2023 Local Arrangements

For the 2023 Conference Program, click HERE.

Lodging

Holiday Inn Express
513 W Broad St, Athens, GA, 30601, US.
(706) 546-8122
1.5 miles to conference venue (10-minute dive)

(Unfortunately, our block of conference-rate rooms has been filled, but additional options ranging in price and distance to campus are listed below. We apologize for this!)

Best Western Athens
170 N Milledge Ave
Athens, GA, 30601
(706) 546-7311
2.5 miles to the conference venue (9-minute drive)

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Athens, GA
236 Old Epps Bridge Rd
Athens, GA 30606 (706) 612-9100
4 miles to the conference venue (12-minute drive)

Quality Inn & Suites Athens University Area
2715 Atlanta Hwy
Athens, GA, 30606
(706) 549-1530
6.5 miles to the conference venue (16-minute drive)

Sleep Inn & Suites Athens
109 Florence Drive
Athens, GA, 30606
(706) 410-2023
10 miles to the conference venue (15-minute drive)

Other hotel options ($$):

Other possibilities:

There are numerous Airbnb options across town that offer additional flexibility. The sections of town that are closest to campus are downtown and the Five-Points area.

Conference Venue

Our conference will be hosted in UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, located at 250 River Road, Athens, GA 30601. All events, aside from the Graduate Student Workshop, will be held on the 3rd floor of the music building.

Our school of music is located next to the Oconee River on East Campus. Two PDF maps are available for reference/download: Getting to the Venue and MTSE Venue Location on Campus Map.

(1) If coming from GA State Road 10, what locals refer to as “the loop,” Exit 7 will be the best option for getting to the school of music.

(2)“MTSE Venue Location” has the Hugh Hodgson School of Music circled and labelled on the main campus map. For reference, downtown Athens is directly north of campus.

(3) Below is a close-up view of parking and venue spaces.

Parking

Parking is free to conference participants in the Performing Arts Parking deck, E20. Since our conference is on Spring Break, UGA Parking Services does not anticipate difficulty with securing parking.

Registration

Hugh Hodgson School of Music Main Lobby. Exit the parking deck (E20) and turn left, toward the Oconee River and music building (away from East Campus Rd.). Go straight to find the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s main entrance and Main Lobby. On the way, you will pass UGA’s Performing Arts Center (PAC, not to be confused with the infamous form of closure) on your left and the Georgia Museum of Art on your right.

Paper Sessions and Keynote

Edge Recital Hall, located on the 3rd floor of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

Graduate Student Workshop

The graduate student workshop, led by Dr. Leigh Van Handel (University of British Columbia) will take place in the School of Music Room 521 from 8 a.m.–12 p.m. This 5th- loor classroom is accessible by stairs and elevator.

Conference Recital

5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. in Edge Recital Hall

Business Meeting

Room 308 is reserved for the MTSE Business Meeting.

Session Breaks

Session breaks, including refreshments, will take place in the UGA Choral Suite, which is adjacent to Edge Recital Hall.

Travel and Athens, GA Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, GA is 75 miles from UGA campus and offers nonstop service to more than 150 domestic and 70 international destinations.

Groome Transportation offers an airport- to-city shuttle service that stops at UGA campus and local hotels. One-way travel costs $49 per adult.

Driving

Located 70-miles northeast of Atlanta, Athens is often accessed by University Parkway (GA-316) from I-85 at Lawrenceville or U.S. 78 from I-285. Otherwise, I-85 connects with U.S. 129 (Jefferson) and U.S. 441 (Commerce) and I-20 intersects with U.S. 441.

Since our music building is in a quiet part of campus, carpooling is recommended. East Campus Road is out main route to campus from downtown, and College Station Road connects campus to GA State Route 10 (the Loop) and the East. Many options for lunch and dinner require a brief (5-10 minute) drive from the conference venue.

Ride Shares

Uber and Lyft have a strong presence in Athens and offer competitive pricing.

Athens transit is a low-cost option with limited scheduling.

Bulldawg Bike Share

A GPS-enabled, electric pedal-assist bike share with 22 hubs across campus that are rented using the Spin mobile app and parked at designated hubs listed in the Spin app. (https://tps.uga.edu/alternative-transportation/bulldog-bike-share/)

Performing Arts is the nearest hub to the School of Music, a minute’s walk from the conference venue. The bikes are restricted to on-campus use.

Athens, GA

Restaurants (more to be added in the coming weeks with additional detail)

Near Downtown (accessible via East Campus Road):

East Athens (accessible via College Station Road):

Five Points

  • Five and Ten $$$ (1073 S. Milledge Ave) | “blending contemporary American food with French and Italian influences”
  • Mediterranean Grill $ (1591 Lumpkin St.) | Mediterranean food
  • The Butt Hutt $ (480 Macon Hwy) | BBQ

Coffee

Athens has several local coffee establishments for the coffee enthusiast:

Live Music