Best Things to Do in Athens, Georgia

No music pilgrimage to Athens is complete without a visit to the 40 Watt Club, a longtime anchor of the local scene and one of the more famous music clubs in the U.S. Founded in the late 1970s as a loft party space lit by a single 40-watt light bulb, the club has grown and moved a few times, landing in its present location, an old grocery store and warehouse space on West Washington Street, in 1991. Along with all the local luminaries, a short list of notable national acts that have graced the stage in the 500-person venue include Nirvana, Iggy Pop, Snoop Dogg, Run-DMC, X, Flaming Lips, The Killers and Kenny Chesney. It’s still lit by low-wattage bulbs. 

More concert hall than a club, the Georgia Theatre can hold 1,000+ people on multiple levels in a theater-like setting. Shows are general admission, standing room only and without assigned seating. An Athens mainstay since 1978, it was gutted by fire in 2009, and reopened in 2011 with major upgrades to the concert-going experience, including a rooftop bar that can host live music in a smaller open-air setting.

Located next door to the 40 Watt, Flicker offers an artsy trifecta of independent movie screenings, live music and art showings in its cozy confines with a full bar. The music runs the indie gamut from folk to punk to hip-hop and experimental.

It’s a coffeehouse by day and a pub with live music by Wednesday-Saturday nights. You’ll hear jazz and soul-influenced acts here, as well as singer-songwriters, and perhaps catch a rising local star at the bar’s open mic and jam nights.

Across from the Georgia Theatre, the Globe opened in 1989 as an Irish-style pub and soon became a hot spot where professors and townies gathered to down pints of Guinness, discuss world affairs and watch the street life of downtown unfold through giant windows. Up the wooden staircase inside is where the live music happens at Globe Upstairs along with poetry readings, comedy nights and DJs spinning tunes. On Sundays, there’s traditional Irish music downstairs in the late afternoon.

For the bigger shows, it’s the Classic Center Theatre, a modern 2,071-person venue in the Classic Center complex at the edge of downtown. This is where the B-52s are scheduled to play their farewell concert in January of 2023, a far cry from the house on Milledge Avenue across from the Taco Stand where the band played its first gig in 1977, albeit less than a mile away.

A flagship event for the city, each June AthFest celebrates all things Athens. There are outdoor stages dedicated to local and Athens-affiliated acts, a block-long artists’ space and a KidsFest area. The festival is free, with ticketed shows occurring later in the evening at participating clubs. It doesn’t get any more Athens than AthFest, except for maybe at…

In October, on a Sunday afternoon during a non-football-game weekend, the porches and yards of Athens’ historic neighborhoods come alive with dozens of local acts. Like AthFest, HIstoric Athens Porchfest is free and a great way to experience the diverse creative environment in the daylight hours. Stroll from house to house and yard to yard in the tree-shaded neighborhoods near downtown for a few hours. By that Sunday’s evening you’ll feel like a local yourself.

One weekend each April, the streets of downtown are closed off for a world-class professional bike race called the Twilight Criterium. The race has occurred since 1980 and draws cyclists and spectators from around the world. Downtown becomes a rare, non-football sporting spectacle with thousands converging for the race and many associated events.

The campus isn’t just for students. Wander through the beautiful and historic North Campus adjacent to downtown to marvel at the architecture and grand green spaces. On South Campus, take in a classical recital, symphony orchestra and chamber music at the UGA Performing Arts Center and stroll through the galleries of the Georgia Museum of Art, the state’s official art museum.

Nuçi’s Space may not be enticing at first glance —  it’s an educational and mental health resource center for local artists — but it’s home to THE steeple, all that remains of the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church where a then-unnamed R.E.M. performed its first gig in 1980. Nuçi’s Space acquired and restored the steeple when the condo development next door announced plans to demolish the landmark in 2013. The organization hosts many special events, including the delightful Athens Uncovered festival on Giving Tuesday after Thanksgiving when prominent acts play their favorite cover songs.

