31 replies to this topic

[stipeeyes]

I went on one of Paul's tours before he started charging for his tours.  Todd in the little 40 watt record store that used to be on the side had given us Paul's number.  So My best friend and I squeezed into his Tiny Pick up and he drove us around the town and showed us the usual locations and told us the stories he remembered.  He did drive down Michael's Street and passed his house.  He told us all about the white house next door and how it is Michael's giant office.  He did ask us if we walked by his house.  We did a couple days before the tour, but I felt strange so we quickly left. Minutes later heading back up to Prince Ave don't you know Michael passed by in his Volvo.  I think he may have been heading home and I was so glad I wasn't standing admiring his Bamboo. Paul said he doesn't mind people taking a look but if he sees fans he'll mess with them.

[thomas08]

Driver Nate, on 16 January 2012 - 09:25 AM, said:

These became such frequently asked questions that they were eventually turned into a sticky thread but since the most recent upgrade to the board I'm not sure how to direct you to it. Off the top of my head I would say, their old house on Barber Street, the steeple, the trestle, Wuxtry, the 40 Watt, the newly renovated Georgia Theatre (which I haven't had the pleasure of visiting yet), the Lucy Cobb Chapel, Weaver D's, the kudzu field where the cover of Murmur was photographed, and the church (can't think of the name) where some of Accelerate was recorded. I'm sure I'm leaving lots of stuff out but there is quite a bit of stuff to see for the R.E.M. fan. In addition to that there's all the cool things like the double barreled cannon and The Tree That Owns Itself. There's also lots of cool shops to visit as well as eating places (there's a guide to those on here somewhere too). All of this with WUGA as your background music. There was also a real nice old country station on AM when I was there in '94 but I'm not sure if it's still on the air or what it's call letters are.

As for when to visit, the first time I went was during the late summer before school had let back in so things were less busy without all of the students. I've also been when school was in session and the town was buzzing. I enjoyed both of those visits, plus the times I've been down for Murmurs meet ups during AthFest. It can be pretty sweltering in the South during summertime so if you don't like the heat and humidity I would suggest visiting in the Spring or Fall. The latter would be my preference just because Fall and R.E.M. seem to go together for some reason.

**Edited to add: Just realized you asked what it's like to visit not when it's best to visit. If you've ever visited the South before I'd say Athens is pretty typical for a college town such as Chapel Hill. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore, particularly if you like good eats, sightseeing in general and browsing bookshops, record stores and the like. Lots of friendly people too but as you'll probably read in the guides (Flagpole publishes an excellent one), it's best not to travel alone at night. So far, all of my experiences have been good but during my last visit to Athens I was approached by someone who's intentions were less than good. Someone using a scam to try get money from my friend and I. So, unfortunately you need to keep an eye out for stuff like that. Most of the motels/hotels are close to downtown so it'll make the majority of your visit very walkable. The Days Inn (or the "Dazed Inn" as some like to refer to it) is within walking distance of the 40 Watt so that's perfect if you're in town for something like AthFest.

Thanks alot for taking the time to type all that. Really considering taking a trip there sometime since come july im out of college for the first time in 4 years so it'd be a nice way to celebrate. I always knew about the obvious sites such as the trestle or the steeple but just never realised how much history their is to see!

Just out of interest, if i was staying downtown in a hotel/motel, would i have access to most sites by walking?

[Driver Nate]

thomas08, on 16 January 2012 - 11:43 AM, said:

Just out of interest, if i was staying downtown in a hotel/motel, would i have access to most sites by walking?

An Athenite such as Blueshades might be able to answer that better than I but if you were staying at the Dazed Inn for instance, it's not exactly walking distance from there to the trestle or the steeple. You could walk it but it'd be quite the hike.

[Sweden]

thomas08, on 16 January 2012 - 11:43 AM, said:

Thanks alot for taking the time to type all that. Really considering taking a trip there sometime since come july im out of college for the first time in 4 years so it'd be a nice way to celebrate. I always knew about the obvious sites such as the trestle or the steeple but just never realised how much history their is to see!

