A weekend with the Tigers in Athens, GA

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By Chase Trichell

There is a town about 70 miles from Atlanta, Georgia, and it's dawned in red and black. The entire city is littered with concrete bulldog statues and bars in every nook and cranny. It is a little colder than Baton Rouge and a lot more undulated. This hilly, bulldog-infested land I speak of is none other than Athens, Georgia.

Athens sports some 93 bars and very friendly people. The city is quite diverse when it comes to fan-representation. On game day, not only were LSU and Georgia well represented, but there were also OU, Miami, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Clemson and fans from many other colleges. Service in the bars and restaurants was also great and the entire experience was extremely pleasurable.

Sanford Stadium is nestled just beyond downtown Athens, which overlaps UGA's campus. The downtown bars and stadium were within walking distance from where we stayed - which was with some very generous Georgia students from the beautiful Peachtree City, Georgia.

The open container law was enforced rather liberally and many tickets were given out. As for football tickets, we managed to acquire UGA student tickets for $60. Their student section is where things got pretty interesting. The one time Sanford Stadium got really loud was when the Bulldogs scored in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Aside from that AJ Green catch, the students sat through much of the game.

Cheering for an away team in the home team's student section can be dangerous, however, they were cordial and only one cup was thrown at us. In fact, we tailgated exclusively with Georgia fans and they provided us with food and drinks. The tailgate games were the same as LSU's - games such as ladder golf, washers and beer pong. The tents were somewhat compact, which was cool because it was as though there was one huge tailgate.

Athens' local brewery, the Terrapin Brewery, produces a delicious microbrew ale pilsner, which is served throughout the city. The Brewery gives tours from 5:30-7:30 every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We were encouraged to participate but arrived after the tour began.

The Athens trip was a successful one - particularly thanks to a Tiger victory - and if offered to return, I'd go in a heartbeat. Good people, good food and good beer make for a great time.

Originally Published: Issue 818 - October 7, 2009

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