If there’s such a thing as an archetypal college town, Athens, Ga., might be it. About an hour east and slightly north of Atlanta, Athens has a cultural identity closely tied to the University of Georgia, one of the oldest public universities in the country. UGA’s sports programs, especially football, are widely renowned (except by fans of Auburn and other SEC rivals). The college has also played a big role in the city’s rich collection of arts communities; among much else, those communities have nurtured revered and influential musicians including The B-52s, R.E.M., Pylon, Drive-By Truckers and Of Montreal.
It makes sense to build a visit to “The Classic City” around a big game, if you’re into that, or a show at a venerable venue like 40 Watt Club or the Georgia Theatre. That’s especially true considering that the five-hour-plus drive is at the outer limit of what’s comfortable for a road trip. On a quiet weekend, it felt like a lot of what thrives in Athens is by Athenians, for Athenians — but also easy enough to access. It was a refreshing change from home in Nashville, where it seems like the business of courting tourism with our hospitality has created an outer layer of the city that first-timers have to work their way through before they can start to really get to know us.
40 Watt
Photo: Visit Athens GA
Stay
My wife and I Airbnb’d a cozy, well-appointed apartment built above a family’s detached garage in Newtown, a well-established neighborhood just north of downtown Athens. It’s one of several neighborhoods around the city that have their own character and cluster of restaurants, bars and other attractions; a couple of others are Normaltown and Five Points. (Yep, they have one too.) Trips between any of these neighborhoods or to and from downtown are generally breezy and short, and it felt rewarding to stay where local folks just live and go about their business.
But lodging options abound, with chain hotels and several boutique hotels if you’d like something more luxe. Hotel Indigo Athens is walking distance from just about everything you’d want to do downtown, while Rivet House is away from the bustle but still less than a 10-minute drive from the area.
Georgia Theatre
Photo: Elliott Anderson
Do
When you’re planning a visit, you’ve got a friend in Flagpole, Athens’ alt-weekly newspaper — their Guide to Athens is an invaluable resource for recommendations. My choice to book our trip for the weekend after the Fourth of July wasn’t the smartest, as several highly recommended places were closed for a summer break. We’ll have to go back for Condor Chocolates, Independent Baking Co., Paloma Park and Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods (restaurateur Dexter Weaver’s soul-food spot whose slogan “Automatic for the People” became the title of R.E.M.’s 1992 album).
We still had so many options for good food and drink that we barely scratched the surface. We felt at home on the bar side of Flicker Theatre & Bar, where we had the good fortune to chat with locals who kindly gave us a slew of pro tips. (Among them: Many bars will serve you a half-shot if you request “a howdy.”) Hidden Gem in Newtown also had a fun and relaxed vibe as well as a tasty carrot-juice-and-rum concoction called Wittle Wascal. Biscuits and gravy at Mama’s Boy hit the spot; Biscuit Basket, a breakfast counter inside a Chevron station, was also great, though we missed out on the gravy-dipped pork tenderloin biscuit that we were hipped to. Trappeze Pub has Flagpole readers’ favorite fries and rock-solid sandwiches, including a spicy chicken affair called the Carolina Dip. In addition to excellent beers and cocktails, Five Points’ The Royal Peasant has an array of English pub fare, and if there’s a football (er, soccer) match airing, you can probably see it there. We kept it casual, but if we wanted fancy, Mediterranean restaurant The National and Thai spot Puma Yu’s — whose chef and co-founder Pete Amadhanirundr was a James Beard nominee this year — are just a couple of choices.
Hidden Gem’s Wittle Wascal
For the musically inclined, the aforementioned 40 Watt and Flicker are staples of Athens music going back decades, and they’re just steps apart. Even at this dry time of year for shows, they were holding it down for the local scene: Flicker had a metal show, and 40 Watt hosted a hardcore band’s tape release party. In addition to an array of other venues, you’ve got the Athens Music Walk of Fame and two great record stores downtown. Wuxtry Records, near campus, is famous for employing Dangermouse and members of R.E.M., and has its sibling comics and collectibles branch Bizarro Wuxtry upstairs. Low Yo Yo Stuff, next to Flicker, has a much smaller storefront, but its crates are jam-packed with gems. Need more R.E.M.? The decaying train trestle in Sandra Lee Phipps’ photo on the back cover of their debut LP Murmur has been rebuilt and incorporated into the town’s greenway system; it’s a tranquil spot for a break and a fun photo op.
Wuxtry Records
Photo: Visit Athens GA
And there’s much, much more. In addition to several art galleries, the municipally operated Lyndon House Arts Center highlights a wealth of local and regional art. A highlight among Lyndon House’s summer exhibitions is Cupola: A Collaboration, a musical animated sculpture featuring the work of UGA art students. Like Nashville’s beloved Belcourt, Ciné is part of indie theater group Art House Convergence; flash your Belcourt membership card and enjoy similar discounts and benefits as you would back home.
On your way into or out of town, take the short trip to The State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Even though the walk through its grounds was sweaty in July, perusing the lush and rambling gardens and hiking through the trees along the Middle Oconee River were just what we needed to send us off.
Our recommendations for five weekend getaways — from Athens to Corinth and beyond
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Publish date : 2024-08-14 23:00:00
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