Historic Athens Welcome Center

Experience exemplary adaptive reuse at the Southern Manufacturing Company, hike to the ruins of the Georgia Brick Factory at Sandy Creek Nature Center, visit the reimagined site of the Puritan Cordage Mill, and more! The Ruins & Relics Self-Guided Tour offers an opportunity to learn about sites that played important roles in manufacturing, water and power supply for the City of Athens.

Take a moment to view the notes that correspond to each location before planning your day of exploration. Please be respectful of all posted signage and the privacy of residents. Visit www.athenswelcomecenter.com for more!

What would Athens be without its unique, trendsetting and delicious local restaurants? Athens Eats: Past & Present will take you on a culinary adventure of Athens’ delicious past, present and future! This tour is intended to be a resource for locals and visitors alike who would like to taste the flavors of Athens, reminisce on past establishments, and reflect on the excellent initiatives by many Athens restaurants to preserve historic buildings and operate within them.

Visit www.athenswelcomecenter.com to learn more about our selection of self-guided tours!

Clayton Street Then & Now ✨ Can you guess the vantage point of these photos?

Jokingly called the "Athens Skyscraper" by early 20th century Athenians, the Commerce Building, now known as the Fred Building, was built in 1908 to serve as the offices of Southern Mutual Insurance Company. The company's earlier office, a two story mansard-roofed building, was relocated and later demolished.

The Costa family once operated an ice cream parlor on the ground floor of the Commerce Building. When the demand for their ice cream outgrew their production abilities at this location, the Costa Ice Cream Factory, now occupied by Athens-Clarke County offices, was constructed on Washington Street.

On the far right of the historic image, you can see a portion of the original Michael Brothers Building, which was lost to fire in 1921 and replaced with the building that still stands today. On the middle left, you can vaguely make out the impressive Athens Railway and Electric signage on the facade of the corner building now occupied by Wuxtry.