In a pitchperfect downtown location convenient to restaurants, clubs and the University of Georgia, the Hotel Indigo® Athens Downtown University Area hotel is truly an inspiring alternative to your typical stay. Our thriving downtown neighborhood resonates with local color and sound, as does our hotel, offering everything from farm-to-table cuisine at Madison Bar and Bistro to our own art gallery featuring works by local artists. Relax in our courtyard with a distinctive cocktail from the bar, or reserve our Rialto Room for a private gathering or event. Our green hotel is LEED Gold Certified, and we’re pet-friendly, with special amenities for your furry friends.
Treadmill, Elliptical, Free Weights, Stair Stepper, Stationary Bike. Yoga Mat/Ball. All available on lobby level with 24 hours access
On-Site Fitness Center Available
Athens, Georgia is a small town with a big city feel and culture-heavy downtown. Just five streets wide, Downtown Athens is home to a storied music scene that produced bands like R.E.M., the B-52s, and Widespread Panic. With a rising culinary reputation, Athens cuisine stands out with award-winning chefs like Top Chef Hugh Acheson serving Nouveau-Southern fare. Home to 37,000 University of Georgia students who make up a third of the city's population, Athens embodies the college town vibe (but gives a warm welcome to visitors of any age). The city offers restaurants, resurrected music spaces, lounges, boutiques, and breweries. Downtown Athens can be summed up quite simply: the energy is lively, the locals are boho, and the craft cocktails are strong.
Founded in 1785, UGA is the oldest state-chartered public university in the nation. Today its 37,000 students make up a third of the town's population. Walk the tree-shaded campus and look at the splendid 19th-century buildings, including the Old College, built in 1806, and the university president's house, a Greek Revival mansion built in the late 1850s.
This iconic white oak in Athens has legal ownership of the small patch of land it grows on. It's the descendant of an oak that was so beloved by its owner, Col. W.J. Jackson, that he deeded it to itself in 1832. The Junior Ladies Garden Club planted the current oak in 1942 after its parent fell in a storm.
Find your inner peace at this 313-acre preserve full of native plants, trees, and flowers. The Shade Garden, a light-dappled glade planted with magnolias, azaleas, and dogwoods, is as Southern as it gets. There are also five miles of nature trails with benches and trees where you can take a break from the Georgia sun.
See the work of local, regional, and national artists, as well as traveling exhibits from around the world, at the state's official art museum. Its permanent collection includes a wealth of works by 19th- and 20th-century masters like Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keeffe, and famed Georgia-born folk artist Howard Finster.
This is the cathedral of college rock, an epic music club that's one of the birthplaces of punk rock and new wave music. R.E.M. got its start here, along with The B-52s and a slew of legendary bands in the late 1970s. These days, the cavernous club is home base for a new generation of Athens bands.
By day it's a coffee shop. By night it's a bar, with craft beer and cocktails replacing the espresso and lattes — plus live bands, open mic, and poetry readings. You can catch Max ZT, the "Jimi Hendrix of the Hammered Dulcimer," one night and a discussion of Georgia poets led by a University of Georgia professor the next.
A 1930s movie theater turned iconic music venue hosts local bands as well as nationally touring acts like the Alabama Shakes, Willie Nelson, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. There's more live music on the Rooftop, a bar and restaurant atop the theater with sweeping views of Athens.
The most formal venue in town is at the Athens Convention Center. It features nationally touring acts like Wilco, Allison Krauss, and David Sedaris. With a more upscale vibe than the downtown music clubs, it serves as an alternative to Athens' typical blue-jeans-and-pitcher-of-beer feel.
Spend Cheat Day at this bean-to-bar chocolatier and cafe in Athens' Five Points neighborhood. Award-winning chef Peter Dale and his brother, Nick, use cacao from their mother's native Ecuador to make pastries, hot cocoa, and a chocolate bar chock full of Georgia pecans that's to die for.
Athens' favorite restauranteur Peter Dale makes it easy to eat fresh and healthy with a gourmet spin on fast food. You choose from ingredients like mashed sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and beef meatballs, and get them piled them in a bowl and slathered with a sauce. It's perfect for a quick bite.
Athens' most popular Sunday brunch spot features modern takes on Southern classics, like bourbon waffles, figbread pudding, and a version of eggs Benedict served on biscuits instead of English muffins. Chef and Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson is a regular on top-10 lists across the country.
This beloved Athens eatery puts a Southern flair on European and Mediterranean food. Start with tapas like Medjool dates stuffed with Manchego cheese, then try the pan-roasted fish of the day. They work magic with veggies too, like seared pole beans with sesame, roasted beet with harissa, and zucchini with nduja.
Hotel Indigo Athens' outside of the box meeting and event spaces inspire your guests. We are able to accommodate the small meetings from 8 up to 250 person social receptions.