More Than Fraternities and Football: Putting Down Roots in a College Town

When it came time for me to move away from my hometown of Savannah to attend college, I had a number of options of places to go thanks to good grades in high school. To appease my parents and stick relatively close to home, I went four hours north to Athens for the University of Georgia. Little did I know I'd never end up leaving the area!

Athens is often thought of as purely a college town, and, in truth, it is heavily influenced by being home to the state's flagship university. Local businesses are well aware that their annual sales follow the school calendar, and you literally can't even go half a block without seeing that big G somewhere. The university owns a great deal of land in Athens proper, particularly in the downtown area, and it's impossible to ignore the college's influence on this mid-sized city.

However, writing the Classic City off as "just a college town" is doing this place a great disservice. Ironically enough, I hated my four years at UGA – I had no friends, was miserable, and couldn't wait to get the heck out of Athens. Life had other plans for me and I've now lived in the area for more than a decade and have really grown to love the city now that I see how much more there is to it than just fraternities and football.

Living in a college town provides a number of benefits to all residents of the area, not just students. The UGA campus is practically one huge botanical garden, and I absolutely love strolling around North Campus on a beautiful day. The general public also enjoys access to the UGA Main Library, and there are often lectures and film screenings hosted on campus that are open to the public.

It's not just spots related to the college that make this city so special, though. It's got an incredible array of parks within its borders. When I first moved here, I was excited to be in such close proximity to so many great Georgia state parks, but I've found that the Athens-Clarke County parks are so numerous and varied that I don't even have to leave town to enjoy hiking opportunities and time outdoors.

From Sandy Creek Park (pictured above) to Ben Burton Park, there's so much green space all over the city just waiting to be enjoyed. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is located in Athens and has miles of trails, plus beautiful gardens to stroll through at any time of year – it's one of my favorite free things to do in the city.

I don't have kids, but another great aspect of life in Athens is how many activities there are for children. It's kind of an unexpected benefit because the college's reputation as a party school means that it gets a bad rap as an "adult" area, but there's actually a lot of family-friendly activities to enjoy in Athens. The library system here is incredible and puts on a number of fun events throughout the year, and spots like Memorial Park's free Bear Hollow Zoo are always popular with the little ones. The Georgia Museum of Art is admission-free and has plenty to entertain kids and adults of all ages.

After football, the thing that Athens is probably most famous for is music. The city has been known for decades for its thriving music scene, and world-class venues like 40 Watt Club and Georgia Theatre host local and national acts throughout the year. Take a stroll downtown, and you'll see decorative guitar picks all over the sidewalk showing off the Athens Music Walk of Fame, honoring local names like The B-52's and R.E.M. that made it big. AthFest is the city's biggest event of the summer, and the free music and arts festival draws big names and plenty of crowds.

There are some pretty spectacular places to dine here, too. You can find just about every chain restaurant under the sun in Athens, but with so many great options for dining locally, I almost always end up at a mom-and-pop place instead. Mannaweenta is tucked away on Athens's east side and serves superb Ethiopian eats. Independent Bakery is the place to go for breads. Other hot spots include Kelly's Authentic Jamaican Food and Donderos'.

Since the town attracts so many visitors during football season (go Dawgs!), there's no shortage of places to stay here. From hotels to vacation rentals, there are plenty of choices of spots to rest your head at night. I love this rustic studio Airbnb that's nestled just outside of town: it looks so peaceful!

I actually live about 25 minutes outside of town now in a suburb of Athens, but I still think of the Classic City as home. It's such a wonderful place, whether you're staying for an afternoon or a lifetime, and it drives me up the wall when I see it referenced in the media as "just a college town" – there's so much more to Athens than the University of Georgia!