Open since 1976, Rolling Stone magazine has called Wuxtry one of the best record stores in the U.S. This is where Peter Buck was working in 1980 when he met Michael Stipe. Many other notable musicians have manned the counter at Wuxtry since then, including Mighty Manfred of The Woggles/Little Steven’s Underground Garage fame. The store still looks much the same as it did decades ago, always stocking the latest releases by the most germane acts, along with tons of vintage vinyl and other ephemera.

Housed in a historic building that once served as a retread plant for tires, Ciné is a nonprofit arthouse cinema with a full bar and cafe. Independent, international, documentary and classic films show on its two screens each afternoon and early evening, and there are late-night screenings on Fridays and Saturdays. Ciné also spotlights local visual artists in its exhibit gallery. 

The only production brewery located downtown, Creature Comforts is within shouting distance of most of the music venues listed above and crafts one of the tastiest and most popular local brews, Tropicália IPA. It’s also home to the Athens Farmers Market each Wednesday from March through November.

The Firefly Trail is a rail-to-trail project that will eventually connect Athens to deep rural Georgia along 39 miles of abandoned railway beds. It begins in Dudley Park, known to R.E.M. fans as the home of the old wooden train trestle that graced the back cover of the “Murmur” album. That long-abandoned trestle was dismantled in 2021 to make way for a new pedestrian bridge. It will mimic the old one and connect the Firefly Trail to the park and the North Oconee River Greenway. All of this is within easy walking/biking distance to downtown.

You’ll have to drive here, but it’s one of the best places to experience the outdoors in Athens — with a caveat: no dogs allowed. Explore five miles of trails through woodlands, wetlands and along the river, as well as the immaculate indoor/outdoor garden spaces.

This hip diner next door to Flicker and the 40 Watt Club is known for its large and inventive burger menu with lots of vegetarian choices. Try the peanut butter bacon burger for something different, or the falafel burger if you want a veggie option. If the small inside dining room is full, which is often the case at this popular spot, you can eat on the large patio outside. 

On the higher end of the Athens dining scene is Five and Ten, celebrity chef Hugh Acheson’s flagship restaurant. Located in a historic house in the Five Points neighborhood, it’s a casual spot for an upscale dinner and fancy cocktails. The menu changes with the seasons, but expect dishes that infuse classic Southern cooking with refined French influences such as cornmeal-fried catfish with saffron beurre blanc served with rice pilaf. 

Next door to the Ciné movie house, the National serves Mediterranean-inspired fare in a comfortable environment reminiscent of Europe’s neighborhood cafes. Try the hummus and flatbread with spiced ground lamb, piquillo peppers, pomegranate molasses and mint. If you get it to-go, carry your meal across the street to Creature Comforts, a brewery that lets you bring in your own food. 

In business on Milledge Avenue since the 1970s, T-Stand, as it’s lovingly called, is an affordable fast-food joint where most menu items come loaded with gobs of stretchy, gooey white American cheese. Other than a recent facelift, T-Stand hasn’t changed much over the years. Expect a line from the counter to the door during lunch and dinner rushes. It will give you time to peruse your copy of Flagpole that you picked up from the rack outside. (Fun fact: It sits across Milledge from the house [a private residence] where the B-52s played their first gig.)

A cool hotel in an old foundry. It has its own bar/restaurant/live music venue appropriately called the Foundry. This hotel’s location at the edge of downtown provides easy access to the Classic Center, the North Oconee River Greenway, the UGA campus and many other hot spots. The rooms and suites have an eclectic collegiate vibe with plenty of music-themed artwork.

Chic modern elegance abounds at this chain property with lots of local touches and its own bar and bistro. Hotel Indigo Athens is situated within easy walking distance to the heart of downtown and provides complimentary bicycles to its guests. The hotel’s Rialto Room is an intimate club-like event space that often hosts live music. 

Positioned not downtown but in the Five Points neighborhood near South Campus, ATH|BNB: The Rushmore is steps away from many locally owned shops and restaurants (including Five and Ten). This upscale bed-and-breakfast has 14 finely curated rooms in a stately three-level house. Every room is different in design, but all provide luxurious creature comforts such as fine linens, smart TVs and vintage-looking mini-fridges.