Athens, Ohio

Ohio University is located in a friendly and safe community in southeast Ohio among the beautiful, wooded hills of Athens, approximately 75 miles from Ohio's state capital of Columbus. Athens' population is around 22,088.

Recreation

Below you will find a description of some of the many things you can do in and around Athens. You can also visit the following websites for more information:

Baker University Center
The Front Room Coffeehouse, located on the fourth floor, provides a relaxed atmosphere to study, and often hosts various bands and other live entertainment. A full-service food court offering a variety of cuisines, Computer labs, study areas, conference rooms, video games, ping-pong and pool tables are also located inside of Baker Center. During the school year, Baker Center is active with dances, cultural activities, comedians, musical performers, speakers, movies, and student organizational meetings.

Ping Recreation Center
The university's recreation center is one of the largest campus facilities of its kind in the country. Here you will find places to play basketball, volleyball, badminton, a climbing wall, and other indoor sports. There is also a fitness center with stairmasters, stationary bikes, nautilus equipment and free weights. A student must show a valid OU I.D. to use any of the equipment and facilities (racquetball court, use of the basketballs, ping-pong paddles and tables, etc.).

Swimming
The Aquatic Center is located next to Grover Center across the street from West Green.
Open Hours:
Monday - Friday from 6:00 - 8:00 a.m. for lap swimming;
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. , and 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Clubs

There are over 350 registered student organizations on campus. Options range from Club Soccer to the Financial Management Association to International Student Union to UNICEF.

Intramural Sports

The Ohio University Intramural Sports program offers a diverse set of structured activities for students, faculty, and staff. The program offers individual, dual, and team sports for men, women, and coed teams in a variety of seasonal league and tournament formats.

The Arts

Athens has been named one of the Top 100 Art Communities in the U.S. From the university's world-class Performing Arts Series, which features touring Broadway shows, popular music acts and more, to on-campus galleries and museums, to local artisans and a vibrant music scene, there are countless opportunities to be involved in the arts.

Uptown Athens

On any given day or night, you can walk to Court Street, the main thoroughfare through Athens, and find crowds of students at all the local hot spots. Whether it's a game of cards at Perks Coffeehouse, a bite to eat at Chipotle, or a night of jazz at Casa Cantina, there is always something to do uptown. Unique shops and restaurants, numerous cultural activities, and a centrally located movie theater all within walking distance make uptown the perfect place to unwind after a hard week of classes.

Athena Cinema 20 South Court Street.
This cinema has three screens with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound showing recent foreign and art-house films. Movies & show times are available by calling 592-5106.

Athena Grand Cinema 1008 East State Street.
This cinema has stadium seating and 12 screens with the latest Hollywood movies. Showtimes are available by calling 593-8822 or checking online.

Farmers Market

Named one of the nation's best markets by Audubon Magazine, the Athens' Farmers market is a great place to pick up fresh local produce, baked goods, and interesting local products, and to people watch. The market is open from 10AM to 1PM every Saturday year-round and from 10AM to 1PM on Wednesdays, April through November. Easy to find, the market is currently located on East State Street in the main Athens shopping district.

Restaurants

Fast-Food Chains $5 and under
Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Domino's Pizza, Taco John's, McDonald's, Pizza Hut

Sandwich & Grill $5-$10
World's Best Bagel, Brenen's, Bagel Street Deli, Pita Pit, Pig Skin Bar & Grill

Dining $10-$15
Ruby Tuesday, Pizza Hut, Avalanche Pizza Purple Chopstix, China Fortune, Jackie O's Pub, Salaam (World Cusine), Tuscano's, Lui-Lui's, Bob Evans,Lam's Garden, Casa Nueva (Mexican), Souvlaki's (Greek), Star of India (Indian), Stephen's (Fusion), and many more.

Groceries

There are a number of grocery stores in Athens, listed below are their names and addresses.

CVS, N. Court Street and 555 East State Street;
Farmacy Natural Food Store, 28 West Stimson Avenue;
IGA Foods, 464 Richland Avenue;
Kroger's, 919 East State Street (open 24 hours);
Oriental Market, 726 East State Street;
Seaman's Super Market, 305 West Union Street;
WalMart, 929 East State Street (open 24 hours).
Mistretta's Italian Market, 9 North Shafer Street.

Laundry Facilities

Most houses, apartments, and dorms have their own laundry facilities located in a centralized area, but here are others you can use for dry cleaning and washing. Others may be listed in the city phone book.

Downard's Ambassador Laundry & Dry Cleaning

(740) 593-6788
15 Stimson Avenue
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Good Laundromat

(740) 592-9667
12 West Stimson Avenue
Open Daily, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Cherry Blossoms

Athens cherry blossoms trees are certainly an attraction of their own at the university. The cherry trees that line Shafer Street on the Ohio University are a beautiful herald of spring. A gift from Chubu University in Japan, the trees also are a reminder of the special relationship between the two schools.