If you’ve got the time and inclination, one of Georgia’s most enjoyable destinations is just a slight veer to the east off our route: Athens, the coolest college town in the South. Famed for its lively music scene which gave the world the “alternative rock” bands B-52s and R.E.M., Athens is the home of the University of Georgia, whose Greek Revival campus sits at the center of town, bordered on the north by a half-dozen blocks of cafés, bars, and book and record stores. Besides the dozens of super-sized Bulldogs (the UGA mascot) around town, Athens also holds a classic Road Trip destination: “The Tree That Owns Itself,” a second-generation mighty oak tree standing on a small circle of land at the corner of Finley and Dearing Streets west of campus, whose legal autonomy earned it a place in Ripley’s Believe or Not!.
The main music venue is the 40 Watt Club (706/549-7871), at 285 W. Washington Street, where R.E.M. played their second gig. Good, cheap food is available on the east side of town at Weaver D’s Soul Food BBQ (706/353-7797), at 1016 E. Broad Street, whose enigmatic slogan “Automatic for the People” was enshrined as an R.E.M. album title. R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe owns the gourmet vegetarian Grit (706/543-592) at 199 Prince Avenue. The best restaurant in Athens, and one of the Top Ten in the USA according to Food & Wine Magazine, is the 5 & 10 (706/546-7300), at 1653 S. Lumpkin Street, off Milledge Street southwest of downtown. The 5 & 10 is open for dinner nightly and Sunday brunch, serving a range of Southern favorites enlivened by inventive, international touches. (Shrimp ’n’ grits with andouille sausages, anyone?)
For listings of hotels or for more information, contact the Athens visitors center (706/357-4430 or 800/653-0603), located at 300 N. Thomas Street.
