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“Whirl (N): a rapid round of events, affairs, etc”

We all need a little mini-vacation sometimes and a weekend whirl to freshen things up is always fun. November in Augusta, Ga brings vibrant colors, a chill in the air, and anticipation for the holidays. So start planning your weekend getaway for November 11^th through November 13^th.

Friday Night

Dinner and a Show. Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre brings a funny and fresh holiday play to life this season with Christmas Belles. Don’t worry about trying to catch dinner before the show, you can grab dinner at the theatre!

Saturday 

Breakfast and a Cruise. Grab breakfast from  Fat Man’s Mill Café before heading right across the parking lot to the Augusta Canal and Interpretive Center. After you’ve had the chance to explore the history behind the canal, hop on a Petersburg Boat and cruise down the canal to enjoy all the beautiful fall foliage!

Head back to the hotel to rest and get ready for dinner!

Follow the Crums. Grab an early dinner at the trendy Crums on Central. Make sure you try the Bacon wrapped Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms or a fire grilled pizza!

Relive West Side Story. The Symphony Orchestra Augusta brings this classic story to life with all your favorite songs from the Broadway musical and the movie.

Sunday

Shop til You Drop! Christmas Made in the South provides the perfect place to shop for every hard-to-buy-for friend and relative on your holiday shopping list!

“Whirl (N): a rapid round of events, affairs, etc”

We all need a little mini-vacation sometimes and a weekend whirl to freshen things up is always fun. October in Augusta, Ga ushers in cool fall weather and plenty of ways to enjoy it. Downtown is in full swing with exhibits, concerts, performing arts and festivals. So start planning your trip now for October 14^th – 16^th!

Friday Night

Cruise the Augusta Canal. Order dinner to go from Casa Blanca Cafe, grab a bottle of wine and a light blanket and put it all in a picnic basket before you head down to the Augusta Canal for a moonlight cruise with live music on board.

Saturday

Cruise around town. After strolling through the Saturday Market on the River, head over to the Augusta Museum of History and take a historic tour of Augusta aboard a trolley. You’ll learn about the legend of the Haunted Pillar, the bones in the basement of the Old Medical College building and lots of other cool facts about the history of Augusta.

Art Credit: Leonard "Porkchop" Zimmerman

 

Cruise through Gåårtdensity. Pronounced Garden City, Gåårtdensity Gallery offers an eclectic mix of urban art and jewelry from local artists. Make sure you check out one of my favorite artists – Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman – at the gallery. You’ll love his fun interpretation of pumpkins as part of the “Lurking in the Orange” exhibit, opening this weekend!

Cruise to 5 O’Clock. Head over to Kings Way and dine like a king for dinner at the 5 O’Clock Bistro. Make sure you try the Southern Fried Goat Cheese Pie with Georgia Peach Vinaigrette – it is absolutely delicious!

Zombies are cruisin’ for a bruisin’. Learn how to spot and slay zombies in Augusta’s first interactive haunted attraction – Zombie Apocalypse Survival Camp. Le Chat Noir combines off-Broadway style theatre with haunted house scares and audience participation for an awesome Halloween season experience that you definitely should try.

Sunday

Cruise through the sky. Boshears Skyfest is a local favorite each year. Take a ride on a helicopter or airplane, watch air shows and parachute teams perform, ride the carnival rides and eat fair food for lunch before heading home.

Top 5 things to get excited about in Augusta, Ga during October!

September 29 – October 8

Music and art and dance…oh my! The Westobou Festival goes into full swing this month – transforming Augusta into the coolest place on Earth. Not convinced? Check out these awesome events that are just oozing “cool factor”: 1. A Film Comedy Evening with Peter Teschner. Who’s Peter Teschner? Only one of the most well know movie editors of our time with comedy classics like The Little Rascals, Borat, Dodgeball, Semi-Pro and Horrible Bosses under his belt.  2. Botanica by MOMIX. You might have seen the world class ballet troupe MOMIX on a Target commercial or on T.V performing on stages in some of the biggest and best cities in the world.   3. John Williams Spectacular. John Williams is the man. If you’ve seen any Indiana Jones, Star Wars or Jurassic Park or Home Alone movies then you’ve heard his work. The Symphony Orchestra Augusta brings all that to life…complete with Star Troopers.

October 7 – 9

Hola! Antio! Hello! Goodbye! The annual Greek Festival and Hispanic Festival offers the chance to eat as much food as possible in three days – all in the name of a cultural experience! See live performances, hear live music and devour everything in sight without feeling guilty.

October 7 – 9

If walls could talk… Get a glimpse into Augusta’s most beautiful, eclectic and historic homes in the Summerville community during the Summerville Tour of Homes. The walls may not be able to tell you their story, but you can still hear it from the spirits of the past! Historic Augusta’s annual Walk with the Spirits event features the ghosts of previous owners of the very houses you’ll see during the Tour of Homes!

photo courtesy of http://gregconnellairshows.com/2011/07/boshears-skyfest/

October 15 – 16

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…it’s SkyFest! Boshears Skyfest brings planes, parachutes, helicopters and more to one place for a weekend full of family fun! I plan to take a helicopter ride. Afraid of heights? Then live vicariously through the parachute tricksters during one of their shows or ride one of the carnival rides.

