When people think of Athens, stadiums and football spring to mind, but this classic Southern city is growing as a tourist destination in its own right. On a casual trip through town, you’ll find award-winning restaurants, expansive nature and plenty of history. Wrap all three together, and it’s a getaway to remember.
Step Outside and Soak Up Athens Nature
Start off with some outdoor exercise. In a city that’s predominantly Georgia Bulldogs black and red, it’s pleasant to find so much green. Parks and nature paths are plentiful, like the Firefly Trail, an ambitious rails-to-trails project beginning in Athens and planned to extend all the way to Union Point (about 35 miles) one day. Nearby, the tree-lined 3.5-mile North Oconee River Greenway is another great place for a walk or bike ride.
With more than 2,000 acres of public green space, the city prizes its natural resources, so perhaps it’s not surprising that it’s one of the only places in the world you’ll find a tree that owns itself. As the legend goes, a 19th-century university professor who owned the tallest tree in town decided to deed the land it was on to the oak itself. Athens’ citizens went along with it. Over the years, it became such an icon that when the original tree died, they planted another from its acorns. Today, it’s one of the Classic City’s top attractions.
Another Athens claim to fame, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia covers more than 300 acres on the south side of town. The prettiest spots are conveniently near the visitor center. You can relax in the beauty of the Shade Garden, colorful and exotic, or admire the Italian Renaissance style of the Heritage Garden. Don’t skip the newly opened Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden, even if you’re not traveling with kids. Though geared toward younger ages, the interactive design makes it fun for all.
Bear Hollow Zoo isn’t just for kids, either. As a city park, it’s much less crowded than traditional zoos, with free admission to boot. On a short trail, you can meet dozens of native species that can’t survive in the wild anymore. Residents include raptors like bald eagles and owls, several reptiles, an otter, a bobcat and everyone’s favorite, a trio of black bears.
To see more animals, head across town to the Sandy Creek Nature Center. The visitors center has four aquariums plus exhibits on marine ecosystems. You might spot wildlife out on the trails, though it takes a sharp eye. A trail guide gives hints and hopes for what to look for: beavers in Kingfisher Pond, deer in the wooded uplands, warblers along the Claypit Pond wetlands.
Wrap up your day in the sun at the free and inspiring Georgia Museum of Art. On a terraced lawn off the entrance lobby, the museum’s sculpture garden is a quiet retreat where art blends with nature.
Stroll Through Historic Athens
You don’t have to search far in Athens to find pieces of its past. Even its parks have scraps of history. The Greenway, for example, features dozens of interpretive panels on Athens through the years. A detour off Firefly Trail into scenic Dudley Park, meanwhile, leads you to the ruins of the “R.E.M. Murmur” railroad trestle, chartered in 1833 and immortalized on the cover of the Athens-based rock band’s debut album. And the county’s oldest structure still standing, an early 1800s log cabin, can be found along one of the trails at the Sandy Creek Nature Center.
Downtown is just as littered with landmarks. One of the best is the Morton Theatre. Open for shows, it’s one of the oldest African-American owned and operated vaudeville theaters still around. You can see original seats and equipment from the theater’s heyday and learn about its creator and stars on a guided tour.
Two blocks from the theater is yet another artifact: an authentic Civil War double barrel cannon. Designed and made in Athens, this unusual invention was intended to be a deadly defensive weapon, loaded with two cannon balls connected by a chain. But it failed miserably during testing — the chain broke and the balls went spinning off in divergent directions, causing considerable property damage — so the cannon was never used. Today it’s fulfilling a different use as a popular photo backdrop on the lawn of City Hall.
From downtown, you can begin a self-guided tour of the city’s four historic home museums, located within a mile of each other and beautifully preserved. Start at the Church-Waddel-Brumby House Museum, supposed to be the city’s oldest extant home. It doubles as the welcome center, so you can pick up maps and brochures before heading to the Ware-Lyndon House just up the road. This building also pulls double duty: an Italianate Greek Revival mansion with lavish period decor on one side and a vibrant arts center on the other, showcasing paintings, sculpture and more. If you’re using Google Maps, plug in the Lyndon House Arts Center to get to the right destination.
Next up, the pink and white T.R.R. Cobb House was once the home of a successful lawyer, who showed off his wealth by upgrading his home to a mansion, adding its distinctive, symmetrical octogonal wings around 1852. It’s the first attraction so far in this list that has a cost, a “whopping” $2 for adults; kids are free. The fee is worth it to gawk at the period furnishings like a turtle-top marble table and a cabinet filled with delicate burgundy and white china gifted by the Georgia Legislature.
From here, you’re less than five minutes by foot from the Taylor-Grady House. Lit by chandeliers and surrounded by columns, this antebellum National Historic Landmark exudes elegance and, not surprisingly, is a popular venue for weddings.
Where To Eat in Athens
Fuel your travels through nature and history with one of the many local restaurants, serving up fresh cuisine ranging from Vietnamese and Jamaican to Lowcountry and soul food. Two of these restaurants even have James Beard level honors: the upscale Five and Ten and the no-frills Weaver D’s, both featuring Southern cooking.
If you’re trying to fit in all the sights of Athens and need some healthy food fast, Maepole is your best bet. You’ll recognize it from the street by the bright produce-filled mural on the side and the herb garden out front. This tasty counter service eatery focuses on food that’s good for you (no high-fructose corn syrup and no antibiotics in the meat) and good for the planet (compostable plates and cutlery).
You customize your meal by choosing a base, protein, sides and sauce. What makes this place memorable is the selection, which includes unusual options like grass-fed meatballs, black-eyed pea tempeh, sriracha honey and braised cabbage in coconut milk. Do yourself a favor and pick the whole wheat mac and cheese for at least one of your sides. Since you’re eating all those veggies, you deserve something a little decadent.
Finish up with dessert at Heirloom Athens, a farm-to-table restaurant down the road from Maepole with a seasonal menu. They’re a great option for dinner, serving everything from pork chops to paella, but they really shine when it comes to the final course. The desserts sound complex — goat cheese panna cotta with fig walnut shortbread, tres leches cake with strawberry rhubarb coulis — but the flavors complement each other flawlessly, not too heavy or overly sweet.
It’s a perfect end to a day trip or weekend in the Classic City.
