Welcome to Athens! We put together this guide so you can check out the spots the locals hit. After living in Athens for about 15 years, we’ve seen some things, eaten some food, and can now tell you about it. So, let’s dive in!

Checking In/Checking Out

The entrance to the apartment is at the foot of the driveway; enter through the screen porch. To unlock, press 3-0-5-5 (+ “lock”) and it will unlock. To lock, close the door and press the lock button. You can also just use the key, which we’ve left in the coffee can in the corner near the door.

Check-in: After 2 p.m.

Check out: Noon

Parking is available in the driveway for one car. If you need additional parking, we encourage you to park in the county lot directly across the street. Please be aware that folks tend to speed around the corner where our house is located, so be sure to look both ways before crossing the street or pulling out!

Specific check-out instructions: When you’re leaving, please leave the beds unmade and drop used towels in the bath tub. Please wash all used cups/plates/silverware, but leave them in the dish strainer. You can drop your trash in the bin under the sink or in the bathroom and tie off the bag. If you used the key, please eave it in the Jittery Joe’s can. (Basically, please leave the apartment in about the same condition as how you found it!)

About the Space

Wi-Fi: moralesnet / 7062063055 (Note the password is also my phone number!)

Here’s a quick recap of the space, room by room, with some of the highlights or good things to know:

Living room: Closet is behind the sliding barn door. TV has a Roku with access to Disney+, Netflix, and HBO. Please use the guest profiles, or log in to your favorite TV provider (please don’t forget to log out when you leave!) There is also a portable Bluetooth speaker to listen to music/podcasts. The charger is in the drawer below the TV.

Kitchen: Fridge/gas stove/microwave/toaster/coffee pot. Right front stove burner can be finicky, and there’s matches in the kitchen in case you need them. Please use the trash can without the bag for recycling items (here in Clarke County we can recycle basically everything except Styrofoam and plastic bags).

Bathroom: There is a hair dryer next to the sink, as well as extra TP. Note about the shower: Turn the knob halfway for hot water, not all the way (it will slow down and then start up again if you’ve gone past the hot setting).

Bedroom: This is the room with the HVAC controls; depending on the season, it may be fine or you may need to adjust. This is fine! The room also has a dehumidifier and a noise machine if you prefer one while sleeping.

Laundry: The white door off the driveway is the laundry room. It is stocked with detergent if you need it. Key is in the lock until I can get the keypad to work.

Outside: Our backyard is a constant work in progress, but please feel free to explore! We have a swing, small pond (water feature?) and a fire pit. Garden exists depending on the season and my workload. Grass exists…in my mind.

In general, just keep in mind that this is the basement apartment of a 100-year-old house. There are squeaky spots in the floor, and it might sound like we’re clomping around but I promise we’re not trying to! Our kids will argue and watch TV. We chill out on our front porch a lot. The back yard has our garden and some outdoor spaces where our youngest plays, but you are welcome to explore it. We make occasional trips to the compost bin, which means you may see us going down the back stairs. But otherwise we’re happy to leave you be—we consider the driveway and apartment area your space!

About Your Hosts

Kristen and Ed have lived in Athens since 2006. They have two kids (15 and 6) and both work at the University of Georgia as communications professionals after decades working in newspapers up and down the East Coast (and also SoCal). The family also includes a Georgia Black Dog named Puck and a small, ornery orange cat named Stubby (you may see him hanging around).

About the Neighborhood

Your apartment is located in the basement of a ca. 1915 historic “el cottage” (named for its shape). Our neighborhood is called Buena Vista Heights, and it became a locally designated historic district in 2012. One block to the north is Boulevard, the main east-west street through the neighborhood. It connects Buena Vista Heights (the western end of the neighborhood) with the Boulevard Historic District, the portion of the neighborhood just to the east of our street. Kristen can tell you a whole lot about the history of the neighborhoods, where the streetcar originally ran, etc., if you want to hear more!

In the opposite direction of Boulevard is Normaltown, a historic commercial area that got its name from the State Normal School, a college for women who were learning to teach in rural parts of Georgia around the start of the 1900s. Today, you can find a bevy of restaurants and bars here, along with bus service to downtown and UGA. You can also walk through the adjacent UGA Health Sciences Campus (formerly the Normal School as well as the U.S. Marine Supply Corps School). We’re also a few blocks from Athens Regional Medical Center. Continue down Oglethorpe Avenue to hit Bishop Park, where you can find fields, basketball and tennis courts, and a farmer’s market most Saturday mornings (March-early December).

If you need to grab a few food items, the Daily Groceries Co-Op is a great option. The apartment is also within walking distance to Los Compadres, a Hispanic grocery store with chips, salsa, cheese, tortillas, a variety of meats and other specialty items (seriously, best avocados in town). For grabbing a quick drink, you can walk over to Sips or J’s Bottle Shop. For an old-school hardware store, definitely check out Normal Hardware.

