Going up there for business next week and I should have quite a bit of free time in the evenings, my question is for those of you who have been there what are the can't miss restaurants,bars, other places. TIA

Decent NASA museum and exhibt at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

[This message has been edited by DevilD77 (edited 9/21/2012 4:17p).]

Athens is cool but to me there is no "can't miss" place. lmo

Its the home of rem

Athens is legendary. It is, hands down, the most musical of SEC university towns, aside from Nashville. It's the home of REM, B52s, Widespread Panic and many, many others. I haven't been there in many years. Just ask folks there when you go, where to go. Athens has more live music and successful bands and atmosphere in its little finger than Austin has in its entire metro area. Just go and have fun. Oh, good BBQ there, too. Mind, I am an LSU fan who hates UGA. But no one hates Athens.

R.E.M.

Widespread Panic

R.E.M.

You are not SEC unless you love REM. ; ) That's just understood. And "Paaanic" (said with with four syllables with a Georgia/Alabama accent) that's another story. Now that you are card carrying members of the SEC, you need to check out the musical, cultural things of the SEC and understand them. Texas is different. And A&M we know is different. But the SEC has its own little thing going on. You'll learn it and understand it eventually.

Take a break Driver 8

I think rem sings this song on the uga commercial. One song I like by them

http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_uri=%2F#/watch?v=csg30vJ7l3I

[This message has been edited by irish_man (edited 9/23/2012 8:48p).]

Go have a beer on the roof of the Georgia state theater and catch a show if they have one.

I'm definitely a fan of live music so I'm looking forward to the trip.

nonmobile link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csg30vJ7l3I



And if you're a real r.E.M fan , here is an underground concert from Raleigh back in 84 or so. 1,000,000 is one of my favorites. Hell , so is Moral Kiosk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPqZLgJrvN8&feature=relmfu

great concert from Germany:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBVVtNnHeEg&feature=related

Yes, I'm a live music fan.

quote:

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REM, B52s, Widespread Panic

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BTKA missed the golden age of alternative music..

1) it's just the "Georgia Theater," nothing state about it.
2) I'll post a full reply tomorrow. I'm rather fond of Athens (could take or leave 98% of the rest of the state). I usually describe it to folks as "the size of College Station, but the feel of Austin."

P.S. when exactly are you here? Should be pretty crazy this weekend with Tennessee. I've seen some decent shows advertised for 40 Watt and a few others. I'll check the show calendars for 40W, Caledonia, Melting Point, Flicker, GA Theater, and Hendershots.

The 40 watt. Good times. I miss that place

Ok, your comprehensive guide to Athens...

Live Music
Rather than try and list all of our venues and their websites, here's a list to who's playing where between today and next Friday: http://flagpole.com/events/search/?category=60&q=&age=&cost=&city=1&start_date=2012-09-27&end_date=2012-10-05. The Flagpole is our "independent" weekly newspaper and they're pretty well integrated into the arts and music scene. Here's a brief description of SOME of the venues I mentioned/those listed on the calendar:

• 40 Watt - historic home of REM among others, sits on the western edge of downtown and has more of a theater-y venue feel
  
• Flicker - Smallish bar with a side/next door area for shows; more of a towney joint and home to the IBC Bulleit Float (frozen mug with vanilla ice cream, add a big shot of Bulleit Rye, and pour in a frosty IBC Rootbeer -- pure f'n heaven)
  
• Little Kings Shuffle Club - Great outdoor patio and nifty interior with some live shows, but usually DJs; another towney place
  
• Caledonia - Friend of mine owned Caledonia originally, it's strictly a live music place and not really somewhere to hang out (with the exception being the outdoor deck off the side; bar is really small and it's standing room only, but they get some good shows in there.
  
