Memorial Park

Memorial Park

If you find yourself with some free time and no money, take a trip to Memorial Park. Entrance is free and visitors can check out a wildlife zoo and walk the Fred E. Birchmore Nature Trail.

The zoo features wildlife indigenous to the United States. It features pheasants, bears, alligators, owls, bald eagles, bobcats and more! All of the enclosures for the animals are open enough to get a good look into. Each exhibit features education plaques that talk about the history and biological information of the animal. There is also a reptile room run by volunteers that you can go into to touch the creatures. Unfortunately they didn't have enough volunteers to run it while we were there. Here are some pictures of my favorite animals from the zoo:

The bears are mine, and most everyone else's, favorite exhibit. There are three black bears that roam the enclosure. They have lots of room to run around and play. I fell in love with the guy above who was rolling around like a dog trying to get comfortable for a nap.

After exploring the zoo, we checked out the trail. We were expecting it to be a short trail, but it took us 30-45 minutes to walk the whole thing. The trail winds around the park and runs along side residential areas. It is a great alternative to more trafficked trails. The best feature was the extremely long and tall stone wall that was built by hand by Fred E. Birchmore. It is beautiful and helps make a boundary between the natural trail and the houses next to it.

This wall is super tall! For some perspective, he is 6ft 5 inches! 

The zoo is great for young kids and college students alike. For the low low price of free, it makes for a fun afternoon outdoors.

Memorial Park Recommendations:

• If you plan to walk the trail, wear tennis shoes! (Flip flops were not a good choice for me)
• Take pictures:)
• Give yourself at least 45 minutes for the zoo, and 2 hours if you plan for the zoo and trail
• Don't just walk by each enclosure. Take the time to check everything out and read the plaques, you can learn some interesting stuff

Marti's At Midday

A Midday's Dream

A favorite restaurant of mine is Marti's at Midday. 

1280 Prince AvenueAthens, Georgia 30606

Marti's is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Their lunch menu consists mostly of sandwiches and saladas but you can also get bigger meals like lasagnas that are pre-made and frozen to take home for dinner. At my last visit, I tried "The Mary Francis", a homemade chicken salad sandwich.

My Boyfriend got his favorite, "The Amy" a curry chicken salad sandwich. You can get a half or whole sandwich which comes with fresh fruit and fresh baked pita chips.

 I like to get a side scoop of homemade pimento cheese togo with my pita chips. It is the best pimento cheese you wil ever have and is made fresh daily.

M boyfriend loves the pimento cheese so much, he got a 1/2 lb tub to go with a ton of pita chips for later.

 If you are dining in, you can choose to eat inside or outside. The inside is set up like a little house with two dining rooms and even a fireplace! It is so bright and cheery inside and everyone who works  there is super friendly.

 On a nice day it is great to sit on the front porch and feel at home eating delicious food. After ordering you are given a picture to mark your table, we had Lucy to decorate our table. I also highly suggest trying their home brewed mint sweet tea.

 I usually get a half sandwich because they are HUGE!! I forgot when I ordered, but it made for a great dinner that night. Marti's has a great atmosphere and even better food. The prices are good and you get a lot of food.

Marti's at Midday Recommendations:

• Try something new, every sandwich has a unique twist 
• Get a scoop of pimento cheese
• Try the mint sweet tea
• If you are a light eater, get a half sandwich
• Plan ahead, only open M-F til 3:30
• You can order ahead of time and pick-up for convenience
• Get chicken sald and pimento cheese by the pund for later

UGA Creamery

Creamery of the Crop Sciences

There's nothing better on a hot Spring afternoon after working up a sweat running around campus than some cold, sweet, ice cream. If you are past the dining hall days but don't have the time to go too far off campus then ook no further than the UGA Creamery.

The What?!

Some may not know the wonders of the UGA Creamery, and to be honest, I had only heard of it a few months ago and only went for the first time today. But I will forever be a returning customer.

The creamery is run by UGA food services and is located on South campus next to the UGA Environmental Health Sciences building.

The Creamery i more than an ice cream shop though. Inside you can get a selection of quick foods like sandwiches and soups along with coffee, candy, gum, fruit and soft drinks, a small selection of medecine, and of course, ice cream! It is a one stop shop!

