Family weekends at Ohio University in Athens are lively – the town and campus are bustling with parents excited to see just what their kids have been up to since flying the coop to go to college. From daytime university events to the nighttime bar life, there are myriad ways for parents to experience the Athens area with their university students.
However, because the town is flooded with people who are unfamiliar with the area, Ohio University Parents Weekend can be a bit hard to navigate. This can lead to anything from missing out on fun opportunities to straight-up embarrassing your kid and being publicly heckled.
With the right tips, you can make sure you arrive at OU’s Family Weekend looking like you’ve been here a hundred times before. Here are 6 need-to-knows to set your Family Weekend in Athens up for success:
1. It’s literally never too early to lock down lodging.
Hotels in Athens rent at a premium and big events on the academic calendar are always booked several months ahead of time. Unless you’re planning on crashing with your kid at their off-campus apartment, it’s a good idea to plan your hotel stay 4-6 months in advance.
2. Plan your parking ahead of time.
Parking is also at a serious premium. Athens is over 200 years old – it wasn’t built for tens of thousands of cars coming in and out all the time. Check out KPR’s handy guide on getting around the parking shortage and arriving in town already savvy about the best parking spots.
3. Court Street and Union Street’s Uptown Block are one-way streets
Working uptown, everyone’s favorite thing to do during Ohio University’s Family Weekend is to keep wrong-way tallies. Some even post them publicly! Visit Whit’s Frozen Custard if you don’t believe us. This is a decades-old custom: without fail, there will be parents who panic and drive the wrong way through uptown. Don’t be one of them. The entirety of Court Street is one-way, full stop. The block of Union Street that spans Court to Richland is also one-way.
4. A family hike is just a short drive to any side of town.
Looking for some hiking trails without making a whole day out of a Hocking Hills tour? Sells Park is just off the residential area behind E State Street. Even though you’re literally in town, it still seems like most of the trails are in the middle of nowhere. And on the other side, Stroud’s Run State Park is just outside town. There’s hiking there, as well as boat rentals, swimming, and more.
5. Local food is an absolute must.
Athens has way too many sandwich and pizza chains, but there’s still some really good local food to have. And since you’re here to visit your OU student, you should check out the ones that college kids rely on to get them through finals weeks and Sunday morning hangovers.
- Bagel Street Deli is at the top of the list – topping-packed and unique bagel sandwiches, soup and chips, and the brick walls inside are covered with decades of student graffiti.
- O-Betty’s Red Hot makes artisan hotdogs in-house, including vegetarian options, and really good french fries that are a key feature of bar life at 2:00 AM.
- Souvlaki’s Mediterranean Garden is a Middle Eastern spot run by a local family. They’ve got great late-night gyros and the best spicy fries in town.
- Avalanche Pizza has the absolute weirdest, fanciest, and most delicious pizza you’ve never had.
The cool thing about local restaurants in Athens is that pretty much all of them are focused on sustainable ingredient sourcing and making clean food that tastes awesome.
6. Hocking Hills has special family weekend outdoor events.
You don’t want to miss out on Hocking Hills while you’re in town – there are more reasons to visit than just the sites, scenery, and hiking. There are events in Hocking Hills hosted every Family Weekend at OU. In the past, these have included day hikes, group campfires, zip lining, canoeing trips, and more.