Athens, Georgia, is a genuinely friendly place. It’s different from what so many destinations try to market as “warm southern hospitality” because the city actually delivers. It’s as simple as trying to walk into a local restaurant with one party holding the door open for the other. There’s an exchange of pleasantries and then a “Thanks hun” from those who go in first. It’s not unnatural or contrived, just a normal day in Athens.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHENS

This is UGA land and probably the closest thing next to religion that you can find in this part of the country. UGA stands for the University of Georgia Athens and is also the name of their famous bulldog mascot. Visitors will have plenty of opportunities to meet various facsimiles of this popular canine. A public art project, “We Let the Dawgs Out,” showcases UGA in hotel lobbies and on city sidewalks (…so much for thinking that we’d need to ask someone where it was). Movie fans may remember UGA for his appearance in the Savannah-based movie, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

For those who weren’t paying attention in class and are wondering why Athens is called the Classic City, here’s a history lesson.

Incorporated in January 1785, the University of Georgia was America’s first state-charted school.

While John Milledge was governor, he purchased land on the Oconee River and donated it to the college, which began in 1801 as Franklin College (that original brick building is now called Old College). According to the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city, named after the ancient Greek center of higher learning, was chartered in 1806. Throughout the community there are dozens of “classic” references, such as The Classic Center and Classic City Tours. There are homes built in the classic (Greek revival) architectural style and fraternity houses bearing various letters of the Greek alphabet. Oddly, at this writing, there’s not a Greek restaurant in town - at least that could be found.

In case there’s a pop quiz, the classics are the study of history, language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. So it seems appropriate that a city founded on education, would be named for Athens, Greece, known for its ties to philosophers, such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato, among others.

Let’s take our attention off campus.

ATHENS WELCOME CENTER

At the northeast corner of downtown, find the historic Church-Waddel-Brumby House, one of the oldest homes in the city that doubles as the welcome center. Built in 1820 by Alonzo Church a faculty member of Franklin College, its first occupant was Dr. Moses Waddell, the college president. This is the first stop on a Classic City tour that operates as a service of the Athens-Clarke [County] Heritage Foundation. Restored to its early appearance, the symmetrical Federal-style home has pine and faux wood, sailcloth floors and papered walls. This an appropriate place to begin telling the university’s and Athens’ story. As the 90-minute orientation continues, discover the city’s many neighborhoods (there are 15 historic districts) and unique architecture. Tours depart each afternoon.

HISTORY MAKERS

A number of individuals have played an important role in the history and development of Athens and the school, and homage is paid in a variety of ways.

Ben Epps built and flew airplanes here in 1907, three years after Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first sustained flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Epps is Georgia’s first aviator. A marker at the Athens-Ben Epps Airport east of the city denotes that Epps, born in 1888, built his monoplane at a shop in downtown Athens on Washington Street.

Governor from 1802 to 1806, John Milledge used his own money to purchase land that would ultimately become the University of Georgia. He is credited with founding Athens; a major north-south street bears his name.

Built in 1844, Wilson Lumpkin’s home on the UGA campus was given to the university. Prior to building the house, Lumpkin served as U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator and governor of Georgia. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, “Lumpkin’s farm in Athens was deeded to the university…and constitutes a significant portion of the current university campus.”

The city of Lumpkin, Georgia; Lumpkin County, Georgia; and Lumpkin Street in Athens honor his legacy.

His brother, Joseph Henry Lumpkin, was the first chief justice in Georgia. Joseph co-founded the University of Georgia’s law school with his son-in-law Thomas R.R. Cobb and William Hope Hull. Lumpkin and Cobb practiced law together and for a period of time their law office housed the law school with Cobb and Hull serving as teachers.

Thomas R.R. Cobb graduated from UGA in 1841, passed the bar and then served in various related capacities - secretary of the Georgia Senate, reporter for the Georgia Supreme Court and editor of state Supreme Court law decisions. He was a secessionist, who was a Civil War general in the Confederate Army, dying at age 39 following the Battle of Fredericksburg (in Virginia). He should not be confused with Thomas Willis Cobb, who was a U.S. Congressman and Senator and Georgia Superior Court judge and connected to Cobb County, Georgia.

Cobb created the Lucy Cobb Institute (LCI), a girl’s finishing school in honor of his daughter who died of scarlet fever at age 13. Both the institute and Seney-Stovall Chapel have been restored and are now part of UGA. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government occupies the former girl’s school.

HISTORIC HOMES and ATTRACTIONS
The museum’s permanent collection consists primarily of 19th- (Bierstadt, Eakins, Homer, Inness, Kensett, Robinson, Ryder and Whistler) and 20th-century American paintings (works by Impressionists, Ash Can School artists and early modernists) and European and American prints and drawings from the 1930s and early 1940s. The holdings also include a Samuel H. Kress study collection of Italian Renaissance paintings; a collection of Japanese prints by Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kinoyushi; Asian and African art; ancient coins; and a collection of decorative arts with a primary focus on works made in Georgia and the South (within the context of American art history and its European influences). Rotating exhibits are also featured.

If University of Georgia sports’ history is of interest, stop at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, named after two Georgia Bulldog football coaches, Wallace Butts and Jerry Mehre. In addition to the Georgia Bulldog Hall of Fame, it highlights various university athletic programs, plus memorable Bulldog football games. From downtown Athens take Milledge Ave. to Lumpkin St., follow it south to UGA, past the football practice field and Spec Towns, the track and field facility. Make a left onto Pine Crest Dr. and it will be on the left. The Butts-Mehre Building is also the home of the UGA Athletic Association.

