Charles Aguar Plaza

Charles Aguar is generally accredited with being the father of the Oconee Rivers Greenway system. He began advocating for a Greenway in the early 1970s and lived to see the official ground breaking nearly 30 years later. Aguar was an advocate for protecting and conserving the rivers of Athens while providing recreational amenities for citizens to enjoy. A portion of the trail has been named in his honor to celebrate his legacy. A design competition won by Lea Gardner (MLA) decided the layout of the area near the intersection of Willow Street and East Broad. Charles Aguar Memorial Plaza is located on Willow Street between East Broad and North Avenue.

Cook and Brother Plaza

The site of the former Cook and Brother Armory can be found at the edge of Dudley Park along the North Oconee River Trail as it winds next to East Broad Street. Many interpretive panels line this section of trail to explain the history of some of the structures and features you encounter.

Dudley Park

Dudley Park is a 32-acre park nestled in the confluence of Trail Creek and the North Oconee River, just a short walk from downtown Athens and the University of Georgia.

It's a great spot for a picnic lunch on the grass or to listen to the babbling Trail Creek as it runs under the lower park bridge. Dedicated in 1953 to Alonzo Gordon Dudley, who governed Athens from 1926-1935 and 1938-1939, Dudley park features majestic hardwoods, open fields, several picnic areas, and connections to multiple trails.

Firefly Trail

On October 20, 2017, the long-awaited Firefly Trail officially opened in Athens-Clarke County and now includes a 1 mile segment which includes a stunning 500'-long bridge over the North Oconee River and a connection to Dudley Park and the North Oconee River Greenway.  Eventually, TSPLOST funding will help to complete the eight miles in Athens-Clarke County and Winterville. 

North Oconee River Park

North Oconee River Park is bisected by the North Oconee River. Access into the park can be found from Willow Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. It features several sitting benches and a small shelter and picnic table to enjoy riverside views. Expansive grassy areas are great for walking your leashed pets and taking in a bit of nature in the urban landscape. 

Easley's Mill Overlook

Located near the site of Daniel Easley's original saw and grist mill, the overlook offers a glimpse into Athens history by allowing travelers on the multi use trail to see the stretch of river that became the industrial hub for the small community of Cedar Shoals that would go on to become the city of Athens. 

The overlook at Easley's Mill is located on the North Oconee River Greenway at the foot of Carr's Hill and across Oconee Street from Dudley Park. 

Sandy Creek Nature Center

Sandy Creek Nature Center is a gateway to outdoor exploration.  The property features 225 acres of woodlands and wetlands with over 4 miles of trails, including an ADA interpretive trail and connections to the North Oconee River Greenway and Cook's Trail.

The SPLOST-funded Education & Visitor Center includes live reptiles, amphibians, marine and freshwater aquariums, interactive natural history exhibits, and an incredible resource library, all housed in an eco-friendly building.  There is also a circa 1815 log house and several wildlife observation areas on site.

More Than a Trail

The North Oconee River Greenway is more than a recreation space for residents and visitors of Athens-Clarke County. Beyond the North Oconee River Trail, the Greenway encompasses a corridor of natural spaces along the banks of the North Oconee. These spaces provide many benefits to the river, the community, and the surrounding environment.

 By acting as a natural buffer between sources of runoff and the river the Greenway helps to improve water quality in the North Oconee River. Vegetation such as grasses, shrubs, and other ground cover help to slow runoff water as it drains toward the river. This allows sediment and other pollutants to drop out of the runoff before it enters the waterway. Larger vegetation helps to secure the banks and surrounding area against erosion further reducing the amount of sediment filling the river while also ensuring the area remains stable for users, human and animal alike.

The North Oconee River Greenway and other areas like it provide space and habitat for many different species in an otherwise urban or suburban environment. Many species large and small benefit from access to the river as both a source of food and water. The protected corridor along the river also serves as a migratory path for animals connecting many different areas and environments of Athens-Clarke County that would otherwise be cut off from one another by urban development.

Below are examples of work Athens-Clarke County Unified Government has done to protect this vital resource with help from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and hundreds of volunteers.

2019 Reclaim Our River Project

During July 1-3, 2019 over 150 employees from Pilgrim’s Pride worked with Athens-Clarke Leisure Services Department and Sustainability Office staff on the Reclaim Our River Project. The effort focused on removing destructive invasive plants and trash next to the North Oconee River, enhancing habitat diversity, opening up vistas to the river, and reclaiming this incredible community resource. Crews removed 30 tons of invasive plants, 36 bags of trash, and 30 tires from the area as part of the effort. The option to volunteer was made available to Pilgrim’s Pride employees to ensure job security by the company while the local plant was shut down temporarily for equipment retooling. 

Watch the video below to learn more about this experience.

2020 Conserve Georgia Grant

Additionally, thanks in large part to the Office of Sustainability, the Georgia Department of Natural resources announced on February 25th, 2020 that one of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program (GOSP) “Conserve Georgia” grants has awarded $550,000 to Athens-Clarke County Unified Government for 2020. 

Ranked by DNR as the number 1 project, the $829,000 project will be used to help further the vision of the “Restore our River” project, which was started in 2019 as an effort to restore approximately 1 mile of a highly urbanized river corridor into a species-rich, ecologically diverse habitat.  While plans for SPLOST funded trailhead restrooms and teaching pavilion were already underway, GOSP provided additional funds to build a canoe launch at the College Avenue Bridge, a fishing pier/canoe launch in Dudley Park, and natural surface trails. 

The project also includes the restoration of 20 acres of Dudley Park, creating high-quality wildlife habitat, installing nesting and roosting boxes, restoring 150 feet of stream bank, and creating an in-stream pilot trash trap project.  The grant award is significantly enhancing Athens-Clarke County’s effort to restore and create a unified habitat and ecosystem services management plan that involves multiple parks as well as multiple departments and stakeholders. 

The Restore our River Project is a Sustainability Office initiative that, in collaboration with the SPLOST Project Office and the Leisure Services Department, seeks to involve multiple ACC departments, citizens, and community organizations in the creation of a healthy and sustainable community for our natural and human environments.