• Georgia Theater - It burned down a week after we visited in June 2009 to search for a place to live. So, for our first two years, they were rebuilding it. The place is so historic and awesome that musicians and performers everywhere came together to make it happen (lots of auctions and concerts with proceeds going to the rebuilding). My husband and I caught George Clinton & the PFunk there last fall. They did a great job with the rebuild. It's a multi-level venu with some stools lining the railings or standing room up to the stage. The rooftop is freaking awesome. They have TVs up there to watch any shows going on and sometimes they have rooftop concerts.
  
• Melting Point - Awesome cozy dinner/show venue. Mac & cheese is nails. I've seen Colin Hay, Todd Snider, Ingrid Michaelson and a bunch of smaller bands/folks play here. Their monthly Hoots and weekly Bluegrass series are pretty cool.
  
• Hendershots - Seth Hendershot stumbled on to a gem with this place. It's an old service station garage on the edge of Normaltown (about 3 miles from downtown) that he renovated into a coffee shop/bar. He started inviting bands to play and now they have regular schedules. Some friends of mine play frequently between their various side projects.
  

That list is by no means comprehensive, but they represent some of the most common venues.

I should also mention Terrapin Brewery here. They do tastings/tours every Wednesday - Saturday for $10. It's about 2 miles north of town outside the loop and always a blast. Live music changes every night and sometimes they have food vendors set up. It's only from 5:30 to 7:30, though. You do get to keep your pint glass.

Food & Drink
I love this town for its food. We have everything from bbq to italian to pub fare to fusion, and it's all good.

For the heavier wallet, places like The National, Five & Ten, East West Bistro, Square One, La Dolce Vita, and Etienne are where it's at. Hugh Acheson from Top Chef Masters is the man behind The National & Five and Ten. I've been to The National a few times and always love it. They have a lavender butter that is paired with a rosemary garlic bread -- to die for. La Dolce Vita specializes in local italian; that is the menu changes seasonally based on what's available in the area. Their pumpkin ravioli this time of year is delicious. Etienne is owned by the same guy as LDV. I hear the burgers are insane (especially the Foie Gras burger). East West has amazing crab cakes and fried chevre. I love talking new comers to EW for lunch. A friend of mine's husband is the exec chef at EW. Square One is about the only place for a full range of seafood. Their weekend brunch specials are good and I highly recommend you get some shrimp & grits there. It's a Georgia staple.

If you're in town on a Thursday, hit up Copper Creek on Washington. It's the only brew pub we have. I say Thursday, because that's $0.45 wing nights and they have some damn good wings. Ask about the week's special flavor. It's not on the menu, but I always get honey mustard. They usually have 3-4 of their own brews on tap at a time. Last week it was the Scottish Ale, Kolsch, and one other I'm forgetting at the moment. I love the Kolsch, personally. I'd imagine their Pumpkin brew should be released soon; it usually is and it's like liquid pumpkin pie.

You MUST stop in to Trappeze. It's at the corner of Washington & Hull. The beer menu changes weekly and you won't find any major domestic brands -at all-. It's all craft and from all around the world. The beer menu usually takes up 2 (sometimes 3) pages and it's 90% on tap (the other 10 are in the big bottles, but they'll let you know). You can order a sample taste of any of the beer for free. Foodwise, my husband loves the Double Pig (pulled pork with bacon sandwich). I'm a fan of the pork sliders. Get the garlic rosemary fries.

Walker's Pub is in the heart of downtown near campus. Paul is the owner and a super nice guy at that. He rotates what's on tap regularly and they keep a stocked cooler. It was the first place in town I could find Shiner Ruby Red last year. Paul loves me. During the day, this is mostly a coffee shop (and where I do 90% of my grad school writing). At night, it's a hoppin' bar. They have a downstairs bar for karaoke and a back patio to chill. They also have a good selection of alcoholic coffees.

