Varsity Lodge of Statesboro, GA

Apartment real estate is a massive business in Statesboro, Georgia. Statesboro is a very small university town with almost 18,000 students. Big wig commercial real estate people come in and build massive complexes, or expand existing ones.

Out of all the different choices of apartments, there is one complex that should be avoided.

Welcome to the Varsity Lodge, of Statesboro, Georgia. I like to refer to it as the ghetto/gateway to hell, but that's just me.

The Varsity Lodge is definitely one of the worst places to live in Statesboro. If you don't believe me, here's a little story of enlightenment.

The first week that I moved into this apartment, I was up playing a video game and it was around 3:00 a.m. Oddly enough, I heard a knock on the door. Oh and, speaking of doors, none of the doors in this place have peep holes, not a single one. So I opened it, thinking it might be one of my friends, maybe they were drunk or something. But no, it was this quite intimidating looking black guy who lived above me and he wanted to bum a cigarette. I could hardly understand him because he had a "grill" but, I think he said his name was "TP." Kind of makes you chuckle, doesn't it? Anyways, TP took a cig from me and that was that. The next night he came down again, wanting another cig, but this time spying my cell phone lingering on the countertop behind me. He asked me if he could use it, and I lent it too him, myself having no desire to anger this TP fellow. From what I heard, it sounded like he was calling his "boys" for a "deal."

Anyways, to make a long story short, this became habitual and I eventually had to keep my cell phone out of sight and lied to him and told him I left it on the roof of my car when I was getting in and drove off.

Also note, this guy lived with a young white girl, they were a couple. Anyways...so a few weeks pass by, I'm broke because now I'm having to buy two packs of cigs a day to feed TP's habit, and then one night, the most curious thing happened...

I heard screams of bloody murder coming from a woman above me when I was trying to sleep. I awoke with a startle, grasping for one of the two over-sized kitchen knives I kept by my recliner in which I slept (my bed is plywood and isn't that comfortable). Shaking myself of mid-sleep stupor, I sat in the dark, bearing an almost first person perspective of what was apparently a domestic beating. I could hear the girl run around, TP would yell, catch her, the girl would scream like a banshee loud enough to make your blood curdle, and then I would hear the thumps, thuds, and crashes of a girl getting the crap kicked out of her by a crazed man.

I called the police anonymously and he was hauled off to the slammer, the girl was OK though. Think that's the end of it? Think again.

So even though TP got booked for an unknown amount of time (must have been awhile because he violated probation I later found out), his girl still was staying above me. Weird people began showing up...more grills, and more bumming cigarettes. Boy was this getting old...eventually these new people that began coming around got so friendly with me, that they started offering me drugs such as weed, crystal methamphetamine, and crack. All of which I refused.

And if the wife beating and drugs weren't enough, along comes TP's ex babies mama. And let me tell you, she was pissed. She would come and beat down the girls door, literally kick it in during the wee hours of the morning and they'd get into ridiculous fist fights. Truly obscene, and dare I say it, barbaric?

Eventually, these people (the girl included) got evicted after I complained enough. It's been fairly quiet since then in this rundown, rotting old complex. I've made a new friend, a sparrow has nested in the nook above my door and is having babies, perhaps this is a sign?

The paneled walls (yes, I have panels instead of a solid wall) still shake every five minutes when a "homie rollin' dubs" comes through in his "ride." But I've seen more police here, so that must be a good sign.

I guess I should tell you about the general complex itself. It's really old, very worn down. It has a pool that is about 4x6 ft with a depth of 2 ft. I guess it's more of a puddle than a pool, right?

The Varsity Lodge is fairly cheap in price, and they are all one bedroom apartments that come in studio, small, medium, and large sizes. I have a medium which is $310, and they don't include any utilities (lots of the nicer places do). There is a crappy little on-site laundry mat that I don't even think works, but I've been too scared to try because I think my cloths will be stolen. We have AC units, no central heating and air, and the boxes are loud as hell.

Management is cool. This nice lady and her sidekick who I suppose is the assistant manager run the place with a maintenance "crew" consisting of one person. They are nice people though and I think they understand that their complex is a bit "under par." So if you need something they're more than willing to give it to you. I've gotten two new refrigerators so far for free.

I definitely wouldn't recommend the Varsity Lodge apartments to anyone who is seeking a safe place to live in Statesboro, Georgia.