Commonly abbreviated to “Hay House”, the historic structure is officially known as the Johnston-Felton-Hay House, after the three families who took up residence to what is also known as the “Palace of the South”. Listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1971, the site is the most popular tourist attraction in Macon, Georgia.

This majestic structure, composed of 18,000 square foot of area and 24 rooms, boasts of a lot of things. One of which is its Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. It is also well known for having amenities that are very technologically advanced at the time it was built (1850s), including hot and cold running water, centralized heat, ventilation, speaker-tube system (or primitive intercom), and a French lift.

Today, the Hay House is managed by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.