Blue Sky is another of Paul's places and you get to it from the stairs out back behind Walker's. Graham is usually the evening manager on duty, and he's a sweetheart. Blue Sky has quite the selection of whiskey and bourbon. Their beer selection is all bottles, but it's pretty varied and changes up frequently. Before 10PM, I love Blue Sky. Afterwards, it becomes a Frat-fest. If you're at Blue Sky or on the back patio of Walker's, you can order delivery from Speakeasy next door. They have a special tapas menu available from the bar. The spinach dip and steak frites are nails.

Allgood (on Clayton) and Treppenhaus (next door to Walkers) are also owned by Paul. They attract more of a student crowd, but can be fun for people watching if nothing else.

Amici is a small, local chain that has pizza and wings. I've never been impressed when I've been, but some folks love it.

TransMetropolitan is a neat little restaurant with an upstairs bar. Their lasagna is good and you can order pizza just about any way you like it. The main location is downtown, but there's a second one next door to Hendershot's.

Mellow Mushroom is a pizza chain based out of Atlanta. There's one in Austin, but most Texans don't know about it. If you go, get the Philosopher's Pie (sub chicken for steak). They have a decent beer selection, too. Be prepared to pay more than $15 for your pizza, though.

For breakfast, YOU CANNOT MISS Mama's Boy. It's off downtown and you will have to wait at least 30 minutes to an hour for your table. But it's worth it. Tuesday is pancake day and they always have an interesting concoction ready. The cheese grits are good, and I'm a sucker for the corned beef & potato hash (served with two poached eggs and a to die for chive hollandaise sauce). I've taken other TA posters there and they've always loved it.

If it's sushi you want, Shokitini and Utage are the best we have to offer. Both are downtown, at opposite ends. We prefer Shokitini and love to sit at the sushi bar for the freebies (including seared tuna, roasted mussels, and fried oreos -- manna from heaven). Shokitni also has private karaoke rooms for hourly rental, but these tend to book up.

The Globe is a long-standing Athens bar that is part towney and part student. We like hanging there on Sunday afternoons. If anyone has seen The Trouble With the Curve (just out in theaters), parts of it were filmed at The Globe last spring.

The Grit is just off downtown on Prince. It's 100% vegetarian, but actually quite good. I can't bring myself to try the chili. Just doesn't seem right. I love the grilled smelt and tomato soup, though!

Ted's Most Best is owned by the same folks as The Grit, but they love their meat. It's another renovated service station, and is downtown across the street from Flicker. The outdoor patio is awesome and the food is pretty good; calzones and pizza with a decent beer selection.

Need a burger? You gotta go to Clocked. It's next door to Flicker, over by the 40 Watt. It's kinda small, but damn good burgers (best in town) and great milkshakes. Try the Cheerwine milkshake if you go.

Should you find yourself downtown at closing time and need some grub, The Grill is 24 hours and on College Ave in the heart of it all. Food isn't bad. Grits are either hit or miss and there's no pattern to when they're good.

We have our own location of The Varsity, and I've been. Meh. Nothing to write home about. Perhaps the original in Atlanta is better. Ours is just off downtown in a stand alone joint. Most folks go for the hot dogs, but they have burgers, too.

If it's a hot dog you want, hit up the Blind Pig. They have a full hot dog menu, and they're quite good. It's located just off downtown and just off campus to the east.

If you're feeling adventurous, find Weaver D's just off downtown near the train tracks. It's soul food and the source of the REM album title "Automatic for the People." Best fried chicken in town.

When you need a pick me up perk in the morning, check out Jittery Joes. It's a chain, but they're home grown and still rather small. The roastery is over near Weaver D's. The downtown JJ's is a bit different from all the others, because they took over from a previous independent coffee shop and still have some of those menu items. But we have at 4 other locations spread around town.

For locations not downtown, we have some good stuff that the locals like. Harry's Pig shop is out at the NW edge of town in a shopping center. It's all pulled pork, but they have about a dozen different bbq sauces served separately. So, you can have your pig any way you like it. The potato salad is damn good.

Some folks seem to like Shane's Rib Shack. It's a smallish chain. I haven't been able to bring myself to try it, but my husband (from West Texas) says it isn't bad.

