Aston Villa

If you're going down by train then the best way to get from the city centre to the ground is to catch a train from New Street to Witton, which is only a 5 minute walk from the away entrance. In many cases a through ticket to Witton is the same fare as to New Street. There's a more frequent service to Aston than to Witton, but Aston's a 15 minute walk from the away section. If for any reason the trains aren't running then you can catch the number 7 bus instead. The stop in the city centre is on Colmore Row (stop AE), which is very convenient for the pubs on Bennetts Hill. Coming back you should get on at the stop on Witton Road just past the station. There is actually a stop nearer to the away section, but there's likely to be more of a queue there. These stops are marked on the pub maps below. The bus runs every few minutes on a Saturday and every 12 minutes on a Sunday.

If driving down then there's street parking around the ground, although not as much as there used to be now that residents only parking has been introduced in the area around the Witton roundabout. If you park anywhere near the ground you'll probably find that it takes you absolutely ages to get away after the game. You might therefore want to consider parking somewhere around Lichfield Road (ie near Aston station). Even though it's a bit of a hike from the ground, you should get home much earlier!

Pubs
Visiting Villa Park is like going back to the dark ages. The only pub anywhere near the ground that you can be sure of getting in is the Witton Arms. This is known to most people as the Cap and Gown, but it's now reverted to its original name. They might have changed the name, but it's still crap! You have to pay 2 quid to get in, then the beer and the service are rubbish. The nearest alternative is the Yew Tree, which should be ok even though it kicked off in there in the relegation season! In any case, the best pub anywhere near the ground is the award winning Oakham Ales pub the Barton Arms. It is though a 20 minute walk away. As well as an excellent range of beer, they also do Thai food. A further option is the three pubs next to Perry Barr greyhound stadium. One of them, The Arthur Robertson, is a Wetherspoon which only opened in 2010. Again, you're talking about roughly a 20 minute walk from the ground.
 
For anyone going down by train the best bet is to stay in the city centre and get a train or taxi to the ground late on. There are quite a few decent pubs in the city centre nowadays. An absolute gem is the Wellington. They have no less than 15 hand-pulled beers on at any one time, as well as a good selection of foreign beers. Plus there's no problem wearing colours. The only drawback with the pub is that it doesn't do food; however, they provide plates and cutlery for anyone who wants to consume their own food on the premises. The quickest way to get there is to leave the station via the Stephenson Street exit - follow the signs on the platform. The city centre pub map below then shows the shortest route from there to the Wellington.
 
Just down the street from the Wellington is the Briar Rose, which is a Wetherspoons pub. It's a better bet than the more well known Wetherspoons the Square Peg; it's closer to New Street and, being tucked away on a quiet street, they don't have bouncers to keep out anyone wearing football colours or who they just don't like the look of. The old favourite the Newt, conveniently right next door to New Street Station, has inconveniently now closed. 
 
Pub map
City centre pub map
Internet Ground Guide
CAMRA pub guide
Pub guide (by Burnley London supporters!)