Exploring the Charming Town of ATHENS, OHIO!

Helloooooo everyone!!!! I am so excited to say that we are BACK with yet another partnership
with Ohio. Find It Here. We have loved working with them to explore all things Ohio! This month, we
took it to the road to focus on the charming town of ATHENS! Although the area was new to me, it
might not be to you all since it is home of the one and only Ohio University, amongst other things! If you
are looking for a place to do a last-minute fall trip by yourself, with friends or with family, Athens is a
great option for you. It was about a 2 hour and 45-minute drive from Cincinnati which wasn’t bad at
all! I personally went by myself and enjoyed my music and podcasts on the way!

A little detail on Athens

Fun Fact: Back in the day, Athens was home to two Native American groups- the Adena culture and Ohio
Hopewell tradition. Athens County was then formed much later in 1805 where there were no longer any
native settlements.

Historical Fact: Athens has now been known as a coal and fruit producing region and a state center of
higher education and psychiatric care.

Location Fact: Athens is located 30-45 minutes away from two other charming towns- Chillicothe and
Marietta. There are lots and lots of hills and water around the area. That translates to lots of hiking and
boating!

The more you know! :)

Now, let’s dive into how I spent my day in the area

First…. FOOD! – Let me first say I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of good food there was to
choose from! I could have easily spent majority of my time roaming around the area, eating.
(Actually, that sounds like a fantastic day to me, but I had other things to do!) It was still pretty early in
the morning when I arrived, so breakfast was calling my name! That’s where Fluff Bakery came in.
Fluff Bakery was opened in 2010 and brings you all the tasty pastries, cookies, coffee, sandwiches and
more! They pride themselves on bringing comfort food from their shop to your belly! I ordered one of
their seasonal drinks- the pumpkin spiced caramel latte- and the biscuit sandwich with bacon, egg and
cheese. All I can say is WOW!!! This was one of the best biscuit sandwiches I’ve had in a while. The
flavor, the buttery taste, and the flakiness made it perfect. It was exactly what I needed to gear up for a
busy day.

Important Note: They have seating on the inside, but it’s currently not open due to Covid. You can use
their walk-up window to place your order and sit at one of their seats outside, but seating is limited.

Let’s Get Educated!

Now that I was fueled, I was ready to do a bit of exploring. Since I was right by campus, I was ready
to visit Ohio University! It is the first to be chartered in Ohio, in 1787, and open for students in
1809. When I reached campus, the first word that came to mind was “plush”. The greenery was so
vibrant and soft. There were also large, old trees surrounding the area. It was apparent that the grounds
are always well taken care of.

As far as academics, they offer over 250 areas of study at all levels. There are 12 academic colleges
with the College of Arts and Sciences being the largest academic division in Ohio. For sports, if you are
from Ohio or familiar with Ohio University, you know they are known as the Bobcats and have several
local sports teams. They also seem to have a robust fraternity and sorority population with signs about
activities spread throughout campus. I bet there is never a dull day!

Alright…time to have a little snack!

I’d heard a lot about Whit’s Frozen Custard, which is right by campus, and was sooooo excited to try
them! They make all their custard fresh every day. One of the reasons why they’re such a hit is because
they churn their vanilla and chocolate flavors throughout the day- keeping it nice and smooth! What I
loved is you can get as creative as you’d like with small (and I do mean small) price upgrades per
ingredient. I ended up going with the famous “Whitser” with a vanilla base, snickers, caramel, and
M&Ms. INCREDIBLE!!! I highly recommend!

Sidenote: This is not a place I was able to visit as there were no showtimes during my time, but if you
have a chance, grab tickets for Athena Cinema. It’s right across from Whit’s and looks really unique.
They are a nonprofit cultural institution with a mission to Educate, Entertain, and Engage. As they say it,
there is something for everyone- including controversial, discussion items. In addition to their showings,
they also have student screenings, festivals, and panels. Fingers crossed that you get a chance to check
them out!

Ok…. Now it was time to explore the outdoors!