Over on the east side, we have Viva Argentine, which is actually pretty good and a good price. I've never been to the restaurant, but have had it delivered.

If for some reason you're stuck in a hotel room and want to try some of these, check out http://www.orderbulldawgfood.com/.

Touristy Stuff
Speaking of REM, if you're a fan and want to see the train testle from the album cover of Murmur, its days are limited. I haven't heard a projected date, but I haven't heard that they've proceeded with tearing it down, either.

Just west of downtown, there's also the Tree that Owns Itself. Pretty cool story, and neighbors are used to folks swinging by to take pictures.

Ahh, campus. Campus is sprawling and huge, but just slightly smaller than A&M. North Campus is the historic part. The Arches and iron fence at the front of campus are original with minor restoration over the years. Current students shouldn't walk through the Arches until graduation day for fear of jinxing their luck and failing to graduate. The first building you come to is the Hunter-Holmes Academic Building, named for the two first black undergraduate students to integrate the university. The first black graduate was Ms. Mary Frances Early, and she's one spitfire little lady. I've had the pleasure of having lunch with her, her minister, her best friend, and a few other graduate students. Ms. Early got her Master's degree from UGA and we now hold an annual lecture series in her honor at the Old Chapel, which is next door to the HH Academic Building. The architecture is simply breathtaking. If you want that old church feel, take a step inside the chapel. The main library and law library are on North Campus. If you get a chance, just take a stroll through there. The giant magnolia trees and birds, chipmunks, and squirrels make for a tranquil walk. In the dead center of campus you'll find Tate Student Center and Sanford Stadium. If it's after 5 and you enter from Lumpkin (west street border of campus), you can drive right down on to the bridge that passes behind the scoreboard of Sanford. Otherwise, you can walk right up to it and see down in to the stadium. It was built into the valley and makes for a very cool effect.

There's always something going on in Athens, and I love that about this city. I live about 2 miles off downtown, but work above Mellow Mushroom. So, I'm either home or downtown with random visits to main campus now and again. My email is in my profile. Hit me up if you have questions or need a guide.

I should also mention that if you need a cab in this town, it's rather odd. ALL of the cab companies operate out of passenger/mini-vans. They load up the car and then start dropping folks off. Good luck calling one on a busy night, you may be waiting 30 minutes or more. They also charge an arm and a leg.

Oh, and why on earth someone on this thread mentioned Huntsville, AL, I have *no* idea. That's 5 freaking hours away. I can get to Savannah faster than I can Huntsville, AL (and Savannah is another awesome city -- it's the other 2% that I like).

edit: me fail english? that's unpossible!

[This message has been edited by txdragonfly (edited 9/27/2012 3:18p).]

I have been to Athens only once, but it is my favorite college town of all time. Can't wait to go back for an A&M/UGA game. Ate at The Mellow Mushroom. Good pizza. Didn't know so much live music was in Athens. I was only there one night. Pretty campus, and reminds me of A&M with all the ag buildings.

No love for Corey Smith?

Speaking of Weaver D's...looks like they're on the verge of closing.
http://flagpole.com/news/2012/oct/01/loop/

quote:

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I think rem sings this song on the uga commercial. One song I like by them

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Somehow I missed this last week. Yes, REM donated "My Heart" for that commercial. And I'm in it...well, in that long ass line that wraps around the Chapel, anyway. I'm also standing right next to the chick at 0:21, but off course off camera. It was hotter'n hell that day and a bunch of us got sunburned during filming. But hey, we can say we were there.

Wow, reading this thread makes me seriously homesick. I'm from Atlanta (duh) and attended UGA in the mid-nineties. Living in TX now. Hoping I can make a visit back to Athens in November....

On a side note, I noticed last time I was in town they were building a Waffle House in the basement of a building downtown. Thought that was kinda cool for the late-night, post-bar food run. The Grill is good for some stuff, but kinda pricey for poor college kids.

