Visitors can also participate in trivia, skill assessment and act as announcers in the new broadcast booth.

People are welcome to roam the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame individually or gather in large groups for tours. The museum also hosts many school field trips throughout the year.

Jessica Irvin, a teacher at North Habersham Middle School, says the museum “draws a lot of our kids in who are interested in sports but maybe not so much the history side, and it clashed those two together for them.”

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Admission ranges from $3.50 for children age 16 and younger to $8 for adults. Discounts are available for seniors, college students and military personnel with ID’s.

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is currently taking nominations for next years induction class. The deadline to submit your nomination is July 1st. For a full list of nomination criteria, visit the museum’s website – georgiasportshalloffame.com.