Just out of interest, if i was staying downtown in a hotel/motel, would i have access to most sites by walking?

A good description by Jonathan, I think. There's also tons of other sites to at least drive by and check out as long as you're mindful not to disturb anyone; John Keane's studio, Peter Buck's two former houses in town (both known from various performances and interviews), the old Walters's BBQ, the sites where they recorded the takeaway shows in 2007 (such as the magnolia tree outside Seney-Stovall chapel, which BTW is the same as the Lucy Cobb chapel), the various locations of the 40 Watt throughout the years, the 8032 mailbox(!), etc, etc...

On top of that you get a cozy little Southern town with tons of live music on what seems to be every night of the week, nice little bars, some nice eateries, amazingly cool old Souther houses everywhere, and some shadier areas of course...

I've been there in September and November, both provided pretty great weather but I guess I could have been more unlucky in November.

As for driving, you can get along fine getting to Athens from ATL airport with the shuttles buses (take 2h maybe), and downtown and the areas closest to that are pretty compact. Still though, a car does make it easier and like many other US cities it seems somehow constructed for driving (sidewalks or foot paths outside of downtown and the main residential areas, hallo?) so I would probably still recommend a car if you have the chance. It will also allow you to drive around on the countryside a bit more and get a feel for the region in general. Having said that, there's a bunch of motels within what I would consider very reasonable walking distance from most places (Days Inn is two blocks from the 40 Watt and under 2km from the steeple).

/D

[thomas08]

Driver Nate, on 16 January 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

An Athenite such as Blueshades might be able to answer that better than I but if you were staying at the Dazed Inn for instance, it's not exactly walking distance from there to the trestle or the steeple. You could walk it but it'd be quite the hike.

I'll check a few pages out online and see as I don't really mind the walking, especially if it was during summer.

Sweden, on 16 January 2012 - 02:06 PM, said:

A good description by Jonathan, I think. There's also tons of other sites to at least drive by and check out as long as you're mindful not to disturb anyone; John Keane's studio, Peter Buck's two former houses in town (both known from various performances and interviews), the old Walters's BBQ, the sites where they recorded the takeaway shows in 2007 (such as the magnolia tree outside Seney-Stovall chapel, which BTW is the same as the Lucy Cobb chapel), the various locations of the 40 Watt throughout the years, the 8032 mailbox(!), etc, etc...

On top of that you get a cozy little Southern town with tons of live music on what seems to be every night of the week, nice little bars, some nice eateries, amazingly cool old Souther houses everywhere, and some shadier areas of course...

I've been there in September and November, both provided pretty great weather but I guess I could have been more unlucky in November.

As for driving, you can get along fine getting to Athens from ATL airport with the shuttles buses (take 2h maybe), and downtown and the areas closest to that are pretty compact. Still though, a car does make it easier and like many other US cities it seems somehow constructed for driving (sidewalks or foot paths outside of downtown and the main residential areas, hallo?) so I would probably still recommend a car if you have the chance. It will also allow you to drive around on the countryside a bit more and get a feel for the region in general. Having said that, there's a bunch of motels within what I would consider very reasonable walking distance from most places (Days Inn is two blocks from the 40 Watt and under 2km from the steeple).

/D

The more I hear about it the more I want to actually see this through! Yeah apart from the obvious and more die-hard R.E.M. sites it does seem like you're getting a nice little town to visit, I'm sure the guys wouldn't have stayed there if that wasn't the case! The only thing that's kind of hard to grasp is that in Europe, a town is quite small whereas in America it can be huge! It would be such an experience to actually go, I've been to the US before so I've a vague idea but still I think this would be much more of an experience

Have many of the members here been?

