I've been trying to get access to your board for a while now but to no avail. I visited Oxford for the first time two weekends ago for the Auburn game to visit my brother who is a sophomore. I had a great time and wanted to return the favor and help ya out a little bit. This is going to be a somewhat comprehensive list of things to do, places to go, and general do's and don'ts for those of you who have never been to Athens or for those looking for something different to do.

Feel free to move this to the Ole Miss Board.

First, as many of you well know, Athens cops are not exactly lenient (I know from experience). Be smart, don't carry alcohol in the street at any time. You will get a ticket. Don't even jaywalk. If you aren't making a complete arse of yourself you should be alright.

BARS

College Crowd:

Bourbon Street- Freshman bar most nights but on gamedays the crowd shifts to encompass all age groups. If you're under 21 and looking for some tail this is a good place to go. They play a good mix of country and 80's music.

General Beauregard's- country bar. Similar age to bourbon though more older (junior and senior) students frequent it as well. They play loud country music for the most part. Sometimes they even have a band upstairs. Get the Dixieland sweet tea. It's $6 but they serve it in a mason jar and it is delicious.

City Bar- Similar crowd to General's. Play a decent mix of rap and 80's. This is the kind of bar where everyone knows everyone. It's a very fratty bar. It recently came under new management and I haven't been there in a while so I don't know what changes have been made but from what I hear it's minimal.

Magnolias- Has a large upstairs and downstairs with pool tables. Drinks are served in glasses instead of plastic and they have a pretty nice beer selection considering the type of bar it is and who it caters to. Plenty of tables and places to sit and always a large number of good looking girls. Probably one of my favorite bars.

Jr's Baitshack- one of the smaller bars in Athens. Has a tiny downstairs and a decent sized upper level but they typically have live music on Saturday nights. That's the one perk to Jr's, oh and I often get free drinks

Sandbar- I don't really go here much because for some reason it reminds me of a bad tequilla shot I took and makes me want to throw up. Other than that it's a pretty cool island themed place that sits right next to City Bar.

Silver Dollar- Larger bar with a dance floor and patio. Western themed murals on the wall and pretty much plays whatever is popular at the time. This will probably be one of the more crowded bars you come across.

Boar's Head- probably the biggest bar in Athens. Has a large outdoor patio and a big downstairs with a large island style bar. this is a very popular bar but doesn't usually get crowded until about 12:45-1.

WhiskeyBent: another freshman spot where girls dance on tables. Has a pool table upstairs and a small downstairs area. Nothing special here unless you're simply looking for tail.

9D's: Undergrad bar but it's hit or miss on the crowd. Some nights it's just filled with sorostitutes looking to dance, other nights its packed with gays and just generally weird people. I typically avoid it but some people I know love it. Oh, and they play strictly 90's music if you couldn't figure that out...

Older Crowd (Grad Students and above)

Pauly's- you'll definitely find undergrads here but usually they find themselves at one of the above bars by the time midnight rolls around. They have a great beer selection. Upscale mood.

Genko's- similar style as the undergrad bars, just with an older crowd

Walker's Pub- real small joint with a really nice beer selection

The Globe- restaurant by day, grad student bar with great beer by night.

Those are the only older bars I've been to so I can't really speak for any of the others.

Obviously there are plenty more bars in the downtown area, I just frequent these the most or know them well enough to give a description. Downtown Athens is truly a play land. Have fun. Oh and no covers :)

Restaurants

Cali N Tito's- Cuban food and in my opinion the best food in Athens for your money. Everything I've had there is outstanding. You can bring your own beer for $3 and it's cash only. Yelp Description

Last Resort Grille- American cuisine. probably one of the most loved restaurants in the downtown area or all of Athens for that matter. They have really good dinner items but you have to stay for the dessert. The cheesecake is the best I've ever had. Ever. It's that good. Last Resort Website

Depalmas: Excellent Italian food on Broad Street downtown. Great meal for the price. Highly recommend. LINK

The Globe- Restaurant in the day, bar at night. Excellent burgers with a great beer selection. Pub style offerings. LINK

Shokitini- Good Sushi place downtown LINK

Clocked- I've never been but from what I hear it's the best burgers in Athens. Everyone simply raves about this place. Looking at the menu it's the kind of place you'd find on Man v Food or Diners Drive Ins and Dives. LINK

Farm 255- Organic spot next to clocked. They have a limited menu from what I recall but it was really good. LINK

Then you have spots like Mama Goldberg's Deli (steamed sandwiches), Little Italy (cheap pizza), Trans-metropolitan(great pizza and beer), Al's Italian Beef, Barberitos (kinda like Moes only it doesn't suck), Mellow Mushroom, and of course Waffle House.

Athens is full of awesome restaurants so there's no way to list them all. Just park and walk and discover them for yourselves

Tailgating

I know y'all are seasoned tailgaters and nothing compares to The Grove but here is what we've got. The two places to set up tents are Myer's Quad and North Campus. North Campus is right across from Broad Street at the Arch and goes all the way to the library (about 400-500 yards). There used to be restrictions but those have since been lifted. People don't realize this so there will definitely be spots to set up tents. I was there for the UT game and while it's not packed like the grove it looks like it's gaining steam.

The other big spot is Myers Quad. It's on the south end of campus just up the hill from the stadium if you follow Sanford Dr (the bridge outside the stadium). This is where gameday set up in 2008. It gets really packed here, especially since we couldn't tailgate at North Campus for a couple years.

Other than that just find yourself a spot somewhere.

If you're coming over and don't have tickets the best place to scalp is on the bridge before the stadium.