I love the city of Macon, so when I was recently given the opportunity to check out a new food trail in Macon, GA, you can bet I was all over it! The city recently announced the Macon Bacon Trail, a unique food trail in Georgia that features 20 local restaurants serving up bacon-centric dishes. Now, one not-so-small caveat: I've been a vegetarian for almost all of my life, so I wasn't actually going to indulge in all the bacony delights that the food trail has to offer. However, I did bring along a meat-eating friend who was happy to taste-test some of the bacon dishes for me, and I did have a wonderful time supporting local restaurants that were listed as stops. Whether you're a local looking to explore some of the city's wonderful restaurants or just happen to be passing through, this fun challenge is an excellent way to explore new eateries, and you can even earn prizes if you check in at enough stops! Check it out:

I'm in Macon several times a year, and as a travel writer, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I often end up eating at the same places each time. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit!

However, I was determined to do the Macon Bacon Trail as right as possible (well, y'know, sans bacon) when I headed there recently on a rainy afternoon.

My first stop was Macon Bagels.

I had never been here before, because the restaurant closes early in the afternoon and I'm typically not in town in the mornings, but I was delighted by the cozy atmosphere and freshly-baked bagels.

The Champ is the Bacon Trail's choice here. It's a tasty-looking sandwich with bacon, avocado, tomato, and caramelized onion spread. The restaurant actually smelled strongly of bacon when I walked in, I think the staff were busy preparing it for The Champ.

I was hoping to keep my appetite for later stops in the day, so I opted for just a plain bagel. I wanted cheddar, but by the time I visited just before close, they were all sold out. I went with a garlic bagel and it was quite tasty!

You can learn more about Macon Bagels from the Macon Bagels Facebook page.

Remember how I said I couldn't help but stop by my favorite spots when I travel? Guilty as charged.

One of my favorite coffee shops I've ever been to, Taste & See Coffee Shop, was closed down for nearly a year and happened to re-open the week that I was in Macon. It's not on the Bacon Trail, but it seemed too much like kismet for me to not stop by.

I opted for a chocolate moose latte, per the cashier's recommendation. It was delicious and really hit the spot on a rainy, chilly day.

My next stop was Piedmont Brewery, another place I had never visited but had heard great things about. The restaurant was clearly quite popular, and there were a ton of people watching the football games.

The vibe was casual, and the bartender was impressively skilled at multi-tasking. I loved the atmosphere here and plan on returning next time I'm in town.

I opted for a Beyond Burger with a side of macaroni and cheese - it was excellent. The burger was perfectly cooked and the macaroni was also superb.

My dining companion went with the Macon Bacon Trail dish, the sliced chicken BLT with waffle fries and deemed it delicious, too.

I can vouch for the fries, as I ended up stealing several - they were perfectly crisped and highly addictive!

Check out the restaurant's full menu on the Piedmont Brewery website.

My final stop of the day was The Rookery, which has been a beloved local spot since 1976.

My friend was sadly uncooperative and would not try the Jimmy Carter Shake, the Bacon Trail dish here.

With a banana ice cream base, peanut butter mixed in, and topped with bacon, what's not to love?

I probably could've ordered the Jimmy Carter Shake without bacon, but I was too intrigued by the sound of the peach milkshake (left). My friend got a Moon Pie shake.

I had trouble choosing what to get, but the peach milkshake was absolutely amazing! This was honestly one of the better milkshakes I've ever had.For more information, visit The Rookery website.

Sadly, I had to head home after the shakes, but I was eager to try more dishes from the Macon Bacon Trail restaurants. The following week, when I was driving across the state, I changed my route to head back through Macon again.

This last stop would be at Jag's Pizzeria & Pub, right on the heart of Mercer University's campus. It was obviously a popular spot with students and had a laid-back ambiance.

Fittingly enough, the famous dish here is the Macon Bacon Pie.

This specialty dish looks great, but obviously wasn't up my alley, since I was eating alone. and had no one to pick off the meaty bits for.

The restaurant sells sizable slices, but for some reason I decided to order a 20" pizza. This was absolutely massive, I completely underestimated the size of it. The box took up the entire front seat of my car.

Thankfully, my choice of the Hipster was pretty incredible. I loved the crust and the toppings and it was an excellent dish that I managed to eat over the course of several days.

Check out all the creative offerings at Jag's Pizzeria on the Jag's Pizzeria website.

While I wasn't able to actually try the dishes on the Macon Bacon Trail due to my dietary restrictions, I had an absolutely wonderful time visiting the restaurants and I plan on checking out the other stops on my next trip to Macon.

This was a really fun way to explore a city!

Want more information about the Macon Bacon Trail? Check out the Visit Macon website for a list of all the stops and the prizes you can earn for completing stops on the trail.

If you're looking to travel to the area, there are so many great vacation rental homes in Macon, GA available on Vrbo - it's a wonderful city for a few days away.