Auburn, AL Road Trips

1 Auburn University. The scenic campus is home to 23,000 students and features buildings in the Greek Revival through the Modern styles. 2 Donald E. Davis Arboretum, 249 Sciences Center Classroom, ☏ +1 334 844-5770. Daily, sunrise-sunset. The arboretum features native trees, shrubs and wildflowers of the southeastern United States, including 150 different tree species native to Alabama and the Southeast. Located on the corner of Mell Street and Simmons Drive on the Auburn University campus. Free admission. (updated Aug 2019) Eagle's Nest, on top of Haley Center on the Auburn University campus. The highest point in Lee County provides a fantastic view of campus and the surrounding countryside. Can only be accessed by Auburn University Student Recruiters and War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen, so take a campus tour starting from the Upper Quad. 3 Jordan-Hare Stadium. The 87,451-seat venue for Auburn University's football team located in the center of campus. No admission except on gameday, but still a terrific sight. 4 Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 901 S College St, ☏ +1 334-844-1484. A 40,000-square-foot art museum opened in 2003, featuring visiting collections as well as a permanent collection devoted primarily to 19th- and 20th-century American and European art. Also features 15 acres of botanical gardens featuring large-scale sculpture, a three-acre lake, and a landscape that incorporates walking paths, benches and water features. Located on South College at Kimberly Drive.

Roll the trees at Toomer's Corner (intersection of Magnolia and College streets in downtown Auburn) following an Auburn victory. Get lemonade at Toomer's Drugs, located at Toomer's Corner. Once there was also a nostalgic college bar called the War Eagle Supper Club, but it was demolished in 2016. Follow the Auburn University Walk of Fame on the streets of downtown Auburn. Take a bike ride on Auburn's many on-street bike lanes and off-street bike paths (or, in absence of a bike lane, ride on the street because bikes rule the road in Auburn!)[1] 1 Tuskegee National Forest. Just west of Auburn, it offers the 8.5-mile-long Bartram National Recreation Trail which is ideal for hiking, mountain biking, and bird watching. 2 Chewacla State Park. A pleasant park to unwind which is located just off I-85. Golfing is an enormously popular outdoor sport in Auburn among both visitors and those associated with the university. The area's mild winters mean that the game can be played year-round, and a number of fantastic golf courses are located in and around the Auburn area. Auburn was also ranked as the number one city in the nation for Golf in 2005 by Golf Digest. Among them: Robert Trent Jones Grand National. It's a stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and features 54 holes of golf along Lake Saugahatchee. Green fees are from $40 to $62. Indian Pines features 6,213 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. Green fees from $25 to $30.

In addition to the usual fare found in most American cities, Auburn has some excellent local and regional restaurants: Amsterdam Café, 410 South Gay Street, ☏ +1 334 826-8181, [email protected]. Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM. Ariccia Italian Trattoria & Bar (in the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center on College Street at Thach Avenue), ☏ +1 334 821-8200. A pricey but excellent Italian restaurant that is a great place to take a date. Brick Oven Pizza Co., 2520 Enterprise Drive (on Gay Street near the intersection of Glenn Avenue), ☏ +1 334 745-0223, fax: +1 334 745-0224, [email protected]. Su-Th 11AM-9:30PM, F Sa 11AM-10:30PM. A gourmet pizza restaurant with pizzas and pasta. Eat outside if you can. China Palace, 2450 Martin Luther King Drive (On College Street in downtown Auburn adjacent to the Heart of Auburn Hotel), ☏ +1 334 887-8866. M-F 11AM-2PM, 5PM-9:30PM; Sa Su 5PM-9:30PM. Serves an "Asian fusion" including Chinese, Thai, and even a sushi bar that is very reasonably priced and deliciously fresh! 1 Hamilton's on Magnolia, 174 East Magnolia Avenue, ☏ +1 334 887-2677, fax: +1 334 887-2676, [email protected]. Su-Tu 11AM-9PM, W-Sa 11AM-10PM. Laredo Mexican Grill (Laredo's), 1832 Opelika Road, ☏ +1 334 246-4101. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-9PM. A good Mexican place. Wednesday night is Margerita Night. Little Italy Pizzeria, 129 East Magnolia Avenue, ☏ +1 334 821-6161. Great pizza at a great price. Stagnooooooo! Mellow Mushroom Pizza, ☏ +1 334 887-6356. Downtown Auburn on College Street.

