Georgia Sports Hall of Fame The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon , Georgia , USA . It is the largest state sports hall of fame in America at . Exhibitions . The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Inductees , High School , collegiate sports , Olympic , Paralympic , Professional Sports , and Great Moments in Georgia Sports History areas . Interactive exhibits in the museum include NASCAR simulator s , basketball and football games , and computer programs . Governance . The Hall of Fame is owned by the state of Georgia and operated by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority . It is governed by an 18 - member Authority appointed by the Governor , Lt . Governor , and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of Georgia . History . The Hall of Fame portion of the museum was created in 1956 as the Georgia Prep Sports Hall of Fame . In 1963 it was expanded to encompass prep , college , amateur and professional sports . In 1978 the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame was officially created by the Georgia State Legislature . Then , in 1994 the state of Georgia appropriated $ 6 . 5 million to construct the Sports Hall of fame museum , and added another $ 1 . 8 million in 1996 . The total construction of the building and its exhibits cost $ 8 . 3 million . The building opened in 1999 and had more than 65 , 000 visitors during its first year of operations . Yearly operations are partially funded by the State of Georgia and partnerships with local organizations provide in - kind contributions and relationships . Additional fundraising is continued through facility rentals , a 5k walk , and Hall of Fame induction - ceremony table sales . Meetings . Meetings for the inductions process for the Georgia State Hall of Fame are now all open to the public . While inductee selection was always public , screening meetings only recently became open and it is considered somewhat controversial . To date , over 300 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame . Rentals . The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame has developed extensive rental programs aimed at youth , and area organizations . Youth party possibilities ( price varies on number of attendees ) include admission to the museum , catering availability , access to chairs and tables , and use of the Georgia room for two hours . Equipment rentals are available for parties including : TV / VCR , overhead projectors , portable screens and easels . In addition to youth parties , the Hall of Fame also offers rentals of the Conference Room ( capacity 15 ) , the Georgia Room ( in classroom , banquet , reception or theater style ) , the Rotunda ( Banquet or Reception style ) and the Theater ( 205 capacity ) The Building . The building itself was built to resemble a turn - of - the - century ballpark , with red - brick exterior and green roof . From the old style ticket booths to the brick columns in the rotunda and special lighting the Hall of Fame was created to put visitors into the heart of a sports experience . Over 1 , 000 artifacts are on display in the building and over 7 , 000 objects in the Hall of Fame collection . In addition to the exhibits , the building also houses a " Georgia Room " for rentals and receptions , a gift shop , a 205 - seat theater , a research center , staff offices and storage space .