Athens served as the largest venue site outside of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. The university hosted soccer (Sanford Stadium), volleyball and gymnastics (Stegeman Coliseum) events. Today a monument commemorates this international event.

STATE BOTANTICAL GARDEN

The State Botanical Garden is located south of town off of Milledgeville Ave., below the Athens Loop (also known as Loop 10, among many other road numbers and names). The grounds open each day at 8:00 a.m. and from October to March close at 6:00 p.m., extending until 8:00 p.m. the remainder of the year. Leave your pets behind, as they are not allowed.

When driving west on the main road, there is a marker for the Bartram Trail, designating naturalist William Bartram’s journey through the southern states during the 1700s.

Across the street from the shade garden and in route to the main entrance, walk by Gregory Johnson’s sculpture entitled “Field Trip.” Enter the three-story modern conservatory featuring an orientation area, gift shop and restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining that overlooks the international garden.

Located not far from the banks of the Middle Oconee River, explore more than 300 acres of gardens including those grown specifically to attract butterflies at the larva or butterfly stage - the butterfly and hummingbird garden, shade and native floral garden, and the herb and physic garden.

While there are a several art objects in the garden, one of the more interesting is Clute’s Kugel. This perfectly balanced 816-pound polished black granite sphere, roughly 24 inches in diameter, fits into a base made to its exact curvature and revolves 360 degrees, while floating on a thin film of water. According to the garden, the ball will continue to spin until someone stops it, changes the direction, or accelerates the spin.

Offering vibrant colors and fragrant scents, the rose garden, annual/perennial garden and the dahlia garden became part of the flower garden, adjacent to the heritage garden.

There are multiple trails on the grounds, plus a wealth of programs including gardening with kids, birding basics, beekeeping, water gardens, cooking and herbs, family night hikes, greenhouse behind-the-scenes tours, nature camp and medicinal herbs.

The State Botanical Garden and Whitehall Forest were designated as the 47th Important Birding Area (IBA) through an affiliation with the Audubon Society. Birds sited on a recent trip included hummingbirds, cardinals and hawks. Other IBA locations in the state include Callaway Gardens, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Okefenokee Swamp and Chattahoochee National Forest.

The current headquarters of the Garden Club of Georgia can be found on the premises in a brick building near the chapel. Visit Founders Memorial Garden at the main UGA campus, which was created to recognize those who started the very first garden club in America in Athens in 1861. On the main campus, it is located adjacent to Lumpkin St., south of Broad St., and north of Baldwin St. Enter opposite Lumpkin.

For those who love springtime, the Piedmont Gardeners annually present Garden Tours of Athens, spotlighting many beautiful gardens in the city. Contact the convention and visitors bureau for details.

DOWNTOWN ATHENS

Downtown Athens is situated across from the campus’ north entrance on Broad Street, near The Arch. This icon is represented in the university’s logo and the legend continues. If you’re wondering why certain young people intentionally walk outside The Arch, lore has it that any freshman passing through it will not graduate.

Downtown is an odd mix of retail, churches, government buildings, plus a historic site or two and home to the one-of-a-kind double-barreled canon made by a local foundry during the Civil War. Find a variety of restaurants that serve a diverse clientele - everything from an open 24-hour burger joint to some nice enough for parents and those affordable for government workers.

This is also a music hot spot and site for late night entertainment. Athens music venues continue to be alive and well 25 years after R.E.M., the B-52s and Widespread Panic brought fame to the city. Rolling Stone magazine has since named this college town of 33,000-plus students the #1 College Music Scene, while the New York Times labeled it Live Music Central.

Take the music walking tour created by the visitor center folks and Flagpole Magazine (published every Wednesday and distributed at 300 locals around town). The tour puts a face on the various places that 40 Watts called home, mentions the Georgia Theatre and swings by a few places where R.E.M. practiced or found inspiration for their “album” covers.

DINING

Looking for an Athens’ eatery? In the southeast corner of downtown, there’s DePalma’s Italian Café that displays local artwork, Broad Street Bar & Grill decorated in UGA-regalia, Porterhouse Grill for an exceptional meal, and East-West Bistro for fine cuisine. All are a block or two down from The Arch. Award-winning Fresh Air BBQ has two locations in Athens - one northeast of town and one west beyond the mall. The
Varsity, famous for its hotdogs, is at the corner of Milledge Ave. and Broad St. and is easily recognizable.

---

Athens Welcome Center 20 East Dougherty Street Dougherty at North Thomas streets Athens, GA 30601 (706) 653-1829 Thomas R.R. Cobb House 175 Hill Street Athens, GA 30601 (706) 369-3513 Taylor-Grady House 634 Prince Avenue Athens, GA 30605 (706) 549-8688 Ware-Lyndon House 293 Hoyt Street Athens, GA 30601 (706) 613-3623

U.S. Navy Supply Corps Museum 425 Prince Avenue Athens, GA 30606 (706) 354-4111 State Botanical Garden 2450 South Milledge Avenue Athens, GA 30605 (706) 542-1244 Georgia Museum of Art University of Art 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602 (706) 542-1662