Welcome to Visit Augusta GA blog

I recently had the opportunity to get a view of Augusta that few others have experienced – from the sky!  If you have a sense of adventure and aren’t afraid of little planes, you really should check out an aerial tour of the city.

We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to see anything since it was a foggy morning, but fortunately it all burned off by late morning and we were set to go. We checked in with Augusta Aviation at Daniel Field, met our pilot, climbed into our Cessna, put on our headphones and were off! 

Now I will say that the plane is only a 4-seater, so it was a little unnerving at first. But once we were in the air it was so exciting to see our beautiful area and get my bearings with landmarks, that I forgot all about the size of the plane. I was so busy concentrating on figuring out where I was and what I was seeing, that my only thought of the plane was the fact that it was so small it allowed me to easily see things on both sides.

We flew at a pretty low altitude, staying at around 1,000 feet up, which made it easy to spot landmarks. Heather, our pilot, took us over Augusta State University and the Augusta Country Club before looping around over the greenest thing in the area this time of year, the Augusta National Golf Club. Preparations are definitely underway for next month’s tournament, and I could see scoreboards and grandstands up and ready. From there we headed towards downtown before following the Savannah River and Augusta Canal north towards Lake Thurmond. We didn’t make it quite to the lake since we had done several loops over the golf course, but did get a good view of the dam. It was a great flight and I gained a new appreciation for the beauty of our waterways. 

The flights are very reasonably priced, and they even have a Sunset Tour that includes wine and cheese along with the flight over the lake, perfect for a special occasion. I definitely recommend taking the opportunity to experience Augusta from the air and I’m looking forward to doing it again once the flowers start blooming.

Every Monday we survey our Facebook Fans. Here are some of the results of the surveys from this month.

Where can you find the best dessert in Augusta?

The Snug’s Bourbon Pecan Pie

Casa Blanca Café

Calvert’s

Villa Europa

O’Charley’s Caramel Crème Pie

The Boll Weevil Café (3 votes)

And the winner is French Market Grille, Surrey Center with 4 votes

Where is your favorite place to take out of town guests when they visit Augusta?

Beamies

First Friday Festivities

The Boll Weevil Café

Petersburg boat tour on the Augusta Canal

1102 Bar & Grill

And the winner is Somewhere in Augusta with 2 votes

Where can you get the best glass of sweet tea in Augusta?

Daddy O’s Steak Subs

Blue Sky Kitchen

Chic-fil-A

French Market Grille

S&S Cafeteria

Wife-Saver (2 votes)

Zaxby’s (2 votes)

Sunshine tea from the Sunshine Bakery (3 votes)

And the winner is Sconyers BBQ with 5 votes

Who serves the best fried chicken in Augusta?

Stonecrest Steakhouse

Fat Man’s Café

Ryan’s Steak House (2 votes)

Café 209 (3 votes)

Harvest Table (4 votes)

And the winner is Wife Saver with 6 votes

The Augusta Canal is one of the most interesting historic landmarks in Augusta. It was created in 1845 to use water power from the Savannah River to power textile mills.  It is the only canal in North America still in use for its original purpose, and there are still buildings in Augusta that use hydropower from the canal.  The tow paths that run parallel to the canal used to be for mules and horses that would pull boats up or down the canal.  Now those paths are used for recreation.  You can hike, jog, or bike the canal trail and experience part of the historic beauty that is still a part of Augusta today.

The trail runs about 7 miles long altogether and has several different points of entry if you would like to take a shorter ride or walk beside the canal.  If you decide to take the trail all the way up to the headgates you will see the Savannah River and other scenic spots! You can even paddle the canal yourself if you have your own canoe or kayak, or you can rent one from American Wilderness Outfitters Limited (AWOL). To learn more about the canal and its history check out the Augusta Canal’s website. If you would like more information on the trails and how to enjoy the canal on your bike or in your own boat, click here.

What a gorgeous season to be outside enjoying Augusta!  Saturday my girlfriend Stacey and I rode along the Augusta Canal to explore downtown Augusta.  The Augusta Canal Heritage Area has a path you can follow all the way from the Savannah Rapids Pavilion straight into the downtown area. 

Along the way, there were all sorts of things to see. 

The trees are all turning beautiful colors.

As we got closer to town, we passed some of the old mills and historical buildings close by.  Here is Sibley Mill and the Ezekiel Harris House.

We went by a Petersburg Boat tour in progress – they’re a lot of fun too. 

They start at the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center located in Enterprise Mill.  The regular hour-long tours are narrated by story-telling guides who share all sorts of information about history, nature and wildlife. 

Once downtown, we crossed over the Butt Bridge and made our way to Springfield Village Park.

Chicago artist Richard Hunt sculpted the Tower of Aspiration that reaches to the skies above the park.

Just down Broad Street a little ways, another well-known artist, I.M. Pei, designed the pyramid-shaped structure atop this building downtown. 

And of course, no visit to downtown is complete without visiting the James Brown statue!  Here he is all decorated for the Christmas season.

We rode a little further to the Marina to check out the Head of the South Regatta with teams coming to compete from all over the east coast.

While we were down there, we also noticed you can rent bicycles and canoes at the Marina.  That means when you visit Augusta, you can ride bikes and follow our steps or create your own tour of downtown Augusta!

Afterwards, we hopped back on our bikes, totally satisfied by a beautiful morning exploring our hometown.