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Stylish shotgun-style suites clock in at 800 sq ft at this trendy newcomer, completed by a hot lobby restaurant managed by Atlanta’s hippest restaurateurs. 404-418-1212; www.twelvehotels.com; 400 W Peachtree; r $229

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.atlanta.net

www.travelsouthflavours.com

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LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

TRIP

3 Tracing Martin Luther King, Jr

26 48 Hours In Atlanta

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Return to beginning of chapter

TRIP 28

Athens Rocks

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WHY GO REM, B-52s, Pylon, Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel, Danger Mouse – Athens is an alternative college town with a soundtrack rivaled by none. Walk this route where the bands came, saw and shredded some guitar in Georgia’s most storied musical town, often called the Liverpool of the South.

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Perhaps no other college town in the USA has done more for independent music than Athens, located an hour east of Atlanta on Hwy 78 (also known as the Atlanta Hwy, name-checked in the B-52s’ biggest hit, “Love Shack”). It began with REM and the B-52s in the early ’80s, but has continued throughout the years across a multitude of genres: Widespread Panic (jam band), Drive-By Truckers (alt-country), Danger Mouse (hip-hop), Matthew Sweet (power pop), Neutral Milk Hotel (fuzz folk) – Athens as a breeding ground for the musical cognoscenti knows no bounds.

Of course, there was music in Athens before REM, but they put Athens on the musical map. The year was 1980 and Michael Stipe, Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills played their first gig at The Church, the former St Mary’s Episcopal church that had been converted into an apartment where some members of the band lived at the time. The Side Effects opened. Today, only the steeple remains. From there, a quick step over to Popular St, where the parking lot for the North Oconee River Greenways leads to a footbridge overlooking the Murmur Trestles. The railway trestles, built in 1880 and rescued from demolition by the city, appear on the back of REM’s debut album Murmur.

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TIME

1 – 2 days

DISTANCE

5 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Mar – Jun

START

Athens, GA

END

Athens, GA

ALSO GOOD FOR

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Another REM landmark, Weaver’s D’s, lies just north at the east end of Broad St. This soul-food kitchen and the slogan of its charismatic owner, Dexter Weaver, were the inspiration for the title of the band’s 1992 album, Automatic for the People (later revised by Barack Obama’s on-campus campaigners as “Obamatic for the People” during his 2008 presidential campaign). Weaver still says “Automatic!” to this day whenever you order anything.

Moving on to downtown, Wuxtry Records has been the Athens indie music shop since 1975. REM’s Peter Buck worked in its original location (just around the corner on College Ave). The Georgia Theatre has hosted international powerhouse acts like the Police and Dave Matthews over the years, and is where REM filmed their video for “Shiny Happy People.” It still hosts legendary shows to this day. Last Resort Grill, now one of Athens’ best restaurants, was once a bar so named because it was next to three finance companies. If you got turned down for a loan at all three, alcohol was your last resort. The B-52s played here in 1978. A block down at 250 W Clayton St is REM’s current rehearsal space, which the band used as recently as 2008’s Accelerate tour.

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“Buck Manor is where Peter Buck used to live and where REM made the “Nightswimming” video and also filmed a prerelease promotional video for Out of Time. Nirvana spent the night there when they played in town and it was the scene of many a crazy house party back in the day when it was just a rental property. There is also a photograph of the band standing in front of the house.”

Paul Butchert, The Side Effects, Athens, GA

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Around Clayton St onto Pulaski St is the Caledonia Lounge, one of a handful of local music venues, significant as one of the former sites of the famous 40 Watt Club (now