Athens GA R.E.M. + 40 Watt Music-Trail Weekend — Athens, GA

Athens is where Peter Buck met Michael Stipe across the Wuxtry Records counter in January 1980 — the 40 Watt Club is two blocks east (Rolling Stone's second-greatest US rock club, where R.E.M. and the B-52s and Pylon all came up), and the self-guided Athens Music History Tour from the Welcome Center maps every key venue. The bridesmaids book a 40 Watt show Saturday night, do the music walk Friday afternoon (Wuxtry → 40 Watt → Georgia Theatre → Murmur trestle), and dine at Five & Ten. Day two is breakfast at Mama's Boy, an afternoon at Treehouse Kid & Craft, and dinner at The Expat. Decompression: a final morning at Hendershot's Coffee in Five Points before the ATL drive.