New Years Eve Near Athens GA
September 20, 2013 8:09 AM Subscribe
My lady and I were planning to go somewhere less cold than NYC for New Years eve. We were thinking, like, Florida. But now my friend is getting married in Athens GA 4 days into the new year. Hooray for him! But our travel plans are all jumbled now. We don't want to fly somewhere, hang out on NYE, then fly to GA and go to a wedding. So, where do we go?
The easiest solution would be to go to Athens and stay there. Is that something worth doing? What can I expect from New Years Eve in Athens?
If not Athens, what places 1-2.5 hours drive from Athens would be worth staying in for New Years Eve? Particularly someplace that does something special and exciting for the night or conversely would just be a beautiful spot to stay in and chill out?
Here are some preference details:
LIKES:
Romantic settings
Coziness
Spa/resort things
Swimming (pools, lakes, hot-tubs whateva)
Hot-tub time machines (probably a long shot)
Small town history
Restaurants
Museums
Hipster shopping excursions
Kitsch
Live music
DISLIKES
Hardcore partying
Loud drunk dudes fighting
Plantations (or anything that smells like Gone With The Wind)
Big cities (not into downtown Atlanta)
Hiking
Coldness (possibly unavoidable, I guess. Which leads to the dumb tertiary inquiry: What's the weather like in Athens and environs in early January?)
For comparison our initial thought was Chattanooga TN, which seems to have a good combination of stuff we like. But it's 3 hours away. That's a lot of rental car mileage. So where else?
The easiest solution would be to go to Athens and stay there. Is that something worth doing? What can I expect from New Years Eve in Athens?
If not Athens, what places 1-2.5 hours drive from Athens would be worth staying in for New Years Eve? Particularly someplace that does something special and exciting for the night or conversely would just be a beautiful spot to stay in and chill out?
Here are some preference details:
LIKES:
Romantic settings
Coziness
Spa/resort things
Swimming (pools, lakes, hot-tubs whateva)
Hot-tub time machines (probably a long shot)
Small town history
Restaurants
Museums
Hipster shopping excursions
Kitsch
Live music
DISLIKES
Hardcore partying
Loud drunk dudes fighting
Plantations (or anything that smells like Gone With The Wind)
Big cities (not into downtown Atlanta)
Hiking
Coldness (possibly unavoidable, I guess. Which leads to the dumb tertiary inquiry: What's the weather like in Athens and environs in early January?)
For comparison our initial thought was Chattanooga TN, which seems to have a good combination of stuff we like. But it's 3 hours away. That's a lot of rental car mileage. So where else?
Well...Atlanta would fit the bill and there are tons of things to do here.
Our neighborhoods are adorable, see Decatur (and Your Dekalb Farmers Market) , Virginia Highland or even the Marietta Square.
If you want a romantical new years eve, you can do Chateau Elan. Or stay at the Hilton downtown and do Tiki at Trader Vics!
Get Citipass Atlanta and check out the Aquarium, World of Coca Cola (not as or just as cheesy and great as you think it is,) the zoo (and our Gorillas and Pandas), CNN and the High Art Museum. (and these are all close by!)
We are a fabulous food town!
Whether its authentic soul food, the Buckhead Diner, or the gastronomic adventures on Buford Hwy (no passport necessary) you will find something for every taste at every budget.
You're likely to get some good deals and you're close to Athens without having to do a fol-der-ol.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:46 AM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Our neighborhoods are adorable, see Decatur (and Your Dekalb Farmers Market) , Virginia Highland or even the Marietta Square.
If you want a romantical new years eve, you can do Chateau Elan. Or stay at the Hilton downtown and do Tiki at Trader Vics!
Get Citipass Atlanta and check out the Aquarium, World of Coca Cola (not as or just as cheesy and great as you think it is,) the zoo (and our Gorillas and Pandas), CNN and the High Art Museum. (and these are all close by!)
We are a fabulous food town!
Whether its authentic soul food, the Buckhead Diner, or the gastronomic adventures on Buford Hwy (no passport necessary) you will find something for every taste at every budget.
You're likely to get some good deals and you're close to Athens without having to do a fol-der-ol.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:46 AM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Athens won't be pretty, but it also won't be very cold unless it's a real off year. While you're in the general environs, you might enjoy the utter insanity of Pendergrass Flea Market and/or the Georgia Guidestones. In Athens, there are great shows at the 40 Watt, though nothing's been posted yet for that time of year.
Otherwise, I second holgate's suggestion to look for a cabin experience somewhere in the foothills. They can be very cozy without being terribly cold. I have used Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals a few times, and the experience was nice, though their staff have sometimes required some prodding to get things stocked up. This spa in the Sautee-Nacoochee area is surprisingly nice.
posted by gone2croatan at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2013
Otherwise, I second holgate's suggestion to look for a cabin experience somewhere in the foothills. They can be very cozy without being terribly cold. I have used Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals a few times, and the experience was nice, though their staff have sometimes required some prodding to get things stocked up. This spa in the Sautee-Nacoochee area is surprisingly nice.
posted by gone2croatan at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2013
Best answer: Hi, I'm a mid-Atlantic native who spent new year's in Athens with a friend last year.