The shop has a homey feel and features milk cans and vintage kitchen furniture inside. Although there isn't seating inside, outside there are lots of benches and table outside for the taking. Most everything is reasonably priced for the convenience. It is great if you find yourself on this part of campus and quickly need some Advil or a fast lunch.

I enjoyed my mint chocolate chip ice cream! I have heard that the creamery used to make their own ice cream from the milk of UGA cows, but now they feature Edy's and Mayfield ice cream in a variety of flavors. Because the store is owned by UGA Food services, you pay normally or with Bulldog Bucks.

If you find yourself on south campus, try out some ice cream at the creamery or just stop in and check it out. You never know when having a hidden treasure like this will come in handy.

UGA Creamery Recommendations:

• Get some ice cream!
• Go sit outside at one of the benches or explore the plant sciences area, the scenery is beautiful
• I got two scoops and it was a lot! Make sure you are really wanting some ice cream before you go the double route.

Founders Memorial Garden

UGA's Secret Garden

A treat in the middle of North Campus is the Founders Garden. It is a beautiful and convenient place to escape the more modern and dingy parts of Athens. 

The Founders Garden is off Lumpkin Street and is a part of the College of Environment and Design.


"The layout of the two and one-half acre series of gardens, the grounds of our former Headquarters House, consists of a formal boxwood garden, two courtyards, a retrace, a perennial garden, and an arboretum."- The Garden Club Of Georgia Inc.

Completed in 1946, the gardens now serve as a beautiful landmark of North Campus and a place for students to enjoy nature.

Go on a warm Spring day and you will find students napping on the lawn, curled up on one of the many iron benches, or studying under a tree. 

If you do some more exploring of the Founders Garden you will discover winding trails the weave through the gardens and run along Lumpkin. It's a little loud with the road, but still relaxing and very enjoyable. 

Founders Garden recommendations:

• If you go during the day, bring a book or some study materials and enjoy the scenery
• Take time to walk the trails
• Go at night for a fun walk and a quiet place to talk
• Take pictures!! I am no professional, but if you love photography, the Founders Garden is a picturesque location.

Dawg Gone Good BBQ

Downtown Delight

My first entry is a document of what I love doing the most. Eating. Well, maybe just enjoying really good food. It was a Saturday night and my boyfriend and I were feeling adventurous. A couple of months back my parents and I came across a small, slightly sketchy looking barbecue restaurant but didn't have time to wait to get food so we passed up on it. Ever since then I have wanted to go back but couldn't remember where it was exactly or the name of the restaurant. Talk about frustrating! Fortunately, my boyfriend is awesome and love exploring more than I do and was able to figure out where it was. We took a trip downtown, bypassed the billions of bars, burgers, and baristas and found bbq!

 Dawg Gone Good BBQ 

"You can taste it, before you buy it"

224 W Hancock Ave Athens, GA 30601

I looooove barbecue and from the second I walked into this restaurant I knew the food was going to be great. The smoker for the meat was just outside the main entrance and it smelled AWESOME! As we walked in the owner was laughing and joking around with my boyfriend making us feel very welcome. The food was all prepared and you could tell and smell that it was home-cooking. 

I got a bbq pork sandwich, mac and cheese, and baked beans. I am a mac and cheese fanatic and this is the best I have ever had. It was cheesy to the max but had an unexpected smoky flavor that was incredible. Baked beans are always a gamble for me, but these beans with cinnamon in them payed off. As for the sandwich, we both got the sweet and hot sauce mixed and it was a winning combo.

My boyfriend was raving about the food as much as me and was a huge fan of the mac and cheese and the creamy potato salad.

All of this great food came at a great price. At $8 for a plate which includes a sandwich and two generously portioned sides of your choice, there is no reason you shouldn't check this place out.

Dawg Gone Good BBQ recommendations:

• Get the mac and cheese!
• Mix sweet and hot bbq sauce for a sandwich
• Get it to go, very little seating
• Only open Thursday-Saturday so plan ahead!
• Pluses: Open til 3 am on the weekends