Athens
I'm sure Athens, Greece has its charms, but the town of Athens, Ohio is fascinating in its own right: it's a college town with a beautiful university, it's an old school hippie haven, and it's smack dab in the middle of rolling hills and green forests.
Food
Casa Nueva: long-running and much-loved cantina creating Mexican favorites from locally sourced ingredients
Bagel Street Deli: a growing downtown storefront known for a vast menu of bagel sandwiches
Fluff Bakery: downtown spot for coffee and sweets
Miller's Chicken: old school fried chicken spot
O'Betty's Red Hot: pin-up girl-themed funky hot dog spot with a Hot Dog Museum
Village Bakery: happening spot for snacks, lots of local sourcing
Coffee & Beer
Devil's Kettle Brewing: a taproom from an award-winning brewer, with the Devil Dogs food truck parked on-site
Donkey Coffee: beloved local coffee shop with an event space
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewpub: accomplished local brewery with a taproom attached to the production facility plus a brewpub in downtown Athens
Little Fish Brewing: farmhouse ales and sours in an eclectic taproom, with a focus on local ingredients. Their kitchen serves creative fare with locally sourced ingredients, too.
West End Ciderhouse: creative house-made ciders, also home to a distillery
Parks & Attractions
Dairy Barn Arts Center: known for its exhibitions, fares, classes, including the annual Quilt National show
Ohio University: there's a reason why they call OU the "Harvard on the Hocking"
Strouds Run State Park: favorite state park just a few minutes from downtown, with miles of hiking, biking, and horse trails. Rent boats to hit the lake during the warmer weather!
Read our Athens itineraries
A Day in Athens
An extended day trip included bagels and a paddle on the lake, beer tasting, fried chicken, cider, more beer, a trek to see Ohio river tomatoes, hot dogs, and yes - one more stop for beer.
August 2016
A Day in Athens
Our first introduction to Athens, shown around by the CVB, with stops at Jackie O's, Strouds Run, O'Betty's, OU, and Fluff Bakery.
November 2014