Welcome to Visit Augusta GA blog

It was a recent trip back from visiting my family in Florida when we discovered Augusta in St. Augustine, Florida. We stopped at the Castillo de San Marcos in downtown St. Augustine. The fort was built to protect and defend Spain’s claims in the New World.

 Today it is a National Park and a great place for kids to run around and learn hands-on about history. The Castillo still stands today – undefeated after 330 years of colonial warfare and intrigue. The reason could be because of the 16th century technology centered on black powder. I tell you all this because Augusta, Georgia is where they got their black powder or gunpowder during the Civil War.

The fort has plenty of ammunition and weapons on display – cannons, cannonballs and rifles. But in a special case downstairs is a small bag of ammunition stamped “Augusta, Georgia.” It was a great discovery.

The history of the Augusta Confederate Powder Works thanks to the National Parks Service: At the beginning of the Civil War gunpowder supplies for the Confederate armies were insufficient.

In 1861 Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, charged Colonel George Washington Rains with solving this issue by creating a local supply of gunpowder. Rains chose the flat lands by the Augusta Canal as the most suitable site for making the much needed gunpowder. He named Major Charles Shaler Smith as architect to design the Confederate Powder Works. The Confederate Powder Works, the only permanent edifice constructed by the Confederate States of America, was in operation until April 1865. During its lifetime, the facility produced approximately 7,000 pounds of gunpowder per day for a final total of 2,750,000 pounds. The Augusta Powder Works produced enough gunpowder to fully meet the needs of the Confederate armies and still retained a surplus of 70,000 pounds at the end of the war.

Click here for more information:
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/augusta/sibleymill.html

There is a lot to learn in Augusta about the Civil War even though a battle was never fought in Augusta. And apparently there is a little something to learn about Augusta in St. Augustine, Florida.

Have you ever walked down Broad Street in Augusta or down Main Street in your hometown, passing historic buildings, and wondered what was on the upper floors or what a building was used as in the past? Well, during Historic Augusta’s Downtown Loft Tour you can finally find out! I think the tour is a really fun way to see behind closed doors and to learn about the history and architecture of the featured sites. You can pick up a program from tour headquarters which contains a map and historic information about each of the sites. On First Friday, in each of the loft apartments or businesses on the tour you will get to eat delicious appetizers or sweets provided by downtown restaurants.  The ticket is good for both days, so I recommend visiting the tour sites at your leisure leaving time to take in the shopping, dining and entertainment that downtown has to offer along the way.

This year the tour will be on Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8. Check out the tours website for ticket information (http://www.historicaugusta.org/). Tour times are 6-9 pm on May 7 and noon-5 pm on May 8.

Blog submitted by local resident Julia Jackson. Thank you Julia!

Julia

One of the most unique places to stay in Augusta is the Partridge Inn. Originally built as a private residence and eventually renovated to be the hotel that it is today, the Partridge Inn displays true Southern Hospitality.  Their Sunday brunch is raved about nearly as much as their attention to detail and feeling of ‘home away from home’ that they offer each and every guest.

Last week, we had the opportunity to take part in the 100 Year Celebration Luncheon of the Partridge Inn. It is amazing to think that this Augusta landmark has been around an entire century.  Everyone at our table was saying how much they wished the walls could talk, since there’s no telling what they have seen in 100 years including many Masters weeks and numerous weddings and celebrations.

Lunch was delicious! We enjoyed their famous fried chicken along with some sweet tea and bread pudding for dessert, which is always a treat. As a part of the celebration, various organizations in Augusta were invited to bring an item for the Partridge Inn time capsule to be opened after the next hundred years.  Each person who had something to put in the box explained what they were putting into the time capsule  was and told everyone their favorite Partridge Inn memory.  There were all sorts of items put into the box: a declaration from the Mayor, vintage photographs from the earlier days of the hotel, and  a copy of the April issue of Augusta Magazine, which always features the Masters Tournament.  The CVB decided to place a visitor guide and a few  other local brochures in the box.  Maybe in another 100 years the folks who open the box will be curious to see what tourists were interested in during 2010!

The 100 Year Celebration will be ongoing throughout all of 2010 at  the hotel. If you have never stayed at the Partridge Inn you are missing out.  Even if you are a local and aren’t looking for somewhere to spend the night, you should stop by for lunch or Jazz Night sometime-you won’t regret it!

If you haven’t been to the Augusta Museum of History in a while, you should definitely make it a point to stop by and check out the new golf exhibit, Celebrating a Grand Tradition: The Sport of Golf.  Over a year in the making, the exhibit is a great showcase for not only the history of golf in Augusta, but the history of golf as a whole.

Covering two galleries and over 2,000 square feet, the exhibit features the history of the game, from the first golf balls, tees and clubs to the newest and most technologically advanced golf cars.  There’s a great display of fashion throughout the years, but the coolest piece of clothing is definitely the Green Jacket!

There are also features on the personalities of the game and if you don’t know the history of golf in Augusta, you need to check out this history of the influential courses – there’s more than just one.

As another great addition, the bronze statues that were previously housed at the Augusta Golf and Gardens are now displayed in the rotunda of the Museum.  Be sure to check out (and get your picture made with) Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Ray Floyd.

I recently had lunch at one of Augusta’s best historic attractions – Sacred Heart Cultural Center. In the heart of downtown Augusta, the former Catholic church is now a venue for meetings, performances and in my case lunch. With 60 of my closest friends, we enjoyed a short program and lunch catered by The Silver Palm– yum. The cultural arts center is open for self-guided tours as well. If you are in Augusta – check it out. By the way Sacred Heart hosts a fabulous Garden Festival each year in April – also not to be missed.