A sorority stop in Macon, Georgia
Sorority life–for all its ups and downs–was born in Macon, Georgia. Wesleyan Female College was established in 1836, and was the first college in the world to grant degrees to women. In 1851, The Adelphean Society (which later became Alpha Delta Pi) was founded by Eugenia Tucker as the first secret society for women.
Since joining as a junior at California State University, Chico, I’ve been proud to be a part of the First, Finest, Forever tradition. I still believe that Greek life was incredibly beneficial in preparing me for a life of travel: it taught me how to talk to just about anyone, how to manage money and the importance of how I present myself. While I was thrilled to be able to visit the birthplace of an organization that has given me incredible experiences and some of my best friends, Renee was a little dubious.
I don’t doubt that I enjoyed our time in Macon more than Renee did. We visited the Wesleyan Campus, Cannonball House and the grave of Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald (well, Renee read in the air-conditioned car while I walked aimlessly around an enormous, sprawling cemetery in the miserably humid heat searching for the grave). To me, it was such a privilege to be able to see first-hand the sites that are referenced in our rituals, the places and people we learn about as new members. Being in a sorority was a very fun and special life experience for me, and it was neat to have a connection with this small town in Georgia that I’d never stepped foot in before.
I Believe in Alpha Delta Pi. I Believe that my sorority is more than a ritual or a symbol; that it is a way of life. The opening words of the Alpha Delta Pi Creed and a string of pearls: I certainly wasn’t the first ADPi to visit the grave!
For any ADPi’s reading: this room in Cannonball House is where the first meetings of The Adelphean Society were held. How cool is the clasped hand stained glass?
That being said, it wasn’t a TOTAL bust for Renee. She had the best sandwich of her life at The Rookery: a BLFGT (bacon-lettuce-fried green tomato) sandwich with goat cheese. She’s currently scheming how to open an American-style cafe in Australia that will completely revolve around that dish.
Actually, this is exactly what Renee had to say about Macon: Very pretty town but this stop was predominantly an excursion for Christine to explore her sorority roots while I played hot and bothered chauffeur/photographer when needed. The south turned up the sun savagely at this point. So needless to say I cannot have been more surprised to have come across the BEST SANDWICH EVER while here: Fried Green Tomato BLT!! This still ranks as my tastiest, favouritest meal of the trip so far. Win. Proof that even if you aren’t in a sorority, you can still have a killer sandwich in Macon.
And to be honest, it was refreshing to have a night in a small town. We’d been hopping from big city to big city, and Macon was just this adorable Southern university town. The downtown has a very “Main Street” feel, lined with trees, brick buildings, sidewalk cafes and ice cream shops. There are big, beautiful houses with wraparound porches, white columns and American flags flying out front. And the people are just nice: I don’t think we had a friendlier waitress or more helpful tourist office aide the whole trip.
Note: The Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau kindly offered us complimentary accommodation at the Holiday Inn–North Macon (which was absolutely fabulous!), but all opinions are my own.
