Pylon, Dream Boat, and The Drive-By Truckers' Guide to Athens

Every time we hit up a city for this Made in America series we bug a bunch of bands about all the places to hang out in their hometown. Here's your guide to stalking bands in Athens! JK! But seriously these are the best places to hang out—it's a small town but we still need guidance. But having said that, it is a small town so a lot of these guys are singing the praises of the same places. Double-triple reason why you have to go!

MICHAEL LACHOWSKI FROM PYLON'S RECOMMENDATIONS BARS: 1. The Globe
199 N. Lumpkin Street, Athens GA 30601
"The Globe has to be on my list and remain on my list since it was one of the first true bars in downtown Athens (after the Georgia Bar), and it remains worthy now that there are an additional 70 other bars. Plus, I tended bar there for about eight years."

2. Little Kings Shuffle Club
223 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA 30601
Michael: "Closely related in spirit to its sister bar, Manhattan Cafe, Little Kings has the authentically relaxed vibe of funky Athens, a large and airy space with open windows and the gigantic outdoor patio area that is my favorite place to hang out or to see people enjoying it. My magazine Young, Foxy & Free helped to bring a beautiful mural to the building by artist PLF."

3. Normal Bar
1365 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30606
Michael: "Located way too close to my apartment in Normal Town (a district about 1.5 miles from downtown), Normal Bar is classy unpretentiousness—with great prices, fresh-squeezed juice for cocktails, $1 boiled peanuts and an outdoor hangout space out back."

Dreamboat: "If you find yourself in "Normal Town" then you will probably need a drink, and Normal Bar has some delicious choices. Normal is a great neighborhood hangout—it has a back patio with a fire pit, and for snacks there are homemade boiled peanuts. If boil'd p'nuts (GA spelling) aren't your thing, you should try these and reconsider."

RESTAURANTS:

4. Taco Stand
670 N Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30601
"The Taco Stand took over a crappy little fast food Burger Hut building way back when I was in college, and it's still there and reliable for the original fare of bean burritos and micro-waved quesadillas. It's hard to say why, but for those who are weened on it, they crave it forever."

5. Ted's Most Best
254 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601
"The owners of the popular Grit vegetarian restaurant revamped a small industrial building into a beautiful contemporary restaurant serving wood fired pizzas and tasty beers. It’s generous outdoor area is perfect for sitting long spells, filled with kids in the bocce court-cum-giant sand box and it’s all right across from the 40 Watt Club."

VENUES: 6. 40 Watt Club
285 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601
Michael: "Pylon played at the proto-40 Watt Club and every other location and iteration and I DJ'd there for almost ten years. This club is synonymous with the Athens music scene; it is essential."

Dream Boat: "The Vatican of Athens. All your favorite bands played here. All of them. Also, 90% of you musician friends in Athens have definitely worked here. The 40 Watt has some wonderful, talented, and patient sound people. There is hot tea backstage."

SHOPPING:

7. Dynamite
143 N. Jackson St, Athens GA 30601
"Dynamite is a vintage clothing store with men’s and women’s apparel that’s been hand-picked and laundered, so it’s all ready-to-wear. And it’s good and funky!"

8. Community
119 Jackson St, Athens GA 30601
"I used to own a clothing boutique that was upstairs in downtown Athens, it’s hard to do. Community is doing it successfully by presenting women’s clothing by local designers, reworked and vintage and producing their own fashion shows.

FAVORITE PLACES:

9. The Tree That Owns Itself
S. Finley St at Dearing St, Athens, GA 30605
"It used to be that there were only two sights in Athens: the Double-Barreled Cannon (downtown at City Hall) and the Tree That Owns Itself. They’re both still my favorites, go read the plaques."

10. Ciné
234 W. Hancock Ave, Athens GA 30601
Michael: "Ciné is an non-profit cinema right downtown (next to The National restaurant!) in a beautifully reused tyre recap plant, offering independent, foreign, kids and classic films—with a bar, popcorn and excellent projection and sound equipment."

11. Georgia Museum of Art
90 Carlton St, Athens, GA 30602
"This beautiful facility and large collection of art is the official state museum of art. It’s located on the University of Georgia campus and presents numerous exhibitions and programs—all for free! And I’m the PR guy there."

DREAM BOAT'S RECEOMMENDATIONS

BARS:

1. Flicker Bar
263 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601
Dream Boat: "Flicker is a great bar which always has some rad local art on the walls. There is a side room where they play B movies with free popcorn, and it serves as an intimate venue for many great bands. You can see everyone you want to see here."

2. The Manhattan / Little Kings
337 N Hull St, Athens, GA 30601
Dream Boat: "These two bars own the corner of Hull and Hancock and they have for a while. Pick Manhattan for the dark den, the unfiltered sake, and the amazing decorations; pick Little Kings for the party set. Little Kings has a huge patio with corn hole games and tropical touches (in case you need an umbrella in your drink)."

