Clarke County: Theater History, Gardens and Trails

The Morton Theatre connects a distinctive theater history with the performing arts of today. Monroe Bowers, known as “Pink” Morton, had it built in 1910. It is one of the first and the oldest surviving vaudeville theaters in the United States to have been built, owned and operated by an African American. The fully restored building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; in 1993, it was converted into a performing arts venue.

Theater, Homes and Art

Beyond the Morton Theatre, the cultural scene ranges from stage performances to visual arts. Athens Creative Theatre presents several productions each year, including comedies, dramas and musicals, and offers theater classes for children, teens and adults. Lyndon House Arts Center features changing contemporary art exhibitions and offers art classes. The permanent collection at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia includes more than 18,000 works of art.

Historic homes tell different chapters of local history. Church-Waddel-Brumby House is the oldest surviving residence in Athens; its circa-1820 museum houses the Historic Athens Welcome Center. Ware-Lyndon Historic House dates to around 1850 and houses a collection of decorative arts. Its program also includes the exhibition and film “Resilient Civic and Musical Life: Ware-Lyndon House Enslaved and Descendant Stories.”

In southeastern Clarke County, Whitehall House stands at a site with a specific connection to economic history: Clarkes first large water-powered mill was located here. It was established in 1830 to process cotton from nearby plantations. A total of 52 sites in Clarke County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The number offers a sense of how many different places are part of the county’s history.

The two-part UGA Visitors Center tour includes a 15-minute drive through South Campus and West Campus, followed by a 45-minute walking tour of historic North Campus. The Visitors Center offers free campus tours led by student guides; reservations are required for a full guided tour.

Gardens and Nature Experiences

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia combines trails through natural areas with opportunities to explore native plant communities of the Piedmont. Its trail network covers five miles. The Heritage Garden traces the development of agriculture in Georgia, from colonial-era pioneer gardens to the extensive farms of the 20th century.

The Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden is an accessible garden spanning 2.5 acres. Its interactive areas include a chestnut treehouse, a fossil wall, large water-spraying mushrooms, a vegetable garden and a replica of a North Georgia cave. The Sweet Pea Club is for families with children ages three to six and includes songs, puppet shows, stories, walks, and activities or games. In the Garden Gnomes program at the Children’s Garden, staff and volunteers offer free five- to ten-minute activities several times a week.

Sandy Creek Nature Center encompasses 225 acres of forest and wetlands, along with more than four miles of trails. The trails include an accessible interpretive path. The Education and Visitor Center features live reptiles and amphibians, saltwater and freshwater aquariums, and interactive natural history exhibits. Visitors can pair time on the trails with a look at the habitats and their wildlife.

Sandy Creek Park offers more than 14 miles of trails through easy to moderately challenging terrain for hikers, walkers and horseback riders. The park is also home to the only beach in Athens-Clarke County; an area of more than half an acre is designated for wading and swimming. The 4.2-mile Buckeye Horse Trail is an out-and-back route for hiking and horseback riding. The Lakeside Trail follows the shore of Lake Chapman.

Trails Through Athens and the County

Trails connected to local history are also part of the area’s offerings. The Athens Firefly Trail begins in downtown Athens at the original terminus of the Athens Branch of the Georgia Railroad. More than three miles of the trail run through Athens-Clarke County; pedestrians and cyclists can use paths away from immediate motor vehicle traffic. The North Oconee River Greenway Trail runs from Sandy Creek Nature Center through Dudley Park and is open to pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized users.

Bear Hollow Zoo is home to native wildlife that cannot be released into the wild and serves as ambassadors for their species. The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; check the hours before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Athens, Clayton, Coweta, Chattooga, Douglas, Cherokee, Camden, Upson.

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