Location: Athens
Top Things to do in Athens
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What to do and see in Athens, Georgia (GA): The Best Nature & Parks
In the sweltering Georgia heat, no place is as cool as Athens. This hip college town is home to the University of Georgia, Pulitzer Prize winning authors and famous rock musicians. Explore the downtown area, where Victorian buildings are filled with an eclectic combination of independent coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques. Named "Live Music Central," Athens' busy music venues are known around the world. Check out The 40 Watt Club, where The B-52s and R.E.M got their start.
Restaurants in Athens
1. State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 649 reviews
This 313-acre preserve is used by the University of Georgia as a horticulture laboratory and is open to the public.
Reviewed By Sailing68 - Fairview Heights, United States
Enjoyed the variety of plants and trees and the natural layout of the Botanical Gardens. Well worth visiting to enjoy the outdoors and natural beauty of the area!!!
2. Bear Hollow Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 256 reviews
Reviewed By elizabhar
Bear Hollow is an outstanding little local spot. All the animals are local (southeast) rescues who wouldn't survive in the wild. If you're looking for expensive giraffes or something, you'll be disappointed, but if you need a great place to let kids run up and down the paths to find the bears, get amazingly close to an alligator, or talk back to a turkey, this is your spot! It's connected to Memorial Park, so bring a picnic and wander on down to the lake, feed the geese, watch the turtles, and enjoy the multiple little playgrounds.
3. Trail Creek Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21 reviews
The SPLOST funded 113-acre Trail Creek Park was completed in 2006. The park, formerly East Athens Community Park, is located off the Athens Perimeter at Peter Street.. The second phase of the park, completed in 2013, includes an outdoor fitness zone, playground, splash pad, and picnic pavilions. The mountain bike trail is a popular destination, too. The popular splash pad is open May through August with operating hours of 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Admission is $1 per person. The open park, with plenty of green space, is accessible from the Athens Perimeter or from Trail Creek Street. Visit Trail Creek Park and enjoy this park only minutes from downtown Athens.
4. Sandy Creek Nature Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 88 reviews
The nature center is a facility of the Athens-Clarke County Department of Leisure Services and partners with Sandy Creek Nature Center Inc., a non-profit support group. This 225- acre wildlife sanctuary includes over 4 miles of nature trails, providing access to a variety of habitats typical of the Georgia piedmont: river floodplains, wetlands, upland pine and hardwood forests, fields, ponds, and streams. In 2012, Sandy Creek Nature Center completed a major expansion funded by SPLOST and community partnership dollars. Over 4,000 square feet were added to the Education & Visitor Center, including new exhibits and a planetarium. Sandy Creek Nature Center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Property and trails are open sunrise to sunset daily.
Reviewed By ShaFlorida
The hiking paths are well-marked. We enjoyed getting to hike to the old log cabin & pond. My kids loved getting to see a variety of birds & insects. We were sad the visitor's center is still requiring masks, so we didn't go inside there.
5. Sandy Creek Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By Sinbad06 - Tampa, United States
We stopped here on the way up to Blairsville, GA and had a picnic. There is a fee to get in. Lots of places to sit in or out of the sun. Bathrooms are open. Nice Beach. The trails are paved but steep in places.
6. World of Wonder Playground
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By abrooksh - Chennai (Madras), India
Love this place. We come here often now. Great water fountains every where. Walking path clean bathrooms.
7. Bishop Park
8. Southeast Clarke Park
9. Birchmore Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
10. Trial Gardens at UGA
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
