Sharing my Athens GA travel diary! Everything we did, where to ate, where we stayed, and more!
Happy Friday! I love sharing travel posts on Friday’s to provide some travel inspiration for the weekend or a future weekend. Therefore, today I’m diving into my most recent trip to Athens, GA and sharing a full travel diary. Morgan and I visited the town two weeks ago and have the BEST time exploring. Joshua and I have been several times for UGA games but haven’t had too much opportunity to explore as the town is BUSY during football season.
So let’s dive right into the trip!
Friday
We arrived at the Graduate Athens {you may remember The Graduate Charlottesville from earlier this year}. Checked in, dropped our bags off in our room, and headed straight to The Foundry {The Graduate’s restaurant/bar + concert venue}.
We absolutely lucked out as the the weekend we were in Athens they were having Athfest which was a weekend FULL of live music all over the city. Lucky for us, there were some amazing country bands playing at The Foundry. The Foundry is probably one of the coolest venues I have ever visited. A historical music venue with lots of character! I literally could not stop saying how cool it was while we were there. We listened to two bands {one was two couples and they reminded us of Little Big Town and another was a band with a lead singer that sounded a lot like Sam Hunt}.
Saturday
8:30-9am: Popped into Iron Works Coffee at The Graduate Athens for coffee and tea. We needed to fuel up for our busy day!
9-10:30am: Shot around the property of The Graduate Athens. Including photos for this post and some outfits for both Morgan and myself.
10:30-11:15am: Independent Baking Co. for breakfast. Y’all OH.MY.GOSH. was this place phenomenal! I had an orange ginger scone and it was very well one of the best scones I have ever had in my life! We all could not stop ranting and raving about the items we chose. Honestly, I have been day dreaming about that scone ever since!
11:45-1:15pm: Spa appointments at The Graduate Athens Spa. Morgan and I both received facials and took some time to relax at the spa. It was the perfect escape from the heat + a great way to enjoy the weekend!
The Graduate Athens Spa offers a variety of services to help you achieve the ultimate relaxation! I honestly wanted a massage SO badly but with my shingles, I wasn’t able to. However, after getting the facial I was more than happy! I was so relaxed that I was close to falling asleep. I honestly never wanted it to end haha. The spa life, is the life for me! The great part about The Graduate Athens Spa is it is just steps from your room and the lobby.
Take a look at their full list of services. The Massage and Visage packages sounds like the ultimate spa afternoon to me!
1:30-2:30pm: Lunch at the famous Varsity! Being that my father-in-law when to UGA and we have been in Athens several times, I have heard SO much about The Varsity. But again, since we are typically in town during game weekends, it is too busy to stop in. So going this time was a MUST! We indulged in cheeseburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and cold cokes. Of course, we wore the hats too!
2:30-4:30pm: Brewery and bar hopping in downtown Athens. First up, Creature Comforts, a local Athens Brewery. While sadly, I couldn’t try any beers {darn shingles, again} everyone else LOVED their beers and I enjoyed a grapefruit peach sparkling water that was quite refreshing! Also, this was another spot we were blown away by. The set up is so cool and they have these HUGE fans that really keep air circulating which was nice as it was SO hot outside.
Next, The World Famous bar. Another really cool spot! Their wall bar menu was a piece of art! I was absolutely obsessed with it. Morgan had the Early Greyhound {fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, earl grey tea, and organic vodka} and said it was incredible! One of her favorite drinks to date. So what we’re saying is, you need to go here when you’re in Athens, GA.
5:00-6:00pm: Nap time back at The Graduate Athens.
6:30-8pm: Dinner at Taqueria Tsunami, latin-asian kitchen. We started off with cocktails {again, I just had a sip because of shingles} and I opted for the Grapefruit Rita. It was SO good! I cannot wait to go back next time we’re in Athens and have the full cocktail! We then tried the Avocado Cilantro Egg Rolls which were so delicious and a fun spin on the classic egg roll. For dinner, I went for tacos, trying the Aloha Taco, Garden Taco, and Rich Man’s Taco. Surprisingly, the Garden Taco was my favorite – all veggies and soy-sesame vinaigrette. Finally, we finished off the meal with churros and ice cream. SO GOOD!
Sunday
8:00-9am: Back to Iron Works Coffee at The Graduate Athens for tea and scones. I was seriously obsessed with this little coffee shop and Charlie the barista was so personable and full of recommendations. We talked to him for almost a full hour Sunday. Also, their scones are pretty cakey and absolutely sinfully delicious. Highly recommend!