As mentioned, if you have an interest in being outdoors, you will likely find something for you that is a
short distance away. Athens is known for hiking, biking, boating, camping, swimming and more. The first
place I visited was Strouds Run State Park, named after the family that settled in the area in the
1800s.

I first stopped at the boat house where you can rent a boat for specific amounts of time. Although I was
focused more on hiking this day instead of boating, it was great to walk out on the dock and see how
beautifully serene it was. There was not a large amount of people on the water, which makes for a safer
experience if you go this route. You also can just sit out and enjoy the scenery like I did!

I spent majority of my time hiking a portion of Lakeview trail. It is a long, quiet trail (3.3 miles). Being
alone, you must be careful as there are lots of critters all around you. Although I didn’t experience the
full trail, what I saw was amazing! It could’ve been how much the sunshine was beaming down
or all the trees around, but whatever it was, it was worth it! So put on your hiking boots, grab your
hiking sticks, and get moving!

Know before you go: There are several different entrances that are spread out miles apart. Be sure to
look at the website to narrow down exactly where you want to go. Also, plug the address into your GPS
ahead of time because you likely will loose service.

Time to explore the eating and drinking scene!

Well, I certainly worked up the desire to sit down and have a nice glass of wine! Athens only has one
wine bar in the area, and I was certainly going to visit it! Athens Uncorked is SUPER CUTE! I could not
believe how awesome it looked when I walked inside. It has a calm feel to it mixed with vibrant colors
throughout. As soon as I walked in, the staff was so friendly. They allowed me to walk around to view
the space while also explaining the different wines they have. They offer a variety of domestic and
imported wines, featured Ohio wines, seasonal cocktails, a small selection of fine European beers and
ales and Ohio craft beers. If you’re with people who don’t drink (or are underage), they have mocktails
as well!

What I like is they have something for everyone’s palette- sweet, dry, white, red…there’s a flight for
you! I went with the white wine flight, which came with 3 pours. I can’t say there was one that I didn’t
like, which always makes me happy! When thinking about the venue, the ambiance, the staff, and the
wine, I would easily go back, especially for dinner to try their food as well. I’m so happy this wine
bar was added to the area! Major win!

Although Athens Uncorked had food as well, I was ready for something hearty and for another style of
drink. In comes another recommended stop: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery. Jackie O’s is great for those of
you who love a good beer and love a pub with tasty food. I did not order a beer, but their cocktails were
fantastic! They have a taproom and brewery next door too if you want to see how they brew their craft
beer.

Since it was a pub, I absolutely had to have the beer battered fish and chips (battered in their beer of
course). OMG!!! The crispy yet soft texture of the batter was so good! The fish was also well
flavored. This was the perfect place to end the foodie part of my adventure. So satisfied!

One more for the road!

By this part of the trip, my time began to be extremely limited, but I didn’t want to leave without at least
quickly stopping at Hocking Hills which is a HUGE state park about 25-30 minutes away from
Athens. The park spans across 25 miles and also partially connects to the forest. There is sooooo much
to do here. You’ll find your typical hiking, camping, and boating, but there’s also rock climbing, zip
lining, ATVing, canoeing, fishing, waterfalls, rappelling, and literally so much more.
Pro tip: Research the park before you go. It can be a bit overwhelming considering how many options
they have. They have a trip planner option online that will help you coordinate your time. I would
recommend dedicating a full day for this because you might be a bit exhausted after (in a great way!)

Final Suggestions:
Before I go, I want to offer up a few additional tips!

Give yourself time! Although this is a small town, I would encourage you to take at
least a day and a half to explore the area. There are super cute gems and shops surrounding
the campus and plenty of nature to stop at if you’re an outdoorsy type of person!
Try different food locations – It’s a college town so you’ll see lots of college style places,
but they also have top rated restaurants such as Thai Paradise, Sol, and Salaam
Bring a portable hotspot if you have it! – I lost service at both Strouds Run Boat House
and Hocking Hills. Luckily my GPS continued to work but if I needed to plug in a new
address, I would not have been able to. A portable hotspot is definitely the best option just
in case!
Wear your mask– Masks are still heavily required around the city and while moving
about indoors.