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Condé Nast Traveler
37 minutes ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
The Best Game-Day Airbnbs in Athens, Georgia
Known as the Classic City, Athens, Georgia, sits just an hour northeast of Atlanta. While it's best recognized as the home of the University of Georgia and birthplace of bands like R.E.M., the B-52s, and Widespread Panic, you don't have to be a Bulldog (or music fanatic) to appreciate this southern town. Historic architecture lines its walkable downtown streets, and the buzzy neighborhood of Five Points blends 1920s charm with delicious restaurants. I've called Atlanta home for 12 years and make an annual pilgrimage to Athens for its standout dining—from newcomer Osteria Olio to staple Mama's Boy—and for a dose of nature at places like the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. While Athens has its fair share of exceptional boutique hotels (including Rivet House and the Bell), sometimes the comfort of a rental is what you're after. Options range from quirky guest cottages to thoughtfully designed homes and spacious apartments. Whether you're planning a solo retreat or hosting a game day crew, here are nine excellent Airbnb options in Athens, Georgia, for your next football weekend. When is the best time to go to Athens, Georgia? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Fall is the perfect time to visit Athens. The University of Georgia is in session, the Bulldogs are playing, the leaves are changing, and the temps start to dip. Football season does bring higher prices and busier restaurants, but weekends spent in Athens are a one-of-a-kind experience. Alternatively, late spring and early summer are also beautiful, and with school out of session, you feel like you have the town to yourself. What's the best area to stay in Athens? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron For dining, shopping, and nightlife, walkable neighborhoods like Downtown and Five Points are ideal. You can park your car and leave it there. If you're headed to a game and want to skip the Uber, stay downtown. Families might consider Normaltown, a more residential area that still offers easy access to great food and drinks. What are the best things to do in Athens? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Start with a stroll through UGA's beautiful campus—its manicured lawns and Greek Revival buildings are worth seeing in any season. Stop by the iconic UGA Arch, a symbolic gateway between the school and the city, and visit the free Georgia Museum of Art. About five miles from downtown, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia is also free and full of trails and blooms. And then—eat. Grab a burger at Clocked or pastries and stacked sandwiches at Big City Bread Cafe. For something more refined, consider The National, which showcases seasonal ingredients, or Seabear Oyster Bar, situated in a former Coca-Cola bottling plant and renowned for its carefully sourced bivalves. We've vetted these listings based on Superhost status, ratings, amenities, location, previous guest reviews, and decor.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Gators everywhere!' Over 100 alligators surround Georgia boat ramp. See photos
A rarely witnessed mass congregation of alligators was recorded at Georgia's Stephen C. Foster State Park near the Okefenokee Swamp, park officials say. The predators mysteriously surrounded the Jones Island boat dock on Saturday, July 26, resulting in a swirling sea of jaws in every direction. 'There were over a hundred of these big beautiful creatures hanging out and putting on a show,' the park reported in a Facebook post. 'The gators have been chilling, swimming around, catching a few fish (and a turtle!), starting a bit of gator drama in close quarters, and letting out the occasional bellow! It's been an amazing thing to see.' Park officials didn't say if the gathering disrupted boat rentals. Stephen C. Foster State Park is remote, about a 295-mile drive southeast from Atlanta and a primary entrance to the 438,000-acre Okefenokee Swamp. It's estimated 12,000 alligators live in the swamp, the park says. Alligators in Georgia can reach 16 feet and 800 pounds, the state says. This is the second July in a row a congregation of alligators formed for unknown reasons near the swamp. The 2024 gathering included 150 alligators filling a mile and a half span of water, the University of Georgia's Coastal Ecology Lab reported. Such congregations involve large numbers of alligators cramming themselves into a small area, University of Georgia Ph.D. student Mark Hoog reported in 2024. 'What we've noticed is it happens during periods of low water, so we think it might have something to do with resources,' Hoog said. 'It might be a feeding event that's triggered during this low water when there's not a ton of resources. They're all coming together, but we're not sure.'