9:00-10am: Toured some additional rooms at The Graduate Athens including some of the fun suites. If/when you stay at The Graduate Athens I would HIGHLY recommend checking availability on the suites. They are phenomenal and offer lots of space! My personal favorite was the King Suite with the Athena Suite in close second. All of the rooms have SO much character and are full of preppy, spunky details. Some of my favorites to note, the bulldog lamps {UGA’s mascot}, rich patterns and textures of the furniture {like the green velvet couch shown below}, and ALL of the wallpaper!
11:00-12:30pm: Brunch at Mama’s Boy. Which was literally recommended by every single local we spoke to. Seriously, every. single. person. So we knew it was going to be amazing! And y’all the recommendations did not disappoint! This place is GOOD! I went for the chicken salad salad and a biscuit. OMG the biscuits and their apple butter, drooling just thinking about the combination. It’s a HAVE to have! They offer a wide variety of goodies including biscuit sandwiches, classic egg breakfasts, and chocolate cake for breakfast {yes that is a thing and yes I had to force myself to not order that}. We did go to their newer location a little ways out of town and I would recommend opting for their older location. It has a lot more character and charm.
12:45-2pm: Met up with my cousin, his wife, and their two children on the UGA campus. Touring the campus is a must when you visit Athens, GA. It is seriously one of the prettiest campuses I’ve ever seen. There is so much history throughout the campus, so many beautiful flowers and trees, and lots of different “hidden” areas that take a little exploring to find.
2pm: Headed home! With one stop at a local produce stand where we picked up LOTS of peaches and some corn on the cob. I made peach banana bread with the fresh peaches and y’all, so yummy!
Thank you to The Graduate Athens, Independent Baking Co., Taqueria Tsunami, and Mama’s Boy for making this trip possible! All views and opinions are of course my own!
Athens looks like the most charming little town!! Need to make my way over there!
xo, Hillary | hillheady.com
You would love it! And I bet it would be an easy drive for you.
xo Laura Leigh
OBSESSED with all of these photos!!! Looks like you girls had an absolute blasts with the guys. I guess I know where I’m heading next;)
The Champagne Edit
Ah yay! Thank you Dana! Yes you should definitely take a trip there and we should definitely plan a trip with the four of us {you, me, Morgan, and Allie}.
xo Laura Leigh
Athens looks like such a fun place! Definitely on my bucket list!
Yay! You will love it!
xo Laura Leigh
All your pictures are STUNNING. Looks like a great place. Bookmarking it for future travels.
❥ tanvii.com
Aw thank you so much Tanvi!! I really appreciate that gal! It is a great place to visit for sure.
xo Laura Leigh
This looks like a really fun trip! I’ll have to plan a trip there soon!
XOXO
Cathy
You definitely should! It’s a great little town.
xo Laura Leigh
What a wonderful place! I love all the photos, especially the first photo!
http://innapishtoy.com
I love all of these photos! It looks so nice there.
https://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/
Seriously making me want to go back ASAP!! Except this time we need a massage and to try even more yummy restaurants!
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
Right? Me too. Yes, totally agree on the massage and home.made is one we NEED to try!
xo Laura Leigh
This looks like so much fun! I love Athens and need to make my way up there more often!
xo Jessica
My Style Vita
We had such a great time! Yes you totally do. I’m sure the drive is a super easy one for you. Also, we should all meet there sometime.
xo Laura Leigh
Oh my gosh, what an amazing time! I am loving all of the delicious foods! And the hotel looks amazing!
Wow Athens looks absolutely adorable – so many amazing restaurants and bars!! And that hotel is so lovely! Seems like you guys had a wonderful time!
xx Mollie
It really is the cutest little college town. Love it! We absolutely did and highly recommend it!
xo Laura Leigh
This place looks amazing!! I love your denim look too!
xo
Samantha
Thank you gal!
xo Laura Leigh
Athens looks like such a cute little vacay spot! Loved this recap girl.
It absolutely is! Perfect spot for a long weekend. Thanks Anna!
xo Laura Leigh
Love your travel diary. Such a great place to visit!
Thank you Avani! It really was!
xo Laura Leigh
Athens is definitely now on my travel bucket list! What a cute little city!
Yay! You will love it!
xo Laura Leigh