Wildwood Revival: Stay Awhile
Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/5/19
Sip a mule, watch some music, stay awhile.
A few miles out of the hustle-and-bustle of the college town of Athens sits a farm with a beautiful plantation style home, several lean-tos, a barn, pastures, and everything you’d expect in rural Georgia. But this southern farm is only masquerading as a farm, it’s really a lively event venue and home to Wildwood Revival. Beyond Cloverleaf Farms’ ambiance, Wildwood Revival has turned the open-air barn into a juke joint full of music, while down yonder is the bar full of tasty treats, a pasture where people sit in their own tailgate chairs, and at the house, VIP sip and savor some unique treats. Wildwood Revival isn’t your typical festival, it’s laid back, chill, listen to some music, sip on a Kentucky Mule, eat some delicious local grub. Stay awhile.
The music itself had a little bit of everything from rock to country to southern rock, blues, blue grass, gospel. We saw The
Texas Gentleman who are a mix of country, funk, southern rock. We did some research and found they have done back-up work for country legend George Strait. So, we get where they get some of their country roots, but their songs don’t sound country. They’re more what The Austin Chronicle calls, “eclectic country funk groove.” We concur. It’s a fun mix of genres that goes from toe tapping to soft piano ballads, like “Pain.*” Then there was Cedric Burnside, who was a mix of soulful guitar blues, with a hint of R&B. His music permeated the grounds and you could feel his music in the air. You could see it in the crowd that had gathered in the juke joint. Hoots, hollers, cheers erupted on this lazy Sunday afternoon!
Beyond the soulful, heartfelt performances by The Texas Gentleman and Cedric Burnside, they had some delicious local food, as well as craft beer and cocktails. We had the pulled pork plate from Maepole out of Athens and it the best music festival food we’ve ever had, ever. The pork was flavorful and tender. What really stuck out was the bean salad. It was a deep, savory flavor with a little spice and little sweet. They mix the beans and veggies with 
jalapenos, garlic, and cilantro. Also, everything they make on the side is vegan, so there’s no cheese in those grits! We also put a little bit of the spicy avocado on top and mixed up the salad, pork, and grits together. WOW! They mentioned they were going to open in Atlanta. CANNOT WAIT. We will be there with bells on!
After our delicious meal, they had local craft beer from Creature Comforts, as well as ASW Distillery on site with their whiskey and vodka. First off, ASW Distillery makes some great liquor, we really like their Lawn Dart product! We got a Kentucky Mule made with ginger beer, lime, and their Fiddler Unison Bourbon Whiskey. was like sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, sipping a refreshing cocktail and just watching the sunset type of feeling.
Kid friendly, they had a barn with an upstairs transformed into a chalk art area where the kids and the kid in you could create
chalk art, color, and watch the acts outside the little window. We might or might not have colored in an octopus. At the end of the day, we enjoyed the over-all feel of Wildwood Revival. This “anti-festival” really is laid-back, relaxed, and makes you feel right at home. It’s a bring your chair, your camera, your family, make a day or a weekend of it festival. See you next year, Cloverleaf Farm.
*Research on their background/confirming song name Pain came from Austin Chronicle’s Hot Luck Review: The Texas Gentleman article 5/25/18.