Patterson Hood: "Super cool ambience, great cocktails and excellent bartenders. The room is literally a time warp from the 60s and early 70s when it was a neighborhood bar in what was then the African American part of downtown. The owner, Joey Tatum, opened it in the mid-90s from having been shuttered for nearly two decades and left it exactly as it was, down to the awesome jukebox and amazing velvet afro art on the walls. All left intact in a very respectful way to the past without pretense. One of my favorite drinking bars in America."

RESTAURANTS:

3. Weaver D’s
1016 E Broad St, Athens, GA 30601
"Weaver D is a master of soul food, and an amazing human. The food is great, and the delivery is famous. You tell Weaver D your order, then he says "Automatic!" and shouts the order to the cook. The sign outside says "Automatic For The People." Sounds familiar, right?"

4. "Jesus Biscuit” - The Bread Basket
723 Boulevard (N. Chase Street), Athens, GA 30601
"This isn't so much a restaurant as it is a Golden Pantry convenience store, which happens to serve the biggest, most country biscuit sandwiches you will ever eat. Eggs, gravy, ham, cheese slices… all the fixins are there, as well as some lovely, ornery ladies to serve it up cafeteria-style."

5. Cali N Titos
1427 S Lumpkin St, Athens, GA 30605
Dream Boat: "When I eat here I forget I'm in GA. Calientitos feels like a South American beach resort. You eat at brightly colored picnic tables; there are mango shakes and fried yucca, and the best Cuban sandwiches. It is a tradition for us to eat here on New Year's day. Come join us next year."

Michael: "I like being outside, so here’s another pick with a great outside space—plus delicious Peruvian/Cuban food and a BYOB policy. Their humble, 'plain' side of beans is so good!"

VENUES:

6. Hendershot’s Coffee
237 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30601
Dream Boat: "Hendershot's is relatively new. It is a wonderful coffee shop and restaurant during the day, but at night it becomes the perfect venue, with plenty of room for a big crowd. It sounds beautiful in there. Seth Hendershot put unicorns in the green room after we had we jokingly put them on our rider."

Michael: "This coffee, bar, restaurant, and music venue survived a move from a edge location in a gas station to an underperforming mixed-use space at the edge of downtown—and has been so successful that it seems to have revived the whole area. For intimate shows, such as the one I saw by Dream Boat."

7. The World Famous Athens
351 N Hull St, Athens, GA 30601
Dream Boat: "WF is an insanely fun room- an intimate venue that sounds fantastic and treats all the bands like rockstars. The bar serves drinks with fresh juices and delectible schwarma and fries. It is home to very special events sometimes curated by Dottie Alexander and James Huggins, part time Dream Boaters and full time fun freaks."

Michael: "By the same owner as Normal Bar, the World Famous has great prices, delicious bar food and—as I finally found out last night at a show by D. Striker with Clay Leverett and Friends—a really fun small music venue."

SHOPPING: 8. Wuxtry
197 E Clayton St, Athens, GA 30601
"Wuxtry is an Athens institution. Advice: It can be overwhelming if you try and tackle the record store and comic shop in the same trip. Your best bet is to ask John Fernandes what to get, and then just buy that."

9. Low Yo Yo
261 W Washington St, Athens, Georgia
"An amazing place to get lost. Todd, Jeremy, and Razz keep a ton of great records on hand, but if it's not there they have it somewhere, and magically the record will find you."

FAVORITE PLACES: 10. The J & J Flea Market
11661 Commerce Rd, Athens, GA 30607
"The J&J is the only place to be on Saturday morning. Located just outside of town, this is one of the largest indoor/outdoor market in the south. I have found endless treasures here over the years. Sometimes if a party went late on friday night I would just start walking when it was over and find myself at the market. The die hards show up while it's still dark outside. The key is you can get a biscuit at the J&J's Flea Bite Cafe to soak up Friday's party." 11. Jittery Joe's Roaster
297 East Broad Street, Athens, GA 30601
"Charlie is one of Athens' greatest treasures. For many years, he has churned out the best coffee beans I have ever tasted, and delivered them around town on his bike. The roaster is giant and really industrial and cool-looking inside. You can take a little tour, get the freshest latte ever, and maybe buy a bicycle. Dan bought a refurbished purple beach cruiser there with ape hanger handle bars and still rides it all the time."

12. Broad River Outpost
7911 Wildcat Bridge Rd. State Road 281, Danielsville, Ga. 30633
"Athens is extremely hot in the summer. Our favorite escape from the heat is the Broad River Outpost, where you rent a kayak, you get on an old short bus (thats painted with the words "too cool for school" and driven expertly by local celebrity and elf Laura Carter), and you're dropped off to float down the Broad River. Depending on your drop-off, you can have a mellow trip, or a rapid-heavy summer adventure! There are also great music shows here, too (which applies to every place we've listed so far)."

