Brewed at the Bikeway with Athens County!

My husband and I spent some time in Athens County thanks to the Athens County Visitors Bureau. All opinions are my own.

When is the last time you got to know a county other than the one you live in?

We live right on the edge of Franklin County and sometimes go to other counties around Columbus never really take the time to learn much about them. However, that has to change. Every county has their own space, something that defines them. You can find fun in any country you visit. So we were excited to head to Athens County to check out the sites.

If you head to the Athens County Visitors Bureau, you can plan your day, weekend or whatever time you have free. Athens County is home to Ohio University so there is always plenty to do and plenty of places to eat.

We arrived about Noon on Saturday and started with lunch. We love something local and quick for lunch and got both with Bagel Street Deli. They take a deli sandwich of your choice and turn it into a delicious warm Bagelwich. I ordered Tom’s turkey and my husband got a Reuben. Both were delicious. You can find them at Bagel Street Deli 27 S Court St, Athens, OH 45701 PH: 740-593-3838

Ever think about trying out all the beer and cider that Athens County has to offer? Trying doing the Brewed at the Bikeway. You can ride your bike up to many award-winning breweries. All of them are easily accessible from the 21-mile bike trail. Don’t own a bike or unable to drive it down to Athens County? That’s ok, there are plenty of places to rent bikes from.

We stopped at Athens Bicycle to pick up our rentals before making the hike. They got our heights, checked the bikes before making sure they fit us and let us go. They also offer helmets and bike locks if you don’t bring those with you.

Here is one tip for doing Brewed at the Bikeway: Make sure you use the pathways unless you have a lot of leg strength. We made the mistake of thinking we could save some time by biking through the town. Athens is very hilly and I haven’t quite worked up my lower body strength yet.

Where did we visit?

• Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery: Our first stop happened to be down the street from the bike shop. I had a mead, which is basically just like wine. Paul tried the Bourbon Barrel Coffee Oil of Aphrodite. Both were great. You can find this location of Jackie O’s at 25 Campbell street, Athens.
  
• Jackie O’s Brewpub and public house: This time, instead of ordering a pint, we tried a tasting. 7 different beers! Everyone had a different flavor which is why we had the fries to help cleanse our palate. The beers (in order from left to right then back left in the front): Mandala Citra, Kinda Fuzzy, Gose, Elle, Cool beans, White Apparition, and Hop Ryot. My favorite was Elle. You can find this location of Jackie O’s at 22 W. Union St, Athens.
  
• Little Fish Brewing Company: By the time we got to Little Fish, I had to take a break from drinking. I don’t drink that much and I wanted to make sure I got the chance to taste a cider. So Paul tasted the Saison Du Poisson, Woodthrush, and Harvey Chai-tel. His favorite was Harvey Chai-tel. You can visit Little Fish Brewing Company at 8675 Armitage Rd, Athens.
  
• The West End Cider House: This was my favorite place. I’m not a huge beer person but I’ve recently discovered my budding romance with ciders. I ordered the B’Yard and enjoyed it a lot. Paul had a couple different things including KBS (Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout). Yes, they happen to have some left! He couldn’t resist. You can find the West End Cider House at 34 W Washington St, Athens.
  

We ended up returning the bikes before heading to the Cider House because we were running out of time. We still had dinner, dessert and a baseball game to head to! Unfortunately, that meant we didn’t have time to check out the shops around Ohio University. So we’re excited to head back to check that out soon.

Dinner was amazing.

We went to Salaam, a restaurant that makes traditionally-inspired dishes from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, North Africa, Thailand, India, and Pakistan. I had a Moroccan Lamb wrap which included beef with chickpeas. Paul had the Samak bi Tahini: sustainably-raised rainbow trout. I tasted some and it was delicious! We shared Muhammara as an appetizer. It is a Middle Eastern spread of local roasted red peppers, walnuts, bread crumbs, pomegranate molasses, and spices. Salaam is located at 21 W Washington St, Athens. You can call to make reservations for a party of 5 or more.

We stopped at Whit’s Frozen Custard for dessert. I was super full so I just had a cup of vanilla. Paul had been craving coffee for a while so he ordered custard with chocolate syrup and a shot of espresso. Neither one of us remember what it was called but he loved it. Great place to stop with the kids. There is something for everyone! Whit’s is located at 9 S Court St, Athens.

We couldn’t leave without checking out the Copperheads Baseball Game. It happened to have been a fireworks night! While we missed part of the game, we enjoyed what we did see and loved the fireworks.

 Make sure you check out what Athens County has to offer! Thanks to the Athens County Visitors Bureau,  I can’t wait to take the kids to see the farmers market that I’ve heard is to die for!