Traveling to Athens

TRAVELING TO ATHENS

The 71st annual conference of the Wildlife Disease Association will be held in Athens, Georgia July 29- August 4th, 2023. The conference venue is The Classic Center.

Flying into Atlanta’s Harstfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is the most common and convenient way to reach Athens. The airport is located approximately 80 miles from downtown Athens, the location of the conference venue-The Classic Center. You can choose a variety of transportation modes to get from the airport to Athens.

a. Rent a car. There are several rental car companies located at the Atlanta Airport, including Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget and more.

b. Take a shuttle. Groome Transportation offers shuttle services between Atlanta Airport (ATL, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) and Athens, with several stops in and around downtown Athens. Reservations are required. The shuttle departs from Atlanta Airport every 1-2 hours from early morning to late evening, with return journeys from Athens likewise departing every 1-2 hours.

c. Take a bus. There are two bus companies offering bus transportation to and from Atlanta-Athens:

i. Greyhound. Greyhound/Southeastern Stages

There are two daily direct bus services from Atlanta to Athens, but only one in the Athens to Atlanta direction. Travel time is 1.5 hrs, with economy tickets available from $12-$17 each way. Please visit the Greyhound Atlanta website for details on the schedule and to make a reservation. Atlanta’s Greyhound station is conveniently located downtown (232 Forsyth Street SW), with connections to public bus and rail transportation nearby. The bus will deliver you to the Athens bus station located 10 miles west of downtown Athens, at 4020 Atlanta Highway. Limited public transportation is available via the Athens-Clarke County Route 21 – West Side/Columbia Brookside bus, but in many cases local taxi or rideshare services will be the only practical option for completing your journey.

ii. Megabus

Megabus also operates two daily direct bus services in each direction between Atlanta and Athens. Travel time is just under two hours in the Atlanta to Athens direction, and around an hour and a half in the Athens to Atlanta direction.Ticket prices depend on how far in advance you buy them, with tickets from as little as a dollar each way if you book a long time ahead, up to around $15-$20 each way for tickets bought closer to the time of departure. Megabus’s Atlanta pick-up and drop-off point is at MARTA Civic Center Station, at 435 West Peachtree Street NW (see on map), downtown, with public transport links by train and bus to other parts of the city. In Athens, buses stop at Athens Multimodal Transportation Center at 775 East Broad Street (see on map), conveniently located just a few blocks from downtown, one block from the Classic Center, and with public transit links by bus to other parts of the city.

d. Take a private driver. The cost will vary between $80-130/one way, but attendees may choose to share rides. A private driver will pick you up at the Arrivals sidewalk and take you straight to your hotel in Athens. Advance reservations are needed. The following is the contact information for private drivers frequently used by our colleagues:

i. Claude Ray (+1 706 318-3673; available on WhatsApp; also available for larger parties)

ii. Wesley Chenoweth with Grizzly Delivery (+1 706 352-3638)

iii. Sally Rogers (+1 706 389-0610)

iv. Jenny Chavez (+1 706 206-8817)

v. Troy Cushman (+1 706-621-6799)

e. Larger parties may also choose Bulldog Limousine which has a range of vans, SUVs and limousines available for transport and more expanded hours than the above private drivers. Advance reservation is required.

2. Other nearby commercial airports include:

a. Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP), South Carolina; located 1 hr and 50 min from Athens. Connectivity is not as convenient, although private drivers do pick up and drop off from that location.

b. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT); located 3 hrs and 10 min from Athens. Connectivity is not as convenient, although some private drivers do pick up and drop off from that location.

3. Fly into Athens directly on a chartered plane. Athens does have a small airport (Athens Ben Epps Airport), but it only receives chartered planes. For more information, visit https://www.accgov.com/airport

4. Driving to Athens. Athens is located in northeast Georgia. Please visit https://www.google.com/maps/ to determine the best route to get to Athens from your location.

5. Unfortunately Athens is not located on a train line.

Getting to Athens:

Photo by: Dr. Kevin Keel