We didn't go in with a firm plan for New Year's Eve besides "see live music somewhere." Ended up catching a solid show at the 40 Watt Club, which I'd describe as festive but not overly drunk and raucous. Neither of us knew much about the bands going in, but it was still a good time. Athens has a rich musical history and a bunch of other small venues, so you could have your pick of several choices. I don't know what your non-musical entertainment choices would be.
UGA is obviously on winter break, so there's not a ton of hardcore student partying going on, but there are pockets of loud drunk people out and about. No fighting, certainly nothing as loud and obnoxious as you'd encounter in New York, but they're around.
I was surprised by how good the food was everywhere we went in Athens. We did New Year's Eve dinner at a great Indian restaurant, though I can't remember the name of it now. Trappeze was excellent bar food. The beer scene in general is great; Terrapin Brewing is right in town, so you can get their stuff on tap everywhere and, if you time things right, take a brewery tour.
Downtown Athens is cute, compact, and has a decent amount of hipster goodness. Bizarro-Wuxtry (record store downstairs, comics upstairs) is fun and eclectic. There are a couple used bookstores, some nice-looking clothing places I didn't get the chance to duck into. Downtown is not dominated by chains, which I appreciated, and most stores were open even on new year's eve.
My friend and I walked most of the Athens Music History tour here, which naturally sent us through most of downtown. If you're interested in other kinds of self-guided walking tours, you can get guides for those at the Athens Visitor Center.
Weather was not significantly warmer than my native Philadelphia last new year, but given the weirdness of weather these days I wouldn't make any solid bets about this year's temperature.
posted by ActionPopulated at 8:58 AM on September 20, 2013
We didn't go in with a firm plan for New Year's Eve besides "see live music somewhere." Ended up catching a solid show at the 40 Watt Club, which I'd describe as festive but not overly drunk and raucous. Neither of us knew much about the bands going in, but it was still a good time. Athens has a rich musical history and a bunch of other small venues, so you could have your pick of several choices. I don't know what your non-musical entertainment choices would be.
UGA is obviously on winter break, so there's not a ton of hardcore student partying going on, but there are pockets of loud drunk people out and about. No fighting, certainly nothing as loud and obnoxious as you'd encounter in New York, but they're around.
I was surprised by how good the food was everywhere we went in Athens. We did New Year's Eve dinner at a great Indian restaurant, though I can't remember the name of it now. Trappeze was excellent bar food. The beer scene in general is great; Terrapin Brewing is right in town, so you can get their stuff on tap everywhere and, if you time things right, take a brewery tour.
Downtown Athens is cute, compact, and has a decent amount of hipster goodness. Bizarro-Wuxtry (record store downstairs, comics upstairs) is fun and eclectic. There are a couple used bookstores, some nice-looking clothing places I didn't get the chance to duck into. Downtown is not dominated by chains, which I appreciated, and most stores were open even on new year's eve.
My friend and I walked most of the Athens Music History tour here, which naturally sent us through most of downtown. If you're interested in other kinds of self-guided walking tours, you can get guides for those at the Athens Visitor Center.
Weather was not significantly warmer than my native Philadelphia last new year, but given the weirdness of weather these days I wouldn't make any solid bets about this year's temperature.
posted by ActionPopulated at 8:58 AM on September 20, 2013
Bonus of Athens during Christmas season? Half the kids are from Atlanta and will be home for the break, so downtown won't be as full of partying college kids.
I haven't lived in Athens for 10 years, but you can walk around downtown and there's a lot of history and restaurants right there. Just hit up Broad Street (which has the side benefit of being adjacent to North Campus, which is beautiful) between Thomas & Pulaski St & head North to Prince Ave. It's pretty small and easy to navigate. I don't recall a whole lot of hot-tub experiences, though.
Good suggestions of hiking destinations, but one word of caution: It doesn't take much for the higher-altitude destinations to get icy, and Georgia doesn't exactly have the greatest winter weather tools.
posted by jmd82 at 9:05 AM on September 20, 2013
I haven't lived in Athens for 10 years, but you can walk around downtown and there's a lot of history and restaurants right there. Just hit up Broad Street (which has the side benefit of being adjacent to North Campus, which is beautiful) between Thomas & Pulaski St & head North to Prince Ave. It's pretty small and easy to navigate. I don't recall a whole lot of hot-tub experiences, though.
Good suggestions of hiking destinations, but one word of caution: It doesn't take much for the higher-altitude destinations to get icy, and Georgia doesn't exactly have the greatest winter weather tools.
posted by jmd82 at 9:05 AM on September 20, 2013
Is the driving limit because of rental car mileage or just time in the car? In my experience rental cars have unlimited mileage these days. I guess it depends if you want to rent a car for a one-way trip or if you want to return it to the same place.
Atlanta and Athens are kind of underwhelming. They both have a few cool or interesting things, but IME they're not really great vacation spots.
