Welcome to Visit Augusta GA blog

“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.

Saturday was a beautiful, warm and sunny day in Augusta. My mom and I decided to take advantage of this weather and visit Augusta’s Saturday Market on the River. The market is located at the Riverwalk entrance on 8th Street at Reynolds Street and is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. from April through October.

The market was filled with people who came out to see dozens of local vendors, farmers and artisans all gathered in one location selling their treasures. All products sold are locally grown or locally made. This is fantastic because I was able to ask the vendors exactly where the fruits and vegetables I was about to buy came from. Can you get this kind of information or freshness at Wal-Mart? I think not. 

I bought several fresh strawberries and peaches, two of my favorites! But the fresh squash and zucchini looked just as delish! My mom bought some red, juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes.

There are also vendors selling several different species of plants, annual and perennial flowers, ornamental grasses and shrubs, ferns, vines and even trees. I purchased a couple of trailing Lantanas, which look pretty in my back yard! Knowing absolutely nothing about gardening, I found the people at Griffin’s Nursery very helpful when I asked about caring for my Lantanas.

There are also artisan and artistic vendors. You can find hand-crafted and hand-painted birdhouses, handmade jewelry, hand sewn children’s clothes, accessories and more!

With so much to do and see at the Saturday Market by the River you are bound to work-up an appetite. No worries! Food vendors are there to serve you. You can sample homemade pastries and breads, grilled chicken, boiled or roasted peanuts and even cupcakes! The bacon and spinach quiche I had from Lily’s Bakery was to die for!

We had a great time at Saturday Market by the River and I plan on going each and every Saturday to see what is new. Hope to see you there!

Saturday Market on the River

Riverwalk at 8^th Street & Reynolds

http://www.theaugustamarket.com/index.html

During May the City of Augusta hosts the ‘Thunder Over Augusta’, an event downtown that celebrates Armed Forces Day.  We have large military population in town because of nearby Fort Gordon, and it’s always great to celebrate those who defend our country with family friendly events.  This year the event was held at the Augusta Common and spread all the way over Reynolds Street to the Riverwalk.  There were all sorts of food and drink vendors and fun stuff for kinds like a huge bounce slide.  They also had a great car show with all sorts of classic cars and trucks.

I especially liked this ‘General Lee’ Charger from the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’.

The real showcase of the event is the fireworks display. It is supposed to be as big, if not bigger than the 4th of July fireworks show.  One of the bridges over the Savannah River is closed down so they can shoot directly over the water and the pyrotechnics are amazing.

This year they also featured another treat, motorcross riders on Reynolds Street. I am beyond impressed with what these guys could do on their bikes. They had ramps set up and were doing jumps and flips right on top of the crowd. It was great!

I even caught a little video of some of their tricks!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jJT9ypXv6I]

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

Where can you get the best seafood in Augusta?

Island Seafood

Old McDonald’s Fish Camp

French Market Grille

Bonefish Grill (2 votes)

Rae’s Coastal Cafe (2 votes)

Sheehan’s Irish Pub (3 votes)

T’s Restaurant (4 votes)

And the winner is Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar with 6 votes.

Who serves the best Sunday brunch in Augusta?

Crums on Central

Manuel’s Bread Cafe

Casa Blanca Cafe

And the winner is The Partridge Inn with 3 votes.

What is your favorite thing to do in Augusta during the summer?

Attend events downtown

Hangout on the Riverwalk

Go to a GreenJackets baseball game (2 votes)

Augusta Canal Boat Tour (2 votes)

And the winner is Go to the lake with 10 votes.

On Sunday, April 25^th we headed downtown to check out the Social Canvas & Spring Artists Market, put on by the Morris Museum of Art.  I was a little concerned about the weather since we had rain all day on Saturday, but it cleared up and proved to be a perfect afternoon to spend outside.  Since we were at the Riverwalk there was a great breeze coming off the river.

There was plenty to see and do for people of all ages.  Kids could create screen prints to take home with them, or could make buttons from magazine clippings to pin on their shirts.  They also got to add their own flair to the big “Social Canvas” being painted by everyone, or make their mark with a sidewalk chalk drawing.

Professional artists were working on their original creations as well, painting right alongside the bands that were playing.  And there was some fantastic local art for sale – everything from wall art and photography, to handmade bags to pottery to jewelry. 

I got a beautiful vase and there were some pieces that would have been perfect gifts for Mother’s Day.  I’m going to plan ahead for next year so I can do my summer gift shopping there!

Photo at top provided by Morris Museum of Art.