October 13 – 30

Trick or Treat! Give me something fun to watch. Learn how to kill identify and kill Zombies (you know, just in case we ever have an outbreak) during Le Chat Noir’s haunted interactive attraction, Zombie Apocalypse Training Camp. Gun shy? Then sit safely in your seat and experience the classic story of Young Frankenstein. October’s ALIVE!

When the weather’s nice outside, one of my favorite things to do is grab a quick lunch and take it to the Living History Park. It’s right across the river in North Augusta and is about 5 minutes from downtown Augusta. It’s a public park that’s being transformed into a mini-settlement, complete with colonial style church, tavern and meeting place. Each year something new gets added.

I like to stroll around the park and look at the buildings or go sit in the garden and just enjoy the weather! What most people don’t realize is that there are monthly and annual events held at the park regularly. There’s “Last Saturday in the Park” which is the last Saturday of the month from January through November where parents can bring their kids for an interactive history experience. Or they’ve got events like “Spirits of Hallowed Eve” and “Colonial Times” each fall and “Christmas in the Backwoods” each winter. No matter when you come, it’s always like you stepped back in history!

So make time during your next visit to stop by and enjoy the Living History Park. And if you’re in town during one of thier events, make sure you go!

Living History Park

229 W. Spring Grove Ave, North Augusta

Park Open Dawn – Dusk

“Whirl (N): a rapid round of events, affairs, etc”

We all need a little mini-vacation sometimes and a weekend whirl to freshen things up is always fun. So whether your planning a weekend trip to visit Augusta or looking to show visiting friends and family a good time, this is a fun itinerary that has a few of my favorite things to do.

Friday Night

Get a taste of Augusta’s downtown dining scene. There’s something to please everyone’s taste buds. Feeling adventurous? Try Bees Knees – this tapas style restaurant adds Southern flair to international dishes.

Get a shot of Augusta’s downtown nightlife. While you’re out and about, enjoy live Indie bands, bar bands, and drink specials downtown. A few of my favorite hot spots are Sky City, Soul Bar, Metro Pub and Stillwater Taproom.

   If you’re in town the first Friday of the month, go and enjoy the First Friday festival in the Augusta Commons area. It’s one of my favorite things to do on a Friday night. You’ll find live performances, music, art, vintage cars, fair food and more. Many of the downtown businesses host special First Friday events as well.

Saturday

Get a look at the local market. Take advantage of the cool morning weather and stroll down to the Saturday Market on the River. Grab a freshly roasted and brewed cup of coffee and some locally grown fruit to snack on for a light breakfast while you peruse the work of local artists and are serenaded by local jazz musicians.

Get some grub. Since you had a light breakfast, grab a good lunch—there are lots of cafes and restaurants to choose from. One of my favorite lunch spots is New Moon Café. They offer a good variety of soups, sandwiches and Panini’s that are made with fresh, and mostly local, ingredients.

Get on a trolley. Hop on the Lady Liberty trolley for the Saturday Historic Trolley Tour. Hear the legend of the Haunted Pillar and Civil War stories. Learn about the bones in the Old Medical College basement and a rambunctious boy who grew up in Augusta and became a U.S. President. Tour historic downtown and get a feel for all the unique shops and restaurants that you want to visit and more! Sound like fun? Make sure you call ahead  (706-724-4067) and make reservations at least 24 hours in advance.

Get a glimpse of nature. Rent a canoe, pontoon boat, or jetski from the Riverwalk Marina before setting off for a self-guided nature cruise down the beautiful Savannah River. If you prefer to hand over the captain’s hat, try an Augusta Canal Cruise so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Get some seafood. Before you head out for a night on the town, stop by Rinehart’s Oyster Bar for a “beyond casual” experience and enjoy fresh, simple seafood. My favorite thing on the menu is their fresh oysters, of course!

Get your groove on. A short drive down the road from Rinehart’s, you’ll find the Country Club Dance Hall and Saloon. Grab a friend and hit the dance floor. If you’re feelin’ lucky, go try and grab a balloon during the balloon drop and see if you’ve won a prize!

Sunday

Get to sleep late. After a late night, if you’re like me, you’ll want to sleep in a little. But don’t worry, you can still make it in time to enjoy “Augusta’s Best Sunday Brunch” at the Partridge Inn. Cheesy grits, bacon, biscuits and gravy, omelets, muffins, fresh fruit…you name it, they’ve got it!

Get a piece of Southern art. Take some time to explore the Morris Museum of Art. It’s the first museum that is dedicated to Southern art and works of Southern artists. Admission into the Morris is free on Sundays.

Get something to take home with you. I never leave someplace without doing a little shopping first. Augusta has tons of cool shops for you to check out. Downtown you can hit Artists Row—a group of galleries and studios that sell local art and hand-made jewelry, The Book Tavern—a little bookstore packed full of new, used and rare books, Vintage Ooollee—a vintage clothing and accessories boutique, and any of the quirky antique shops—my favorite thing about antique shops is you never know what you’ll find!  

Looking for someplace to stay? Check out our hotel listings to see which Augusta hotel best fits your style and budget.