Sports and Recreation

Athens more than doubles its population on home football weekends with a tailgate scene that can’t be beat! The UGA sports action goes on far beyond football season, and best of all, admission to most UGA sports events is FREE! Athens also offers an extensive selection of athletics, natural resources, parks, and recreation. Take a walk (or hike, or climb, or kayak) that’s a bit off the beaten path!

Your Itinerary:

Butts- Mehre Heritage Hall

• Check out UGA sports memorabilia, interactive displays, and video highlights from the best moments in Georgia sports history at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.
• See the 1980 national championship football trophy and Heisman trophies won by Frank Sinkwich and Herschel Walker, plus exhibits from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics sports held in Athens.

Fan Gear

• Sport the Power G when you pick up any and all Georgia Bulldog items imaginable at emporiums like the
  • ​UGA Bookstore on the heart of campus,
    or head downtown to the
  • Clubhouse,
  • Tailgate, or
  • Red Zone.

Then, and Now

• On historic North Campus, relax on Herty Field.
• This lovely lawn with sparkling fountain is the site of early Bulldog football games played under Pop Warner in the 1890s.
• It’s a far cry from Sanford Stadium, which seats 93,033 fans and is the nation’s fifth-largest on-campus college stadium today.

Refuel

• Channel the “other” type of football at The Royal Peasant, a traditional-style English pub named one of America’s Best Sports Bars by CNN Travel.
• Or, head to Blind Pig Tavern for huge burgers and huge TV screens, plus interactive options from darts to trivia.
   

Explore Outdoors

• Keep the kids occupied at Memorial Park and Bear Hollow Zoo, which includes a lake, picnic shelters, and playground area, plus a nature trail and dog park.
• The small zoo includes many species of Georgia’s native wildlife — the wooded setting stays shady for comfort in the summer months.
   

More Family Fun

Other family recreation attractions include

• Sandy Creek Nature Center’s interactive animal exhibits and ADA-accessible trails
• The indoor Active Climbing facility
• The Tony Hawk-designed Skate Park of Athens
• UGA and Rock Lobsters pro Ice Hockey matches at Akins Ford Arena.
  
  For a full day of family-friendly activities, see our Family-Friendly Itinerary!

Rollin’ on the River

• Did you know? the North Oconee River flows right by downtown Athens!
• A 3.5-mile Greenway linear park is open sunrise to sunset to all types of non-motorized uses, including dogs on leashes.
• Over 50 interpretive heritage markers are placed along a half-mile stretch by Dudley Park.
• Enjoy the beauty of the river with a one- to two-hour kayak trip from Big Dogs on the River.
   

Just Escape

• Hit the links at the UGA Golf Course, one of the best college courses in the country and designed by Robert Trent Jones.
• For an indoor excape room challenge, try Escape the Space.