National Geographic
2 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
Female invasive joro spiders may dabble in cannibalism
Invasive joro spiders have been building their enormous, golden webs across the eastern United States since 2014. Sometimes the webs stand alone, but other times 10 or 15 females dwell in a mosaic of interconnected webs stretching all the way up a tree—an arachnid apartment complex of sorts. New research finds that these stereotypically tolerant spiders can engage in unneighborly behavior, attacking and even cannibalizing each other. Joro spiders are native to east Asia. Females look like a yellow and black grape with toothpicks sticking out of it—big enough to fill the palm of a hand, says Andy Davis, an ecologist at the University of Georgia in Athens. 'For an arachnophobe, this thing is the stuff of nightmares.' Despite their frightful looks, joro spiders don't harm people or pets, he says. And Davis and colleagues have found that these creatures are actually rather timid. Blow a puff of air in a joro's face and it freezes for over an hour while other species hold still for a few minutes. 'We kind of labeled them as one of the world's shyest spiders,' Davis says. (Read more about joro spider's timid tendencies.) So it was curious when Davis and his team started seeing signs of cannibalism among joro females. First it was a female clutching another female in a web. Then it was an attack in an aquarium into which two females had been placed. And finally, a fight to the death when the researchers released two joro spiders at the same time. While female joro spiders occasionally munch on mates, fighting amongst themselves has never been seen before. Why do joro spiders fight? Davis's students captured joro spiders (Trichonephila clavata) and staged meetings to look for hints about what spurs aggression. When 25 pairs of similarly sized females met in a plastic food storage container, fights broke out 40 percent of the time, the team reported July 10 in Arthropoda. In some bouts, the spiders ripped each other's legs off, while in others, the winner sunk its fangs into the loser, Davis says. Usually larger spiders have an advantage in combat, so Davis's team was surprised to see that, in 27 meetings of differently sized females, cage fights happened only 18 percent of the time, and larger spiders didn't always instigate the conflict,. But Tupperware isn't the joro's usual stomping ground, and that might influence the spiders' behavior. Joro spiders have long legs adapted for darting around a web, says ecologist Erin Grabarczyk of Valdosta State University in Georgia who wasn't part of the work. 'Put them on the ground and they look like a baby deer—they sort of wobble around.' It's possible the food storage container stressed the spiders, she says. Joro spiders are originally from southeast Asia and were first detected in Georgia in 2014. Photograph By Alex Sanz/AP So Davis's team took their tests to a more natural environment—empty webs in a field. They introduced 14 pairs, each time placing the two females into a web that belonged to neither one. This time, only one encounter ended in a fight and the winner wrapped up her victim in silk, as if preparing for a meal. 'It's not surprising that they walked away,' Grabarczyk says. Those webs are likely laden with chemicals and cues attesting to the ownership of that web. And joro spiders may have other tactics to keep the peace between neighbors. For instance, they may use vibrations to communicate, Davis says. 'Somehow they have a way to not eat each other when they live communally.' The field studies may not resemble real run-ins between joro females, says ecologist Robert Pemberton an independent researcher in Atlanta who wasn't involved with the study. These spiders aren't typically wandering around; they sit and wait, he says. Future experiments with webs containing resident females could better test how they react to intruders on their turf. (This spider web is strong enough for a bird to sit on.) Davis and others are exploring joros' behavior and biology to learn about their effects as they spread. So far, the picture of ecological impact isn't clear, Davis says. In April, Pemberton published a spider census of Atlanta forests for 2022 to 2025; numbers of the joro spider had shot up while native orb weavers declined each year. Meanwhile another study based on citizen scientists' reports suggested that joro spiders' presence didn't greatly change the makeup of spider communities in several states. It's uncertain whether aggression or cannibalism might shape the joros' spread. The spiders may be finding a place in local food webs. Pemberton found that cardinals will attack joros and may be eating them. Joros may prey on other invasives, including the spotted lanternfly, which destroys trees, Davis says. 'This is a new species that is definitely changing the ecosystem,' Grabarczyk says. 'Understanding that from an ecological perspective is so important.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Banish crabgrass from your lawn in days with an easy 5-step gardening method
