The Taylor-Grady House is a beautifully constructed colonial home in Athens and a perfect venue for…read morea ceremony or wedding. I attended the House for a wedding which was hosted outside on the lawn just by the gardens. Following the ceremony, we were able to go inside the house and on the porch for a cocktail hour and proceeded to our tables under tents in the back. There is a nice brick area that serves as a dance floor and plenty of space for tables and food.

Taylor-Grady house is one of the 4 house museums in Athens. If you're new to town or just visiting…read moreit's a wonderful stop on your way to Sanford Stadium.

Amazing story hour, really engaging for kids. Staff is helpful and friendly. Love this clean…read moreaddition to the library.

This is a lovely library that just oozes Southern charm. A sunny day makes you want to get a book…read moreand sit on the wraparound porch on a rocking chair, but any other type of weather makes for an equally enjoyable visit when you go indoors and have an opportunity to browse their well-stocked and well-organized book selection, as well as talk to the super friendly and helpful staff. I adore taking my youngsters there for story and music time every week b/c the librarians are so attentive, cheerful and engaging w/ all ages. (That goes for myself as an adult too, as I've gone in there on a number of occasions w/ a zillion "I need reading recommendations!!" questions.) I love that within a stone's throw of the library is a tiny bakery where you can pick up a cupcake or a sandwich, and I hope that they increase their hours of operations b/c they are closed pretty frequently. Book + pastry + coffee = YAY. In this age of e-readers (and yes, I am an avid reader on my Kindle and take full advantage of the library's online lending program!), having an actual library to walk into and other readers to talk to face-to-face may seem antiquated, but it really is a terrific thing for a town to have a sense of community and shared delight over reading.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable visit to the historic city of Athens, beginning with a walk through…read moreits charming downtown and continuing onto the quiet, tree-lined University of Georgia campus. Since it was a weekend with no classes in session or Bulldogs game underway, parking was easy and the coffee shops and restaurants were pleasantly uncrowded. Athens was founded in the early 1800s at Cedar Shoals, where an old Cherokee trail crossed the Oconee River. Incorporated in 1806 just five years after the University of Georgia opened nearby, the city was named after the classical Greek center of learning. It quickly grew into Georgia's cultural and intellectual heart, with a thriving antebellum economy built on cotton, brickmaking, and textiles. Though the Civil War brought hardship, Athens was spared destruction during Sherman's march and rebounded quickly during Reconstruction. The City Hall building was completed in 1904 and is a blend of Second Empire and Neoclassical styles. Built from Lexington granite and buff brick, it originally housed an auditorium, armory, and offices for city leaders and the Chamber of Commerce. The building has seen several renovations, including a major restoration of its clock tower in 2006-2007. Today, it remains a working seat of government, home to the mayor's office and a second-floor chamber for public meetings. [Review 1444 of 2025 - 866 in Georgia - 24996 overall]

Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!

Athens is where the famous University of Georgia is located (Go Dawgs!) and the city has a long…read morehistory of education. This marker points out one of those earlier educators whose work led to the origin of the university. It reads, "Dr. Moses Waddel, educator and minister, was born in 1770 in North Carolina. At fourteen he began teaching pupils near his home. Moving to Georgia in 1786, he taught in the Greensboro area until 1787, opening another school at Bethany, Greene County, in 1788. While at Bethany Waddel decided to enter the ministry. He studied at Hampden-Sydney College and graduated in less than nine months in 1791, thereafter combining the careers of teacher and minister. "Establishing his most famous academy at Willington, South Carolina, in 1804, Waddel continued his work there until 1819 when he became President of Franklin College, now the University of Georgia. One of the most prominent ante-bellum leaders of that institution, he served until 1829. Unwilling to divorce education from religion, Waddel stimulated the religious life of the campus. In 1820 he organized and was pastor of the First Presbyterian congregation in Athens, which became the First Presbyterian Church. The present church building was erected in 1855. Waddel died in 1840 at his son's home in Athens. His pupils during a lifetime of teaching included John C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, George R. Gilmer, Augustus B. Longstreet, and George McDuffie." In 1819, Waddel published Memoirs of the Life of Miss Caroline Elizabeth Smelt, a sentimental religious biography that became a transatlantic bestseller, reprinted in both the U.S. and Britain. Less widely acknowledged is that the 1820 census recorded sixteen enslaved individuals in his household, including nine children under fourteen, reflecting the complex and often contradictory legacy of Southern educators in the antebellum period. It is marker number 029-11 and it was erected in 1963 by the Georgia Historical Commission. [Review 1376 of 2025 - 860 in Georgia - 24928 overall]

Beautiful historic building, lots of friendly ladies working the counters, and nary a line in…read moresight, the downtown post office is my shipping location of choice. Today, I needed to send a birthday present to my friend in California and a box of Halloween goodies to a friend serving in the military overseas. The smiling clerk helped me decide on two day shipping for my friend's birthday present (so my gift won't be *too* belated), and she also helped me pack a flat rate box so everything will still be in ship-shape when unpacked in the Middle East. Okay, so you will have to scrounge for a quarter to feed the meter at this location, but the amazingly helpful and efficient staff certainly make up for it! And isn't anything better than that horrid parking lot at Beechwood where the next nearest post office is?

This post office is a joy to visit. I'm serious--the staff is helpful, courteous, knowledgeable,…read moreand friendly. The old building is beautiful, and the line is usually pretty short. Do not risk heartache by going to the Alps location -- go downtown!

This marker stands on a busy street in front of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church which…read morewas designed by Mr. Persley in 1916. The church itself was established in 1866 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Originally from Macon, Georgia , African-American architect Louis H. Persley attended Lincoln University, and graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1914. Persley then joined the faculty of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. One of his few projects in Georgia, Persley designed a new building for the First African Methodist Episcopal Church on this site in 1916. First AME began as Pierce's Chapel in 1866, believed to be the first congregation in Athens established by African Americans after the Civil War. Persley went on to design buildings including the Masonic Temple in Birmingham, and several structures on the campus of Tuskegee. On April 5, 1920 Louis Persley became the first African American to register with the new Georgia State Board of Registered Architects." The marker was erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the church in 2006. It is marker number 29-3. There is street parking for you to use while reading the sign and visiting the church. [Review 18062 overall - 537 in Georgia - 1584 of 2022.]

The Herty Field historical marker in Athens offers a compact but compelling glimpse into the early…read moredays of collegiate football and the legacy of Dr. Charles Herty. Rather than focusing on the field itself, the marker excels at contextualizing the cultural and academic forces that shaped athletics in the Deep South. The marker reads, "This marker overlooks the site of the first intercollegiate football game played in the state of Georgia and one of the first to be played in the deep south. On January 30, 1892 Georgia defeated Mercer College 50 to 0 on the stubbly grounds that served as an athletic field. Several hundred spectators watched from the sidelines, some of them spilling out on the playing ground. Students living in New College close by the field had a splendid view of the action from their dormitory windows. "Georgia played all its home games on this field until 1911 when a new field was constructed off Lumpkin Street. The old grounds were thereafter used for informal intramural games and as a drill field for the R.O.T.C. trainees. "The original field, later converted into a parking lot, was named in honor of Dr. Charles H. Herty, professor of chemistry at the University and sports enthusiast. He introduced football to the college boys and was unofficial coach and trainer of the early teams. Herty later earned fame as a scientist in the development of the turpentine and pine pulpwood industry." This is marker number 029-17. It was erected in 1991 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. [Review 1380 of 2025 - 862 in Georgia - 24932 overall]