Georgia Bulldogs and Athens, Georgia both deserve high rankings

The Georgia Bulldogs have the best college town in the state of Georgia, and the race isn’t even close.

It’s not just about the No.1 ranked Georgia football team either because Athens, Ga., is much more than that. This cozy town has incredible music history, a bar scene that any social level would enjoy, and some of the best craft beer breweries ever.

And in the middle of it all is a college campus and an enormous football stadium that at this point should be a state landmark that tourists visit.

FanSided took the time and crafted a massive list of the best college towns by each state, and the only logical choice for Georgia was Athens.

Of course, there will be haters that say Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, or the countless other college towns are better. Still, there isn’t anything as lovely as Athens.

Tech and State are in downtown Atlanta. The traffic is atrocious, and you’re driving around seeing skyscrapers and such, then bam there is a college campus. These campuses don’t seem very safe either. Granted, they are in Atlanta, so that reason is a pro and a con.

They also have hip-hop, bars, and good beer, but it doesn’t have the feel that Athens does.

Georgia Southern is small and quaint but doesn’t quite have the same qualities as Athens. And well, Kennesaw State is way out there and just not easy to get to either.

We’re not discrediting these campuses by any means, they all have lovely qualities, but they just don’t match Athens, which FanSided understood.

The Georgia Bulldogs draw in thousands of people each weekend, and not just for sports. If someone is a foodie, downtown Athens has a ton of restaurants ready to blow your tastebuds out of the water. Then there are the countless bars and a couple of music venues.

FanSided nailed the bar and music scene aspect of Athens. Who wouldn’t want to come to a town where beers and vintage video games go together?

The only thing to change about what they said is mentioning some of the classic bands to come out of Athens like REM, Widespread Panic, The B-52s, and several others. Whether it’s indie rock, hip hop, or anything in between, Athens has something for you.

Also, FanSided should have included the breweries. Athens has one brewery downtown in Creature Comforts. They are also home to Terrapin Brewing Company, Akademia Brewing Co., Athentic Brewing Co., and Southern Brewing Co.

Terrapin is the Atlanta Braves beer of choice, and Creature Comforts does so much with the local artists and continues to expand. Those are the two largest breweries in Athens, but the smaller ones produce delicious beers as well.

Each of these breweries bring a different element out of Athens, and they are fantastic to visit if microbrews are what you enjoy.

Food, booze, music and football — Athens has everything, which makes it the obvious choice for the best Georgia college town.

While the Georgia Bulldogs are one of the main attractions for Athens, there is so much more to explore and enjoy. FanSided made an excellent choice in picking the Classic City because when you think of college towns, it’s got that classic feel to it.