Crabgrass can be a nightmare for gardeners, but there are ways to tackle the pesky weed. Here's how to get rid of crabgrass in your lawn in five simple steps. Plenty of gardeners ignore crabgrass despite its minor perks, such as providing a home for wildlife and acting as a quick fix for bare ground. But this pesky invader's lightning-fast spread and unsightly clumps can swiftly smother a pristine lawn; crabgrass thrives in hot, parched spots, and each plant can churn out a staggering 150,000 seeds. Though it typically snuffs it when the frost hits, you're left with ugly bald spots that wreck your green carpet's good looks. Clint Waltz, PhD, a turf expert at the University of Georgia, has warned lawn-loving gardeners to tackle this grassy menace before it's too late. He said: "It's a prolific seed producer. If you do nothing about it this year, expect a higher and more dense population of crabgrass next year." Crabgrass pops up in spring and keeps sprouting all summer long. Being an annual plant, it croaks after the first hard freeze, but those seeds hang about for years, just waiting to spring back to life, reports the Express. Reaching for chemicals might seem like the obvious quick fix for time-pressed gardeners, but Clint cautioned that zapping crabgrass with weedkiller is a bit of a gamble. Herbicides target specific grass types, so picking the wrong one could spell disaster for your cherished turf. That's precisely why you need to suss out what type of grass you've got before unleashing any chemical warfare. You might fancy trying scalding water or horticultural vinegar to see off crabgrass, but since these methods don't discriminate, they could take out your prized grass too. How to banish crabgrass 1. Find the right herbicide Fluazifop works on tall fescue and zoysia grass types, while Quinclorac is suitable for tall fescue, zoysia, and Kentucky blue—also known as "smooth stalked meadow grass." 2. Spot treat crabgrass patches Once you've identified the correct product for your grass variety, target-spray the solution directly onto the crabgrass. Results typically appear within seven to 10 days, with the crabgrass yellowing and browning. Clint explains that if crabgrass still looks vigorous after 21 days, a second treatment might be necessary. For widespread problems, apply the appropriate herbicide across your entire lawn following the manufacturer's guidelines. This is recommended when 50 to 70% of your lawn is infested with crabgrass. 3. Mow your lawn Several days following herbicide treatment, cut your grass to hide the discoloured patches. 4. Hand-weed strays If you'd rather avoid herbicides, you might choose to remove crabgrass manually, though this works best with just a few scattered plants rather than widespread coverage. It's also worthwhile doing after treatment and mowing to catch any remaining weeds. 5. Prevent new growth Like most garden pests, prevention beats cure. Your first defence is a thriving lawn that's cut to the proper height and receives adequate feeding and watering. Additionally, Clint recommends applying a pre-emergence treatment in spring. Time this for early to mid-spring whilst soil surface temperatures remain below 12C.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Georgia 4-star commit Chace Calicut charged in connection with shooting
Chace Calicut, a four-star safety committed to the University of Georgia, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an alleged shooting on July 6 in Houston, according to multiple media outlets. Calicut, a rising senior at Houston North Shore High School who committed to the Bulldogs on June 27, appeared on Tuesday in a Houston court. His bond was set at $20,000. According to court documents viewed by media outlets, Calicut, 17, pulled up in his car behind a car driven by an unidentified 17-year-old boy with a 17-year-old girl in the passenger seat. The teen driver said Calicut passed them, swerved in front of their car and braked, forcing him to brake to avoid hitting Calicut's car. The teen drove around but Calicut again pulled alongside him, according to the documents, and allegedly was swerving around the car. The teen driver said a man in Calicut's passenger seat pointed a gun at him. The passenger was later identified as Isaiah Brice Phillip, 17, whom Harris County officials said was shot at a July 20 pool party and died on July 21. The 17-year-old in the other car said he drove away and heard gunfire, per the documents, and a friend in a separate vehicle told investigators that he saw Phillip firing a gun out of Calicut's car window. Listed at 6-feet-3 and 190 pounds, Calicut is ranked the No. 114 player in the country, No. 9 safety overall and No. 17 player in Texas regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He visited UGA on June 6. He also made visits to Texas, Michigan and Ole Miss. Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
