Off The Front Porch

MACON, Ga. -- About an hour south of Atlanta, the small city of Macon sits along the banks of the Ocmulgee River on land that has been occupied by humans for at least 17,000 years. But Macon is much more than ancient history; it is a place where modern-day life moves to its own unique and soulful rhythm. In this first of a two-part series, we sit for a conversation with MARISA RODGERS, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer for VISITMACON, the gateway to exploring Macon's rich cultural offerings. Macon is where Southern Rock was born and the legend of the Allman Brothers was forged. Macon is where soulful music masters Little Richard and Otis Redding called home. "Where Soul Lives" is not just a marketing slogan for Macon, Ga. It is part of its identity.

BARNWELL, S.C. -- It was found inside King Tut's tomb. A devoted follower anointed the feet of Jesus Christ with it, and Queen Cleopatra dabbed some on her wrists to entice Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. History and legend have long celebrated the power of lavender to delight and enthrall. On the KING GEORGE LAVENDER FARM in rural Barnwell County, South Carolina, this aromatic flower reigns supreme, and each summer GEORGE AND ELINOR POOLE welcome hundreds of people from across the South to their land for their Lavender Festival. On this episode, we visit the rows of this bluish-purple bloom and discuss how this small family farm has become a destination for hopeless romantics, artists, foodies and poets.

SNELLVILLE, S.C. -- In the fall of 1981, a then-33-year-old DANNY FORD led the Clemson Tigers college football team to a perfect 12-0 season and the National Championship. He remains the youngest man ever to lead a program to the pinnacle of America's favorite sport. Flash forward 45 years. Ford is now 78 and farming land he acquired during his tenure at Clemson. This spring, he is lending his celebrity to his son DANNY LEE FORD II's bid to become South Carolina's next Commissioner Of Agriculture. At age 40, the younger Ford also is a farmer, now challenging a crowded field of candidates for a chance to shape the future of the Palmetto State's largest industry. The elder Ford has described his relationship with his son as "oil and water." Still, we caught up with father-and-son side by side on the campaign trail to talk farming -- and of course, a little football.

SWAINSBORO, Ga. -- Tucked inside an antique mall in the town that calls itself "The Crossroads Of The Great South" is one of the most impressive collections of music memorabilia anywhere south of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, or the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. With pieces from artists ranging from George Strait to Bob Dylan, from Johnny Cash to The Beatles, collector MICHAEL BRIGHT has assembled an impressive display at the Music Memories Museum in Swainsboro. But Bright, a successful gospel music recording artist, also recently returned to the studio to start making musical memories of his own again.

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Ten years ago this spring, the literary world lost a true giant: Pat Conroy. With such familiar best-selling titles as The Great Santini, The Prince Of Tides and Beach Music, Conroy's emotionally-charged, largely autobiographical novels have transported millions to the South Carolina Lowcountry through the lens of a complex and deeply-flawed cast of characters. The legacy of this uniquely Southern voice in the annals of American literature is celebrated at the PAT CONROY LITERARY CENTER, which serves not just as a museum honoring the author but also as an incubator for aspiring writers. In this conversation, Conroy's widow CASSANDRA KING -- a best-selling author in her own right -- remembers her husband and takes us inside the Literary Center's mission to keep the writer's craft alive while honoring Conroy's memory.

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- With the opening of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, the work of world-renowned artist JONATHAN GREEN is celebrated against the backdrop of the wider study of art inspired and informed by African culture. In this second installment of our visit to the Lowcountry, our conversation turns specifically to the making of Green as an artist, the influences he drew from growing up in the sea island culture, and how love and friendship helped him grow into the famed creator he is today.

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- The artist JONATHAN GREEN is known worldwide for his paintings that capture the beauty, pride and dignity of Lowcountry culture, the people and the places who have lived and worked on South Carolina's sea islands for centuries. Green's passion for his heritage now has burst off the wall and into the galleries of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina - Beaufort. Not simply a museum celebrating the legacy of this unrivaled artist, this center is home to a scholarly mission to explore the cultural impact of the broader African diaspora. Here, we talk with the center's namesake and its resident scholar, DR. KIM CLIETT LONG, for an eye-opening journey through time.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Whenever the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team or baseball team take to the field, the school's famously furry and frenetic mascot Cocky is usually close at hand to entertain the faithful. On many occasions, the festivities also include the school's real-life mascot, an honest-to-goodness fine feathered fowl, a majestic and dignified creature named Sir Big Spur. On this episode of our series exploring the Southern experience, we travel to the university's Garnet & Black Spring Fest, a fan-friendly event previewing the upcoming football season. As the street party unfolds, we pause to chat with VAN and BETH CLARK, the human caregivers for the school's live mascot. Turns out, the care and feeding of a world-famous bird is basically a full-time job.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Our weekly podcast exploring the Southern experience, premieres on this second Sunday in April 2026 -- which happens to be the Sunday afternoon of arguably the world's greatest golf tournament, held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Golf takes center stage not just on the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National but also at the AUGUSTA MUSEUM OF HISTORY. Today's debut of our podcast takes us to the museum for a conversation with NANCY GLASER, the museum's executive director. She discusses the two galleries devoted to golf in Augusta, as well as other exhibits that explore the community's culture -- including another marquee gallery focused on the life and legacy of the "Godfather of Soul," James Brown.