Very fun place we had our company Christmas party here. I will say I didn't see any elevators and…read morethis place is segmented into floors like crazy.. you will have to climb lots of flights of stairs to get around. Bars are a few and intimate.

Really enjoyed our experience here as it was our 1st time. The bar service was quick and efficient,…read morethe venue acoustics were amazing, and the bathrooms were clean. Staff members started scanning tickets and issuing wristbands prior to doors opening which was great and staff was very friendly! I would definitely come back to a show here. Parking was easily found in the garage behind the theatre on Washington street. It was $6 for us to park. There's plenty to walk to nearby. All in all a great experience!

At the beginning of the day, I was not even sure that we'd visit here. However, their website noted…read morethat you had to make an advanced reservation to be admitted (per my understanding), so I dutifully made a reservation for 2. As it happened, we were able to make it here around 2:15 p.m. or so on a Saturday. We had visited once before over a decade previously, so I had no real recollection of it. The museum is located within a mile of the loop highway around Athens. We arrived and parked in the covered deck. To access the museum, you then walk down away from where you entered. I found the front desk and offered to show the young woman staffing it our tickets. She said that she did not have a way to actually scan those, so we were waived in... I liked a wall-exhibit as you enter: large letters spelling 'WELCOME' but formed from several types of mounted security cameras (none or some of which may be active...). You ascend a long stairway. to your left is some temporary exhibits. These were more of the 'modern art' variety. A series of rooms about Hiroshima and another room with sensory nausea-inducing video. In the opposite direction are the more static galleries. These are laid out roughly in accordance with art styles or time periods. There is a room devoted to colonial / antebellum Georgia, one devoted to Impressionism, one to 1930's Depression-era works, etc. I enjoyed these more than I did the modern wing. We finihsed up and headed out within an hour. The exhibit is free. Unless there is some travelling exhibit that is of particular interest, I don't think I'll likely be back within another decade, though.

You may head to Athens because of UGA sports. (Go Dawgs!) Perhaps you have kids attending the…read moreuniversity. Possibly you take the drive to eat at chef Hugh Atcheson's acclaimed "Five & Ten" restaurant. But are you familiar with the Georgia Museum of Art? Reason in itself to visit Athens. With a diversity of exhibits in galleries filling the second floor, you're bound to view something -- perhaps many things -- that stops you in your tracks. Representation by the de Koonings, Renoir, Cassatt, Okeefe and other acclaimed artists, you will also be turned on to talent you likely haven't heard of. I was captivated by the photography of Jim Fiscus as well as the gallery featuring work of black artists. Regarding logistics: the museum is open every day except Monday. Check their website for hours. Parking is free, as is the museum. But if you can, consider putting a few dollars in the kitty to help defray expenses.

The Taylor-Grady House is a beautifully constructed colonial home in Athens and a perfect venue for…read morea ceremony or wedding. I attended the House for a wedding which was hosted outside on the lawn just by the gardens. Following the ceremony, we were able to go inside the house and on the porch for a cocktail hour and proceeded to our tables under tents in the back. There is a nice brick area that serves as a dance floor and plenty of space for tables and food.

Taylor-Grady house is one of the 4 house museums in Athens. If you're new to town or just visiting…read moreit's a wonderful stop on your way to Sanford Stadium.

This local attraction is a curiosity in that some professor deeded the land surrounding to the tree…read moreitself as a sort of thought experiment. This is kind of silly, but it hearkens back to the purpose of having colleges and college towns in the first place, which is doing thought experiments. It's on a residential street in a cramped, historic neighborhood. All the surrounding houses are private properties, so there's not much to see here. You can just walk by and ponder whether trees can actually have property rights.

It's a tree that was planted with love and desire. A must…read moresee if you are in Athens. The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that, according to legend, has legal ownership of itself and of all land within eight feet of its base. Also known as the Jackson Oak, the tree is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, US. The earliest-known telling of the tree's story comes from "Deeded to Itself", a front-page article in the Athens Weekly Banner on August 12, 1890. The article explains that the tree had been located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson.[1] William Jackson was the son of James Jackson, a soldier in the American Revolution as well as a Congressman, US Senator, and Governor of Georgia, and the father of another James Jackson, a Congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. He was the brother of Jabez Young Jackson, also a Congressman. William Jackson was reportedly a professor at the University of Georgia and is sometimes mentioned with the title of Doctor. The nature of his military service and the source of the title Colonel are unknown.] Jackson supposedly cherished childhood memories of the tree, and, desiring to protect it, deeded to it the ownership of itself and its surrounding land. By various accounts, this transaction took place between 1820 and 1832. **THE TREE IS NEXT TO A PRIVATE HOME AND PRIVATE DRIVE PLEASE DO NOT PARK**

Remarkably the community has been able to preserve an old theater and continue to use it for movies…read moreand local events Food -basically movie counter fare Facility -old but preserved Parking in the street or in local business lots for events

Cool little Indie film cinema. Great drinks and coffee. Staff is super friendly and the popcorn…read morewith rings of toppings and the sodas are a great deal. Old school seating in two theaters with cult classics, independent films and just quirky movies in general. Great ambiance in a renovated historical building that used to be a tire shop I believe.

I was very excited to visit Athens and was happy to see the welcome center to get information and…read moreideas of things to do in Athens while we were there. This is a very helpful and neat place to see. It has a very grassroots down south vibe to it. Very welcoming with old decorations and you can just feel the Georgia history in the place. It is definitely worth visiting while you are in Athens.

This is a very welcoming welcome center. The welcome center is small but quaint and has plenty of…read morefree maps and flyers for all of the events in town. We were greeted by a very pleasant volunteer who talked with us for about 45 minutes. She gave us many tips for the city and our travels outside of the city. The welcome center is also attached to the church waddel brumby house. This house has a lot of history which I don't remember, but the ornate carpeting was very interesting. The parking lot can fit maybe 5 cars maximum. FYI there are free public bathrooms here that you can access from outside.

Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum…read more This museum is really a hidden gem. it's on the same property as the Botanical Gardens and it is incredible. great afternoon place to spend an hour or two seeing some of the most beautiful artwork you will see. some new. some hundreds of years old. this museum is to the left of the gardens and I thought it was an event space.

Headed out for a group hike and was NOT disappointed. We opted for the Red Oak and Black Gum Loop…read more This hike was relatively easy, well marked with just a few inclines and gorgeous views along the trail. The highlight was finishing near the tulips at the end of our hike. Gorgeous morning out and perfect location for a spring kick-off in nature.

Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!