Written by Ell | 25 September 2008

Tomorrow will mark my first trip to Athens, and I'm excited to cross another campus off the list. However, I'm also excited because Athens is said to be a really great college town - and I always enjoy that. We failed to run down a blogger with good Athens bona fides, so we solicited the help of a friend's sister and UGA grad who grew up rooting for the Tide. 1. What's the landmark place you've got to try no matter what? In Tuscaloosa, it's Dreamland ribs - where do I go in Athens?

All Athens visitors must go to the Varsity on Broad Street for it's retro, greasy, all-American food. One might ask, "What'll Ya Have?" Get a chili dog. It'll surely be topped off with nothing other than a thin line of neon yellow mustard. Make sure to get a side of deep-fried onion rings or "bag of rags". To round off your meal and top off your oncoming heart attack, get a Varsity Frosted Orange, fried pie, or homemade ice cream. After all, you ARE on "vacation!"

2. What place flies under the radar? The place that's great and only the locals know about?

Let the aroma of homestyle cooking tempt you at this all-you-can-eat country buffet restaurant that features a minimum of six meats and 14 vegetables, along with salads, desserts, and breads. The restaurant, Aunt Beas Country Buffet is actually named after the character "Aunt Bea" from "The Andy Griffith Show." The restaurant, located on the outskirts of Athens, has nothing other than reruns of the show playing on three televisions throughout. Don't expect anything less than friendly service, a full belly, and southern charm at this mom and pop eatery. [ED: The Five and Ten also garners praise in the southern eatery category]

3. Where do you have a beer and watch some football pre-game? Or grab a meal post-game/ bar hopping?

If you're looking for a place with lots of TV's, plenty of beer, and good pre-game food Locos Bar and Grill on Lumpkin is a great place to go. It'll put you within walking distance to the stadium, beer and food in the stomach and you'll still have some money left over. After the game or a late night at the bars, try the local 24-hour, 50's style diner in the heart of the Classic City. Open for more than twenty years, The Grill boasts neon window signs, booths, and quirky memorabilia. The breakfast menu is extensive, the vegetarian menu is vast and the old-fashioned malts are well worth the trip to the heart of downtown.

4.  What's the best place for a more laid-back dinner on a Saturday night?

If you're looking for a nice, semi-formal, white table cloth kind of place try out Porterhouse Grill located on Broad Street in downtown Athens. Porterhouse in known for their surf and turf options and mellow atmosphere. They are open daily and serve late on weekends. If you're looking to save some money, try out Barberitos burritos, Jimmy John's sandwiches, Uncle Ottos' European eatery for German kebabs, or Five Star Day for soul food. Athens is one of the best places for local restaurants. There is an amazingly diverse selection that will satisfy anyone's tastebuds. My suggestion to anyone making the trip to Athens is to avoid the chain restaurants! There are many restaurants all across town that will offer you something incomparable in any other city. There are a great variety of local favorites that are great places to grab a bite to eat. The downtown area offers many great dining options to choose from from burger places to fine dining.

Thanks much to our honored guest. Southern Saturday has a nice travel guide up as well - in a spirit similar to what you'll typically see here. I'd be remiss if I didn't toss in an Athens pub crawl and guide sent by a friend of the blog this afternoon. We'll no doubt be hitting some of these places and recapping the ordeal next week. Roll Tide!

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