[Driver Nate]

Athens really is small. I'm not sure of the population but referring mainly to the downtown area it isn't really all that big. I like that. Because, like Chapel Hill, you can just find a central location to park your car and get out and walk. Last time I was there I was also tipped off by a friend about a record sale that someone was having out of their home. I didn't end up picking up anything but it was still fun to attend and hang out with lots of other record geeks for a couple hours. Also, some of the most fun I had during AthFest was visiting Nuçi's Space to see Kimberly Morgan and the Everlovin' Band (Kimberly is the wife of Drive-By Truckers drummer Brad Morgan) while everyone else was crowding into the 40 Watt to see whatever band was playing there. Our crew caught up with all of those folks later but in the meantime it was refreshing to hang out somewhere that was off the beaten path and you didn't have to wait half an hour in line just to get a beer. In addition to the company, the music was also good. I wasn't too into the band that was playing the 40 Watt so I'm glad we made our own plans that night to do something a little different. Athens is full of hidden treasures and Nuçi's is one of them. All this Athens talk has me kicking myself for not making the Drive-By Truckers' recent homecoming shows at the 40 Watt over the weekend. Hopefully next time.

[wagtail]

Athens is very walkable - I walked from Days Inn to the trestle - it really isn't far.  When traveling in the US you get used to being told that it either too far, or unsafe to walk - you learn to ignore it.  I agree with David though, it would have been nice to drive around outside the town and get a sense of space, I sure would have liked to have the freedom to go explore the landscape a bit more, but then, I'm a nature-nerd more than I am an REM nerd.

Athens feels smaller than it is.  I grew up in a town with a population under 30,000, and I went to university in another town with a population under 30,000 [including students] and downtown Athens feels about the same size, with about the same number of venues and cafes.  The lack of street life that the car culture brings in the US makes places feel much, much smaller than they are, and I say that coming from a country where the suburban sprawl of cities is as bad as the US.  People there are exceptionally friendly and generous though, it's just seems rather difficult to meet them at first because so few walk or catch public transport.

[Anton]

You can walk all the 'landmarks' in Athens, we did it several times, from Walter's to the trestle and all others in between. There are so many nice shops and restaurants, lots of beautiful houses along the way. In 2008, we visited in June, that time it was somewhat hot to do this walking-tour in one day, but there was no need to do it in one day anyway. We had a car, we only used that to go to the Botanical Garden, Watkinsville, Bishop etc. We both don't like driving cars and we used it as little as possible.
Walking gives you a lot of extra's; you can stop wherever you want, you meet the nicest and/or surprising people on the way.
Like in 2006; Peter Buck.

[2headedcow]

If you have a Jesus Phone (iPhone) the REM App has a great virtual REM Athens tour that includes photos, history and a google map of the following places of interest:

Church Steeple
Wuxtry
Trestle
Kudzu
40 Watt
Seney - Stovall Chapel
Weaver's
Jackson St Books
Tasty World
The Tree
Double Barelled Cannon
Georgia Theatre
Morton Theatre
Caledonia Lounge
Nuci's Space
Melting Point
Cine'
Athens Fire Hall 2
Hotel Indigo
The National
Five & Ten
Farm 255

REM HQ is not listed as a place to visit on the App.  Maybe this is strategic.

[Driver Nate]

Anyone ever been to Miller's Whirlygig Farm in Gainesville, GA or Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens? Those are at least two R.E.M. related landmarks I've never been to.

[Sweden]

I went to the Paradise Gardens in 2009. Unfortunately it was closed even though the information signs said it was supposed to be open that day. A pretty unique place indeed. I hope it doesn't get destroyed by weather and wind over time though... We walked around outside the fences for a bit, and also met an old guy living in a house across the street. Quite a character who told a few stories.

Here is a pic. More in this link: http://s37.photobuck...dise%20Gardens/

[welliwonder]

Driver Nate, on 17 January 2012 - 09:21 AM, said:

Anyone ever been to Miller's Whirlygig Farm in Gainesville, GA or Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens? Those are at least two R.E.M. related landmarks I've never been to.

Yes, took a trip to RA Miller's several times in the mid 90's and still got some Blow Oscars dotted around the house. He was special.I never made it to Finsters though.