Entertainment
If you want to go shopping or have some fun, you may think you are limited to Tiger Town--but you would be wrong.
In downtown Opelika, there are at least a dozen shops within walking distance of one another.
One such shop is Picket Fence, which has been in business on South Railroad Avenue for 11 years.
"Being a small town, we have a little bit for everybody," said Mary Skinner, co-owner of the gift shop. "It brings a whole different atmosphere when people come here. They're wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle."
Gift shops and antique shops are prevalent in the downtown area, but clothing stores also make an appearance.
Fringe, for example, is an upscale consignment shop on South Eighth Street.
"It's definitely the thing these days," said Stacie Money, owner, of consignment shopping. "We have people that come in almost every day of the week."
Shopping isn't the only attraction. Recently opened in downtown Opelika is the Event Center Downtown, which is located in the old Coca-Cola bottling plant on the north side of the railroad.
"We've been operating and hosting some events since April," said Lisa Beck, owner of the Event Center Downtown.
The center hosts everything from wedding receptions to company seminars to plays and concerts.
If you're looking for a night on the town, downtown Opelika has that covered, too.
Eighth and Rail is a dessert cafe and tavern that has been entertaining young and old for eight and a half years.
"Our live music is a big part of what we do," said owner Richard Patton. "We do mostly national acts. We prefer original music--we're more of an original-music spot than a cover-band spot--but as far as styles of music, we do everything."
Eighth and Rail is 21 and up, and Patton said this makes the venue more mellow.
"We've been here from when there was nothing here to when we've kind of started to explode recently," Patton said.
Another option is the new kid on the block, the Irish Bred Pub, which has been open since August and is already a hit with students.
The Pub opens at lunchtime, but stays open into the night to offer food, beverages and a variety of entertainment.
Historical
"Certain standards, guidelines, are drafted up to make sure that all future developments in the downtown abide by a certain historically accurate standard," said Luis Gallardo, administrator of the community development office, part of the planning department.
These standards may increase everything from tourism to cultural development.
They ensure Opelika is able to hold onto its heritage.
Much of its heritage is from being a railroad town, Gallardo said.
"There's a lot of history in that street," Gallardo said. "That particular street features a number of little monuments and parks built by the city to commemorate historic events."
Monuments and parks aren't the only things commemorating Opelika history.
"Every couple corners of the downtown district, there are little plaques that detail the historic background of some of the more popular buildings or sites, railroad points, stuff like that," Gallardo said.
One popular building is the Lee County Courthouse, which was built in 1896.
"The courthouse is quite typical of that Paris architecture and has lots of history, and our town was built around it," Gallardo said. "It's on our seal."
Gallardo said he thinks the most important thing in retaining historic downtown is keeping it pedestrian friendly.
"Lots of people like the concept of being able to walk up and down the historic downtown area and shop at all kinds of tiny, historically friendly stores," Gallardo said. "I think that that style of commerce of the old day--little shops and little restaurants--need a pedestrian-friendly environment."
Dining
To tempt your taste buds, downtown Opelika is home to elegant dining rooms and cozy cafes, along with other eateries.
Jimmy's serves New Orleans fare for lunch every day and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
Owner Jim Sikes said downtown Opelika has changed in the past five years.
"There's nighttime traffic here now," Sikes said. "You see people on the streets walking, and that wasn't true five years ago. Come 5:30, unless they drove here, they weren't coming. And now there are people here, and it is a nicer, safer environment."
Jimmy's New Orleans menu includes everything from crab cakes to po'boys.
The sophisticated atmosphere lends itself to a nice evening out--maybe on a date or entertaining company.
"We've got gumbo and bread pudding," Sikes said. "Those two things are probably our most popular items."
Breezeway is another Opelika favorite, sitting on South Eighth for almost 20 years.
"Everybody loves our grilled chicken fingers," said owner Gena Henley.
In addition to chicken, Breezeway offers salads, Boar's Head sandwiches and burgers, and they have just recently started serving breakfast.
"I think that people should support local businesses instead of the big chains," Henley said. "Twenty years ago, I was probably the only place to eat downtown, but now we've got several really good restaurants."
Another restaurant is Cottage Cafe, which isn't your typical sandwich shop. It's boxed in by four specialty gift shops, all collectively known as Cottage Walk.
Sandwiches with made-fresh-every-day fillings, soups and desserts are the features for lunch at Cottage Cafe.
"We're just tickled to be here in one spot in the historic downtown Opelika," said Tim Gore, one of the four owners. "People love it, and they come every day to enjoy it."
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