PATTERSON HOOD FROM THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS RECOMMENDATION

BARS:

1. The bar at The National
232 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA 30601
"A great higher end cocktail and wine bar attached to one of the best restaurants in the South (or anywhere)."

2. Flicker Bar
263 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601
Patterson Hood: "Originally started as a local film society and a place to have drinks while watching 8mm and 16mm prints of old films, it has become a cool tiny venue and a great place to have drinks and hang with friends."

RESTAURANTS:

3. The Grit
199 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30601
"The quintessential Athens, GA restaurant, a vegetarian cuisine that's loved by carnivores and vegans alike. One of my all time favorite places to eat for nearly 20 years now."

4. The National
232 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA 30601
"My favorite higher end place to eat in town. Excellent farm to table cuisine by star Chef Peter Dale partnering with award winning Chef Hugh Acheson, one of our two shining stars that have recently put our small town on the international food map of hot destinations."

5. Five and Ten
1073 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605
"The other internationally acclaimed (and James Beard Award winning destination) restaurant in our town. Star Chef Hugh Acheson's original flagship restaurant to his expanding culinary empire. For a town our size to have one restaurant of this caliber is amazing and we have two with some close contenders coming up."

6. La Puerto del Sol
1254 Cedar Shoals Dr. Athens GA
"A brand new restaurant from Peruvian restauranteur Bruno Rubio, it combines the best of his several previous local restaurants into one amazing destination with excellent Peruvian dishes and stunning atmosphere. It just opened and is already one of my very favorites. It's great for the kids too."

FAVORITE VENUES:

7. The Georgia Theatre
215 N Lumpkin St, Athens, GA 30601
"A long time old dive-bar theatre with great history, the GA Theatre burned to the ground in the summer of 2009, leaving only the outside shell. Owner Wilmot Greene rebuilt it, retaining what was left but improving on everything else. It is now a world class music room with an increased capacity, excellent sound and sight-lines and a rooftop bar/restaurant."

8. The Caledonia Lounge
256 W Clayton St, Athens, GA 30601
"A small music venue with good sound. The room was once upon a time the location for 40 Watt Club before they moved into a bigger room. R.E.M. filmed their "Turn You Inside Out" video there and my band recorded a lot of our 2000 live album Alabama Ass Whuppin' there."

9. 40 Watt Club
285 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601
"One of the most revered 700 capacity rooms in the world and the home base for our band Drive-By Truckers. The 40 Watt has a long history, great sound and vibe and an excellent staff who care and nurture great music. Everyone from Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket and R.E.M. to Iggy Pop, Nirvana, Patti Smith and Cheap Trick and way too many others to name have played and loved our little local rock club."

SHOPPING: 10. Avid Book Store
493 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30601
Patterson Hood: A great tiny little book store that somehow manages to have whatever I'm looking for (and if they don't, their excellent staff knows how to get it).

Dream Boat: "Janet Geddis is the best bookstore owner ever. Books make you smarter, and they make you look smart and sexy. You should definitely buy books here."

11. Agora Vintage
233 E Broad St, Athens, GA 30601
Patterson Hood: "A locally owned vintage and antique coop in downtown Athens."

Michael: "Agora Vintage presents an upscale collection of designer clothing and accessories in a refined shop right smack downtown. Their sprawling bazaar-style store behind the 40 Watt Club is also a must visit."

12. Community
119 Jackson St, Athens GA 30601
"A chic clothing boutique celebrating quality vintage and redesigned clothing stylishly blending the old and the new in innovative ways. A great local treasure."

FAVORITE PLACES: 13. Nuçi's Space
396 Oconee St, Athens, GA 30601
"A non-profit health and music resource center specializing in innovative suicide prevention and outreach, but also providing safe and inexpensive rehearsal spaces and programs designed to help our town's diverse and expansive music community. Founded by Linda Phillips as a way of turning her grief over the loss of her son by suicide into a way to help make a positive difference. Nuçi's Space has provided help to countless artists in and around our town for nearly 15 years. My wife and I are proud to be on the Board of Directors. Their Camp Amped program provides a band camp for young musicians aged 11-17 teaching basics and development skills to help young people with the musical calling learn the skills (musical and personal) to better achieve their goals."

14. Lower Washington - The west end of Washington St.
"The west end of Washington St. where most of my favorite local clubs and restaurants reside. It's the part of town that at least seems sheltered from the more fraternity oriented parts of Athens nightlife."

15. Ciné
234 W. Hancock Ave, Athens GA 30601
"Our long needed and much beloved arts cinema, specializing in the films that aren't multiplex blockbuster and also host of small festivals, regional indies and a summer classic film series."

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Fancy traveling around the rest of America checking out artist's hotspots? Check out our other Guides to Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Denver.

Craig from The Hold Steady and Lizzo's Guide to Minnesota
Ben Gibbard, Tacocat, and La Luz's Guide to Seattle
Tennis, Two Fresh, and Big Gigantic's Guide to Denver

Nelly, Tef Poe, and Nick Menn's Guide to St. Louis