Where to Eat?

Athens has so much great food! Honestly, we get so spoiled here, and when we travel elsewhere, we wonder why the food isn’t as good as we expected! Here are a few of our favorites, although, honestly, if you find a locally owned restaurant, you’re probably going to be just fine. Give us a holler if you’re looking for something in particular!

Barbecue

White Tiger: Located within walking distance of the apartment, chef Ken is amazing and smokes up the best pork and even tofu! Casual / eat outside or in / Sandwiches and salads

Pulaski Heights BBQ: We’ve known Chuck, the chef/owner, for more than a decade and like Ken, he is also a stand-up guy who makes some seriously good smoked meat. Trained in the kitchens alongside celebrity chef Hugh Acheson (of 5&10 fame), PHBBQ can satisfy both meat-eaters and vegetarians. Casual / eat outside or in / sandwiches, plates

Tamez: While White Tiger and PHBBQ are more “central/eastern” barbecue style (sorry, that’s probably not a term, but I’m going with it), Tamez is inspired by Texas barbecue. The head chef also cut his teeth among Athens’ chef royalty, and recently opened his first restaurant amid a pandemic. Casual / eat outside or takeout / sandwiches, plates

American / Non-Denominational

Maepole: Located off Chase Street near the railroad tracks, this concept restaurant by chef Peter Dale allows you to build your own plate, topped with your choice of custom sauces. This is a great place for lunch, or for a quick dinner. Vegetarian/vegan friendly. Casual / eat outside or in / plates

5&10: The quintessential fancy restaurant in town. This is the place for your celebration dinner, awesome date, or just when you want to show off. Also please check out their cocktail menu because everything is hand-crafted and you will not be disappointed! Fancy / outside or inside seating / salads and plates

International Flavors

Agua Linda: Located within walking distance of the apartment, this restaurant has been recently renovated top to bottom. You’ll find Mexican staples that will satisfy your burrito cravings. Highly recommend an appetizer of bean dip and a house margarita. Casual / inside or rooftop seating / plates

Tlaloc: Don’t be fooled by this restaurant’s modest exterior. This El Salvadoran restaurant makes some mean pupusas. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything on this menu. Highly recommend. Casual / indoor seating / small and large plates

Coffee Shops

We’re a college town, which means we love our coffee. Here are our three favorite spots:

Sips: Located within walking distance, this locally owned shop has all the regulars you’d expect from a coffee shop, plus some funky seasonal drinks and a selection of teas. You can also get locally made doughnuts and scones in the morning! Sips also sells coffee from both of the roasters in town, if you want to try both but can’t make it to each.

Jittery Joe’s: This is a regional chain of coffee shops, but the roaster is just outside our neighborhood. Check them out for a cup of coffee or a pound of beans. Charlie Mustard is the roaster and he has a degree in chemistry. This means he roasts his beans in a particular way, using bean chemistry as his guide (is that a thing?) to create a specific flavor profile. This is the fundamental difference between our two coffee roasters—Jittery Joe’s focuses on achieving a specific flavor profile, and you can find a range of different styles/types of coffee as a result. This is compared to….

1000 Faces Coffee: This boutique roaster is located on the east side of downtown and roasts small-batch coffees based on the flavor profile of the bean. For example, they source specific beans from specific, sustainably grown farms and then roast them in such a way that brings out the best flavor profile of that bean. It may seem like a subtle difference than Jittery Joe’s, but once you get used to both of these roasters, you start to notice the nuances and differences in flavor between them. I’m a huge fan of anything Ethiopian, and both roasters in town have stellar options.

Breweries

Yeah, also as a college town, we have breweries, too. Here’s a rundown of our faves:

Athentic Brewing Co.: This is located within walking distance of the apartment. It opened last year and serves a menu of about a dozen beers, ranging from stouts to a lovely blonde mixed with boozy lemonade. (It might sound strange, but it totally works.)

Creature Comforts: You may have heard of this place; they launched a few years ago with two mainstays and they just. took. off. Today, they brew their two main beers (Athena and Tropicalia) in the historic mill building across the railroad tracks from this neighborhood (some days you can smell it). You can visit their downtown brewery to sample these as well as a range of fun, funky, sometimes experimental brews. This place can get a bit nutty on the weekends, but still, highly recommend.

Southern Brewing Co.: Located on the east side of Athens (north-east side?), this brewery is like your fun uncle who just likes to watch a football game and hang out. This is a great brewery to visit on a nice day, because they have lots of open space and picnic tables where you can chill with your beer. Great for small gatherings and for a casual, low-key drink.

Terrapin Brewing: Located just the other side of the Loop, maybe 2 miles from our house. Great place to sit outside and have a drink, or take in an event (they have great live music and parties)