[This message has been edited by kgirlatl (edited 10/2/2012 12:12p).]

Ok well since I started this thread i figured I would report back. Athens GA is probably the best college town that I have ever been at. The best way to describe it is like someone said before a little Austin.People were really friendly and genuinely proud of their town and it seems like everybody there love craft beer which i thought was awesome. I stayed at the holiday inn so i pretty much just went downtown every evening. I went to the following clubs

Little Kings Shuffle Club

Melting Point: Cool live music place

Trapeze: Great beer selections

Paulie's:This is a wine and crepes bar that was packed with really good looking girls and no guys which I thought was really interesting so if you are ever in Athens go here on Tuesday

General Beauregard: just walked in there basically an 18 yr and up place

Bar Code:Another kind of 18 yr and up place, had one drink here but interestingly(rule no. 1 protected) when i went to the bathroom there were two students having sex on the floor of the mens bathroom which is kinda unhygienic but hilarious at the same time. They got kicked out bc the crowd around them gave it away, so the guy got cheered out and the girl left thru the back entrance.

Georgia Theatre: Pretty cool live music joint downstairs and a roof bar upstairs

Road house, No more bar are kind of local dives.

Food:
Mellow Mushroom: Pizza was really good
Amici:Had hot wings with a honey sauce which was pretty good and really interesting take
Butchers Block: I had a pigs feet hor d'oeuvres which was amazing and you never would have known if they didn't tell you.

Blind Pig: Kind of a bbq/burger place I had the sunday brunch which was a burger with an egg on top pretty freaking good.

Finally the Terrapin Brewery tour is a must, the tour is like 10 min of walking around a warehouse but you get like 7 beers and they basically have a grassy area where they have live music and a bunch of people chilling.

kgirl, I'm happy to hit up downtown with you when you "come home." Waffle House opened about a year ago. It's in the bottom of the new parking deck that wraps around the Georgia Theater. I love it for grabbing a quick breakfast when I'm at work and not feeling 100%. That whole block (Lumpkin between Clayton and Washington) is filled with new stuff. There's a Fuzzy's Taco at the opposite end from the Theater. In the middle is a Mama Goldberg's Deli and something else that I'm drawing a blank on.

I actually thought about that strip of bars near Pauley's after I posted. Since they're usually crammed with undergrads I tend to avoid them like the plague. However, they're great for some folks. Seems like I've been in the General's once or twice with my husband's coworkers.

I still need to hit up the Butcher. A friend of mine has been a few times and always wishes he would call me first, because he finds some new creation of theirs that he knows I'll love. It's a carnivore's wet dream (his words).

Glad you loved it! Being in Athens for grad school has its definite perks.

Hey, I really appreciate the offer! I noticed last year a lot of things had changed downtown. Bound to happen, but it still has the same feel to it, even during the holidays. If I could have gotten a good job in the area right out of school, I would have stayed there, but the town was not known for big technical jobs. As it was, I was still in town at least twice a week for a martial arts class until I had to move too far away to make the commute.

WAFFLE HOUSE! How could i forget i definitely had to check that out now that we are in the SEC and all. Overall not too bad.

I was stationed in Athens for 6 months...LOVED it.

r.e.m.

http://remhq.com/index.php

Liked REM in college and saw them a few times, but got too political for my taste. Act like left coast lefties, not SEC.

quote:

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Liked REM in college and saw them a few times, but got too political for my taste. Act like left coast lefties, not SEC

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I'll agree with the last part. But REM was part of my college experience, and I can't let them go that easily. They got their start playing the SEC school circuit constantly in the early 80s. When I was at LSU, we could only hear their music on the LSU campus station - not top 40 radio. We'd also see them live and unexpectedly and unannounced in crazy swamp hole in the wall places. Practically in places where the "choot em" swamp people hung out. They didn't go commercial - and totally political- until later, when they were famous. Yes, Athens is a great town.