Auburn has several good bars for students and visitors. The bars in the downtown area regularly change names and redecorate, so keep an eye out for new bars. A relic not to be forgotten is War Eagle Supper Club, as it was an Auburn classic. Once ranked by Playboy among the best college bars in the country, Supper Club was a different kind of place. It drew all crowds and all ages, and was unrivaled for great live music and dirty ambience. 1 17-16, 156 E Magnolia Ave. A fairly large one story bar with a very relaxed feel. Pool tables in the back and an outdoor patio and bar in the back as well. Very popular with Greeks and not very rowdy, A good place to go early in the night before Bourbon or Sky Bar. 21+

1 Auburn Lodge, 2145 South College Street, ☏ +1 334 826-8900, fax: +1 334 826-1101. $60-75 per night. 2 InTown Extended Suites, 1188 Commerce Drive, ☏ +1 334 826-1123. 3 Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Auburn, 2174 South College Street, ☏ +1 334 826-1444, fax: +1 334 826-5456. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 4 Stay Lodge, 1654 S College St, ☏ +1 334 521-9100, fax: +1 334 521-9101. 5 Quality Inn, 2283 South College Street, ☏ +1 334 821-6699, fax: +1 821 119-2302. $65 per night. 6 Auburn's Gameday Center, 129 North Donahue Drive, ☏ +1 334 826-8870. Check-out: 11AM. Very close to Jordan-Hare. 7 Crenshaw Guest House, 371 North College Street (3.5 miles north of Exit 51.), ☏ +1 334 821-1131. Check-in: 3PM-6PM, check-out: 11AM. Traditional bed & breakfast. Two-night minimum. $110-150 per night. 8 Fairfield Inn & Suites Auburn Opelika, 2257 Interstate Drive (Near Auburn University), ☏ +1-334-742-2590. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. From $119 per night. (updated Apr 2015) 9 Hampton Inn Auburn, 2430 South College Street, ☏ +1 334 821-4111, fax: +1 334 821-2146. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 10 Holiday Inn Express Auburn, 2013 South College Street, ☏ +1 334 502-1090, fax: +1 334 502-7090. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 11 Sleep Inn & Suites, 135 Spirit Drive, ☏ +1 334 501-7171, fax: +1 334 821-5116. $79-85 per night. 12 Quality Inn University Area, 1212 Mall Parkway, ☏ +1 334 502-5020, fax: +1 334 502-5021. $77-82 per night. 13 Fountainview Mansion, 2700 Mimms Trail, ☏ +1 334-704-4451, [email protected].

Most people traveling to Auburn fly into either Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL IATA) in Atlanta, GA or Birmingham International Airport (BHM IATA) in Birmingham, AL, both of which are about 120 miles away. The nearest commercial airports are Columbus Metropolitan Airport (CSG IATA) in Columbus, GA or Montgomery Dannelly Field (MGM IATA) in Montgomery, AL. Both are about 50 miles from Auburn. 1 Auburn University Regional Airport (AUO IATA), 2150 Bent Creek Rd (off Glenn Avenue), ☏ +1 334-844-4597. Has no service from major air carriers. There is no passenger train service to Auburn. Auburn is accessible from Interstate 85, which runs four miles south of Auburn. I-85, providing access to Atlanta, GA and Montgomery, AL. Exits 51 (College Street) and 57 (Glenn Avenue) provide the most convenient access to Auburn. US-29, providing access to Troy and points south. US-280, providing access to Birmingham, AL. It is fastest to take AL-147 from US-280 into Auburn, as US-280 continues to Opelika. Greyhound (Exit 62 off of I-85 next to a Big Cat gas station), toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. Provides service to the Auburn area. BreakShuttle, [email protected]. Only available during scheduled breaks. Private service geared for students transiting during recesses, though is open to the public. Provides service from Atlanta, Nashville, and Tampa, among other cities.

Downtown Auburn is easily traversable on foot. The sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in and near downtown are heavily utilized by Auburn's student population which means that cars will often stop if they see a pedestrian waiting at a crosswalk. However, the further one gets from downtown, the greater the distances become. Eventually, you will need to reconcile yourself to using a car or bicycle. Areas outside of Downtown and north Auburn, especially areas along South College and Wire Road, lack sidewalks and pedestrian crossings and are not suitable for pedestrian traffic. Bicycles are a common method of transportation in Auburn, allowing one to cover longer distances than when on foot. Most areas in Auburn can be reached by a short bike ride of any other point. Auburn was voted a "bicycle friendly city" by the league of American Bicyclists because of the city's bike plan, bike lanes, and advocacy efforts. Both the City of Auburn and Auburn University have established bicycle committees. Auburn City Police will occasionally cite bicyclists for riding on the sidewalk. In Auburn (like the rest of the U.S.), bikes are considered traffic just like cars, though drivers will often ignore bicyclists. Be aware of your surroundings. Tiger Taxi, ☏ +1 334 444-4444, [email protected]. 24/7. Provides personal transportation services geared towards Auburn University and the surrounding area. Twin City Taxi, ☏ +1 334-246-9999, [email protected]. 24/7. Service provided to Auburn-Opelika area. Airport shuttles available. $3 initial fee, $2 per mile.