Athens, Georgia

1. Downtown Athens

Athens, Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, may seem like a sleepy mid-sized city when in fact it has a vibrant and exciting downtown core.

Downtown Athens is where its government offices are located, as well as churches of several different denominations.

For shoppers there is a wealth of opportunities; there are many clothing stores as well as antique shops, shoe stores, and jewelers.

Art lovers can spend their time browsing galleries and studios. The restaurant district is here and offers dozens of different restaurants and cafes.

Most are grills offering fine Southern cuisine, but there is international fare here as well: Indian, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, and Italian. There are clubs and lounges in Athens' downtown to enjoy until the wee hours of the morning.

2. Athens Institute for Contemporary Art

The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art is a non-profit and entirely volunteer-run art space housed in a renovated warehouse a mile from Athens' city center. It shows four curated exhibits of contemporary art annually, many of which highlight the local art scene and regional artists.

The majority of its other shows have political and socially conscious themes; past art exhibits have focused on homelessness, democracy, the use of fossil fuels, environmentalism, and consumer culture. When not being used to house curated art exhibits, the museum space is used for private art shows, musical concerts, theatrical performances, and film screenings.

675 Pulaski St STE 1200, Athens, GA 30601, Phone: 706-389-5450

3. State Botanical Garden of Georgia

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is affiliated with the University of Georgia and has over 300 acres of blooms, shrubs, and trees. There is a tropical conservatory housing plants from the world's warmest climate zones and a greenhouse that propagates plants from seeds and seedlings. The medicinal garden contains specimens of plants that have been used to cure ailments since ancient times, while the shade and native gardens are filled with a riot of azaleas, camellias, and wildflowers.

A heritage garden is home to plants that were popular in earlier times, when cross-breeding and genetic modifications were unknown. The gardens have broad pathways for wheelchair access and an additional 5 miles of hiking trails. Educational programs bring visitors into contact with plants and instruct them in the finer points of gardening.

2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30601, Phone: 706-542-1244

4. Bear Hollow Zoo

Bear Hollow Zoo is a zoo with a difference. It rescues local animals with physical health problems, provides them with excellent housing, food, and veterinary care, and shows them to the public to raise awareness about the animals that live in the area. The zoo charges no admission and is set in a woody part of Memorial Park with lots of shade and picnic tables for lunch after viewing the animals.

Among the mammals at the zoo there is a black bear, a bobcat, a white-tailed deer, a Virginia opossum, and a river otter. There are birds: a bald eagle, a barred owl, a great horned owl, a red hawk, and a wild turkey. Birthday parties at the zoo include a custom tour and an animal encounter. School field trips may be booked with or without a picnic shelter for the group.

293 Gran Ellen Drive, Athens, GA 30606, Phone: 706-613-3616

5. University of Georgia Golf Course

The University of Georgia is no stranger to world-class, serene, and absolutely breathtaking sporting facilities. Not only is it home to the celebrated and beloved Sandford Stadium, it’s also home to the University of Georgia Golf Course. This 18-hole, par 71 course is acknowledged for being on the country’s best university golf courses. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the course is as challenging as it is beautiful, and also has six tees (from 4,354 yards up to 7,258 yards) for golfers to help train and hone their skills. The University of Georgia Golf Course is open to the public, and visitors to the course may just find themselves swinging clubs alongside some of the top-ranked university players in the country.

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, Phone: 706-542-3000

6. Double-Barreled Cannon

The Double-Barreled Cannon is an historical oddity and can be seen in the park in front of city hall in Athens, Georgia. It was built in 1862 by John Gilleland, a Georgia dentist and mechanic, and presented to the Confederate forces, which wisely turned him down. On its first three experimental firings by Gilleland, the weapon knocked down a stand of trees, tore up a cornfield, killed a cow, and knocked down a chimney.

None of these unfortunate victims of the cannon fire were anywhere near the intended target. It never saw military use and now rests in front of Athens City Hall, still pointing towards the enemy North, as Mr. Gilleland intended.

Corner of Hancock and College Avenue, Athens, GA

7. Sanford Stadium

Whether you’re an avid fan of college sports or are a long-time fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, one of the coolest athletic attractions to visit when traveling in Athens is the Sanford Stadium. Home to the Bulldogs, the stadium has 92,746 seats making it the 10th largest within the National Collegiate Athletic Association, while also holding the distinction of being the world’s 18th largest stadium of its kind. While watching games at the stadium are one-of-a-kind and exciting in itself, the stadium is also known for being the most beautiful on-campus stadium in the United States. It features a stunning architectural design, rolling hills at the field’s west end-zone, and gorgeous privet hedges that have been part of the stadium’s design since its founding in 1929.

100 Sanford Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, Phone: 706-542-9036

8. Georgia Museum of Art

The Georgia Museum of Art is affiliated with the University of Georgia and is the state's official art museum. It has a large permanent collection of over 8,000 pieces and also has exhibits from galleries all around the world. It has a fine collection of American art from the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring works by Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, and Georgia O'Keefe; American, European, and Asian works on paper; Italian Renaissance paintings; and a growing number of examples of Southern decorative art and folk art.

The museum is committed to education and has monthly family days comprising gallery tours with hands-on art, offers school field trips, and has summer day camps for children. In addition, the Georgia Museum of Art has a fine gift shop and an excellent café.

90 Carlton Street, Athens, GA 30602, Phone: 706-542-4662

9. Georgia Museum of Natural History

The Georgia Museum of Natural History is part of the University of Georgia and works in cooperation with that institute's Natural History Department. It aims to collect, educate, and research in the areas of anthropology, geography, geology, botany, plant pathology, and entomology and its collections in those areas are the largest in the state.

Exhibits of indigenous Georgia fish, insects, mammals, and zoo-archeology specimens fill the museum and there are photo archives of southeastern birds and southeastern reptiles and amphibians. Touring the museum is free and there are outreach education programs for all ages. One of the primary focuses of the museum are the freshwater fish species of Georgia, one-third of which are listed as endangered.

East Campus Road, Natural History Building, Athens, GA 30602, Phone: 706-542-1663