I'd say Savannah might be a bit more fun and relaxing, or a small town resort/spa.
posted by barnone at 9:43 AM on September 20, 2013
Atlanta and Athens are kind of underwhelming. They both have a few cool or interesting things, but IME they're not really great vacation spots.
I'd say Savannah might be a bit more fun and relaxing, or a small town resort/spa.
posted by barnone at 9:43 AM on September 20, 2013
Response by poster: We'll be picking up the rental car in the ATL airport and driving around til we leave probably. The concern about driving time is both cost (both gas and mileage if they charge for it) but also just not feeling like driving for 6 hours during a 5 day trip.
Thanks for the suggestions about Athens and nearby places. So far that Helen town looks awesome, though maybe not that active on new years?
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:50 AM on September 20, 2013
Thanks for the suggestions about Athens and nearby places. So far that Helen town looks awesome, though maybe not that active on new years?
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:50 AM on September 20, 2013
Helen is full-on Alpine kitsch. It turns into a zoo during October (naturally) but is fairly tame the rest of the year, though I've never been there during Christmas or NYE.
Athens looks to be about 4 hours away from Charleston, SC, where we've had seriously great times. Food, history, interesting shopping, etc. Looks like there's quite a bit going for NYE, there to boot. The vibe is going to be similar to Savannah, but give the choice I'd probably do Charleston over Savannah.
posted by jquinby at 10:14 AM on September 20, 2013
Athens looks to be about 4 hours away from Charleston, SC, where we've had seriously great times. Food, history, interesting shopping, etc. Looks like there's quite a bit going for NYE, there to boot. The vibe is going to be similar to Savannah, but give the choice I'd probably do Charleston over Savannah.
posted by jquinby at 10:14 AM on September 20, 2013
Best answer: This Chateau Elan Winery and Resort is supposed to be nice. They've got some overnight spa suites which look like lovely places to relax, and there is a fireplace near the outdoor pool! The spa has an indoor pool and hot tubs/saunas. It's about 45mins to Athens.
posted by barnone at 10:32 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by barnone at 10:32 AM on September 20, 2013
Savannah is 4 hrs from the Atlanta airport and it's less pretentious than Charleston. Charleston is also further. Both cities will be somewhat warmer than Atlanta or Athens because they're on the coast. I've been to Helen and found the kitsch unbearable. If you don't mind possible cold weather you should consider Asheville, it's beautiful, has all kinds of interesting stuff to do and nice places to stay. It's only three hours from Athens.
posted by mareli at 10:48 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by mareli at 10:48 AM on September 20, 2013
Best answer: Murphy, NC:
Romantic settings (mountain rental cabins, b&bs, etc.)
Coziness (yes)
Spa/resort things (sure)
Swimming (pools, lakes, hot-tubs whateva) (Nantahala lake and river are nearby)
Hot-tub time machines (probably a long shot) (depends on your rental, e.g. yup)
Small town history (downtown is adorable + has a Cherokee museum + the Henn Theatre which has been family owned for 100 years)
Restaurants (Doyle's, etc.)
Museums (Cherokee museum + others within driving distance)
Hipster shopping excursions (sure)
Kitsch (Fields of the Wood)
Live music (Shoebooties!)
Dahlonega, GA also has a bunch of what you're looking for (Gold Rush Museum in the old courthouse is cool).
Murphy is 2.5 hours from Athens, 3 hours from Chattanooga, 3 hours from Asheville, 3 hours from Atlanta.
Athens and environs will be coat weather. Not gonna be able avoid the cold that time of year.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 11:26 AM on September 20, 2013
Romantic settings (mountain rental cabins, b&bs, etc.)
Coziness (yes)
Spa/resort things (sure)
Swimming (pools, lakes, hot-tubs whateva) (Nantahala lake and river are nearby)
Hot-tub time machines (probably a long shot) (depends on your rental, e.g. yup)
Small town history (downtown is adorable + has a Cherokee museum + the Henn Theatre which has been family owned for 100 years)
Restaurants (Doyle's, etc.)
Museums (Cherokee museum + others within driving distance)
Hipster shopping excursions (sure)
Kitsch (Fields of the Wood)
Live music (Shoebooties!)
Dahlonega, GA also has a bunch of what you're looking for (Gold Rush Museum in the old courthouse is cool).
Murphy is 2.5 hours from Athens, 3 hours from Chattanooga, 3 hours from Asheville, 3 hours from Atlanta.
Athens and environs will be coat weather. Not gonna be able avoid the cold that time of year.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 11:26 AM on September 20, 2013
Best answer: Oh! And a short distance from Murphy is Brasstown, NC where every New Years they have the infamous Opossum Drop.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 11:28 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by whimsicalnymph at 11:28 AM on September 20, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Georgia is generally not that cold around the end of the year. Near Atlanta and Athens, it's sort of brown-yellow and not very Christmassy. The mountains are a bit cooler, but not NYC cold, and nicer.
posted by holgate at 8:30 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]