If you want to eat, drink and be merry, Athens offers lots of choices. Staff writer for the Athens Daily News, Julie Phillips, commented, "’Athens is turning into one big restaurant.’ Glance around the Classic City, and it looks like the anonymous person who made that observation is right. Any given block in the Athens downtown area supports at least two, if not more places to eat, and there plenty more eateries around the city."

How right she is! You’ll find the conventional chains like Bennigans and Applebee’s. You’ll also find the unusual like Lunch Paper. The name is slang for counterfeit money and the bar is situated in an old bank. You can lounge in a black-lit vault and watch their rotating martini glass sign. Then there’s Blind Pig Tavern where you find a wall of famous photos including Don Knotts and John Lee Hooker. The Georgia Theater shows movies and sporting events. It is actually an old time movie theater. Boneshakers features Athens only Drag Queen Revue.

For you dancers, there is everything from The Armadillo, featuring country, rock and pop, to the upscale Bailey’s Spirits and Dancing. Sports bars abound. Almost all of the bars serve food.

Speaking of food, Athens’ restaurants are hard to beat both in number and in excellent cuisine. Harry Bissett’s New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar, where you experience the ambience as well as the authentic food of "The Big Easy". It’s housed in an old bank building and the mellow brick walls are reminiscent of some of the French Quarter’s courtyard restaurants. The majority of the food served here is spicy, for example The Blackened Redfish, gumbo and Crawfish Etoffee, but there are enough less heated dishes to suit any taste.

Vegetarians will not feel left out here. There are three vegetarian spots: Bluebird Cafe, The Grit and Guaranteed. Many other places also serve some non-meat dishes. The Bluebird, which is the oldest of the trio, is also popular for its Indian cuisine.

Both the Last Resort Grill and the East-West Bistro have earned their place as popular hotspots by means of a slightly exotic menu coupled with reasonable prices. The exposed brick walls, outdoor patio and open kitchen at the Last Resort have made it a favorite of the faculty as well as the students at UGA. For an idea of the menu, how about salmon and grits? Or you could try one of their wild rice pancakes of a cheese stuffed chicken.

East-West is equally intriguing. Chef Lamar Thomas describes his culinary art as "New World Cuisine. An ideal blending of Pacific Rim and Mediterranean through the American kitchen." Chef Thomas has worked on this style for over ten years. In fact, almost all of his life has been devoted to food. He apprentices for six year under such culinary greats as Hans Bertram, Heintz Schwab, Luis Osteen and Mark Cardon. He has been executive chef of several restaurants and owned his own for a time.

He is obviously a romantic since he also writes poetry and had presented cooking classes on romantic dining. In fact he is the author of a book on romantic meals for two. The book includes poetry, shopping guidelines and how to cook together. The book has not been published yet but I, for one, will certainly look for it. Thomas has recently returned from Shanghai, China where he went to study the methods of the Shanghainese chefs

There are two dining areas here. The downstairs is simpler and less expensive. Upstairs takes on the aspect of fine dining with the price also reflection the difference. Food on either level is great. Next time you visit Athens, you may want to sample one of Chef Thomas romantic meals. Start with an appetizer like Shrimp, Conch and Plantains Sautéed and Glazed with peppers, Ginger Beer, Mint and Coconut Cream. For an entrée, how about Baby Back Ribs with Mango Barbecue Sauce. Be sure to save room for his special Crème Brulee for desert.

One of Athens most unique "temples of Food" is Charlie Williams Pinecrest Lodge. It began in 1929, when Charlie’s fishing buddies wanted him to cook barbecue for them. He gathered rocks from the surrounding area and built the Milan Room to serve about fifty to seventy five people. The Delwood Room, added in 1961, features working water wheel.

Though the years, as his fame spread Charlie added more buildings, all built by hand. Charlie also added various rustic buildings and implements of Appalachian life. The most interesting being an old water wheel from a nearby grist mill. The wheel actually provided power for the complex in the early days before electricity could be connected.

The current owner, Mike Williams, Charlie’s nephew, actually lived in the mill house as a child. He now uses it for an office. The popularity continued to grow so Mike added The Wheel Room, which seats 125 people and offers a view of the big water wheel and old still. Although the original site at Pinecrest is only available for private parties, there are two other locations where you can enjoy the same food.

When you belly up to the buffet there you had better bring a big appetite if you plan to even sample a bite of all the offerings. Besides the traditional BBQ, you will find several types of catfish, fried and boiled shrimp, chicken, oysters, Brunswick stew and a host of other fixings. In fact the fame of Charlie Williams’s food is spreading. Two of the items, Barbecue Pork with sauce and Brunswick Stew, are now available in grocery stores in Georgia and are fast working their way into stores across the South.

A special treat that has been popular at Charlie Williams’ since its beginning is hushpuppies. In fact you will not get out of the place without hearing the story of "The Original Hushpuppy". It seems Charlie had set up his original kitchen in a building back of the lodge. This worked fine for keeping the lodge cooler while his guests dined but it left the problem of getting the aromatic food past the hungry hounds from all over the neighborhood who would congregate on the walkway between the kitchen and the lodge. Since Charlie had some extra cornbread batter sitting on the counter. He turned up the fire on the skillet he had used to fry the catfish and dropped in a few spoonfuls. When done, he tossed out the cornbread morsels to distract hi canine connoisseurs and shouted the most famous words in southern cooking, "Hush Puppy". Since the delectable tidbits went over so well with the hounds he decided to try them on his human customers to the delight of all.

If you wish to stroll into Athens past, there are thirteen neighborhoods listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. A great place to start is at the Athens Welcome Center. It is located in what is believed to be the oldest house in Athens, the Church-Waddel-Brumby House. They offer the Classic City Tours, which is a great way to get a glimpse of many of the neighborhoods as well as other historic attractions.

While you are in the Historic Cobbham District, be sure to visit the Magnolia Terrace GuestHouse. It is a great place to stay while in Athens. James Rogers built it in 1912. He only lived in it for a few years then sold it to Chi Psi Fraternity. From the 1940s to 1977 it was the Magnolia Terrace Restaurant. Today it has been lovingly renovated into a seven room B and B. Each room has its own bath and many have fireplaces.

The Morton Theater, one of the first vaudeville theaters owned and operated by African Americans, is another must see. It was built by Monroe Bowers "Pink" Morton, a wealthy black entrepreneur, in 1910. Along with the theater, the Morton Building housed doctors’ offices, a drug store, a pool hall, and miscellaneous businesses. It is located on Washington and Hull Streets, once called "The Hot Corner" because it was the center of life for African Americans in Athens. The theater has been restored and once again presents dramatic and musical performances.

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