Iconic downtown Macon bar gets revival as an expansion to popular late night spot

One of the most iconic places in the downtown scene since the 1940s, which has been recognized by the Historic Macon Music Registry, is finally getting a long-awaited revival.

Ann’s Tic Toc Room was a nightclub where “all were welcomed — black, white, gay and straight — to enjoy the night life in what was one of Macon’s first openly gay bars,” according to Historic Macon. The venue is being revived by Wes Nobles, who also owns Late Nite Macon on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Little Richard got his start at Tic Toc working and playing piano, according to Historic Macon. He even referenced the owner, Ann Howard, in his song called “Miss Ann.” Otis Redding and James Brown also performed at Tic Toc putting it on the map and transforming it into a rich, cultural hub where soul music lived in the Macon community.

It is unclear when Ann’s Tic Toc officially closed its doors, but Daiquiris and More stood in its place until it permanently closed down in December 2024.

Nobles plans to go back to the building’s roots and preserve the heritage of Tic Toc, which will be an expansion of Late Nite Macon that operates right next door. With Tic Toc, Nobles will address a gap in the downtown late-night food options.

“We just want to provide another late-night food option for people that are downtown, both industry workers, customers, and people that just live downtown that have waited too late to eat and they don’t necessarily want to get fast food,” Nobles said.

Tic Toc will have the same hours as Late Nite Macon, opening Thursday through Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and will have a plethora of low-cost menu items to choose from. The food options will include burgers, fries, tater tots and other concession stand-style items.

Nobles wanted to showcase the beauty of the historical building and pay homage to the legacy of the original Tic Toc by giving it back its name, but also by adding in some design elements including old pictures of the bar during the 1950s. In the pictures, you can spot Little Richard at the piano.

“There’s not a lot of buildings that are over 100 years old, much less 160 years old. The brick in here is pretty special. We’ve left everything open face so you can see it. There’s just a lot of character in this building and we wanted to bring back the Tic Toc,” Nobles said.

Tic Toc with a twist

In addition to preserving its legacy, Nobles decided to also put his own modern twist on the historic building. Inside, you will find an RC Dig Pit, a sandbox with a bunch of remote controlled construction vehicles within. People are welcome to grab a remote control and start playing around in the sand. Inspired by a trend on the internet, Nobles also constructed a soccer pitch on a sheet of melamine that will operate like a physical version of the popular game Rocket League.

The second floor will be developed as an event space for birthday parties, receptions, sorority and fraternity formals, banquets, and more. When it is not being used for events, it contains additional seating and a glow picture wall for people to experiment with.

Lunch hours could also be on the horizon for Nobles new Tic Toc.

“The vision is to provide a place that people talk about. It’s different. It doesn’t step in anybody’s lane. It’s something unique and very unique to Macon, Georgia,” Nobles said.

Tic Toc will open sometime around the second week of July, Nobles said.

This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 8:37 AM.