Swamp Guinea Fever Part 3

Back in November, Ichiban hostess Debbie D posted both sides of an oddball local Georgia 45 by the daughters of the owner of a local fish camp type restaurant. The songs detailed the menu and locale of a long-gone eatery outside of Athens called the Swamp Guinea, which opened its doors in 1961 and went out of business in the early 80s. Then Devlin posted a 1973 Daily News article about a tornado that pummeled the vicinity of the restaurant and a reader followed up with an extensive comment about actually being at the Swamp Guinea when the tornado struck.

So to keep the mania in motion, I dug through the archives of the University of Georgia student newspaper (The Red & Black) to unearth a 1966 Swamp Guinea restaurant review and a few old ads that do a good job conveying what kind of joint it was. The Swamp Guinea's ads can't always be trusted, though. For example, a 1967 ad (above right) that mentions the location as being 10 miles west of Athens, though it was really east of town. Hey, they were too busy fryin' fish to mess with proofreading!

The restaurant featured down home favorites like fried fish (catfish, perch AND flounder!) as well as fried chicken, barbecued pork, ham and steaks, among other crowd-pleasers. But the food was not the only attraction. As we learn from the ads, the Swamp Guinea also offered patrons the opportunity to browse antiques, as well as enjoy miniature golf and a full-blown driving range!

1972


1981


Lonzo & Oscar - Catfish Dinner (MP3, other than the topic this record has no connection to the restaurant)

Even MORE About Swamp Guinea!

Here's a harrowing true-life account of a natural disaster as experienced at the original Swamp Guinea in 1973. I don't know if this was the occasion for its demise, but it certainly couldn't have helped.