An independent spirit makes Athens, Georgia, a fun place to explore the arts
Athens, Georgia, is just 90 minutes down the road and full of charm both indoors and out, a necessity for spring travel. It’s home to the nation’s oldest public university, which was granted a charter in 1785 by the state assembly.
An initial 633 acres were donated by John Milledge, and it was Milledge who named the town Athens, exclaiming his hope that it would be a center for classic learning. To me, Athens feels like a classic Southern town experience with local shops, points of interest, and restaurants galore.
Downtown sits across from The Arches, the symbolic gateway onto campus. Music lovers will not want to miss a visit to The Georgia Theatre, The 40 Watt Club, and Wuxtry Records, a Rolling Stone magazine top 25 record shop. Creature Comforts’ tasting room is also in this vicinity, offering craft beer with a cult following.
If you stay at one of the downtown hotels, like I did, then walking downtown and historic North Campus is a snap. Hotel Indigo was my choice, and it was a stellar stay with attractive rooms, friendly staff, and its own music venue in the basement called The Rialto Room.
Artistic Spirit of Athens
The Georgia Museum of Art is celebrating its 75th anniversary. It’s part of South Campus, and admission and parking are free, something that makes my day when traveling to a new place. Thirteen galleries house art and antiquities from the museum’s permanent collection of 17,000 items. I found the sculpture garden incredibly beautiful and would like to see it at night with its significant positional lighting. Look for rotating shows in this space as well as inside the 79,000-square-foot structure.
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is also in Athens, just south of the university. The 31 garden habitats are diverse, and the children’s garden and playscape (consisting of two and a half acres) is exceptional, but the real gem of the property is the woodland trail offering five meandering miles of native Piedmont vegetation, including peeks at the Middle Oconee River.
The newest addition at the Botanical Gardens is the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum, adjacent to the tropical conservatory. Deen Day Sanders—Day as in Days Inn—donated her massive collection and built the museum in loving detail. There’s an entire wall of Flora Danica plates by Royal Copenhagen and lifelike copper wildflowers, all hand-painted, by artist Trailer McQuilkin. Most of all, a volunteer corps of docents makes a visit here memorable. Take note of the column of chocolate pots; it’s a pretty spot to snap a portrait. There’s even porcelain hung in the bathrooms, a fun nod that craft belongs everywhere.
Neighborhood Feel
There are many notable neighborhoods in Athens, but none may be as strollable as Five Points. It includes Greek Row, and an amble up Milledge Avenue shows off blocks of century-old mansions, many constructed in Federal style. Chef Hugh Acheson’s original restaurant, Five and Ten, resides in one and is as delicious as ever under the helm of Executive Chef Will Cantrell. There’s also a new steak and cocktail concept, Slater’s, from the restaurant group behind The Expat, a popular Athens bistro with an Italian focus.
Five Points offers something for everyone: Condor Chocolate and Independent Baking—both peddle handmade sweets. For coffee, Jittery Joe’s (an Athens institution) is just around the corner. Five Points Bottle Shop, open for 35 years, is an easy spot to burn an hour hunting bourbon and other premier spirits. Appointments At Five is a bespoke home and gift store with English-leaning antiques, also open for three-plus decades. When you’re ready for an aperitivo, there’s Bar Bruno with its pretty streetside patio.
There’s a lot to talk about in Athens. I didn’t scratch the surface of what to do in Normaltown or the significant barbecue trail that runs deep through this countryside. Maybe we can return to Northeast Georgia again soon and explore more?
Find more information at visitathensga.com.
