Things to do in Augusta
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Augusta
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Azaleas and mild spring days, with Masters pricing if dates touch the tournament in April.
Masters week brings lottery only badges, extreme lodging prices and reservation only restaurants.
Heat builds, GreenJackets baseball is in season, and lake and canal mornings are the best outdoor plan.
Hottest and most humid months, with afternoon storms, dawn outdoors and the softest downtown hotel rates.
Arts in the Heart fills downtown on the third weekend, with heat easing late in the month.
Best all round weather, Westobou Festival and peak fall golf at normal prices.
Cool dry trail weather and the Head of the South Regatta on the Savannah River.
Mild, quiet and cheap, with Aiken horse season, Christmas in Hopelands in December and the Futurity in January.
What's on
- The Masters Tournament Practice rounds Monday to Wednesday, tournament Thursday to Sunday in early to mid April
Badges by lottery or package only, with lodging at several times normal rates across the metro.
- Augusta National Women's Amateur Final round Saturday before the Masters
Early rounds at Champions Retreat are free, and the final round at Augusta National is lottery ticketed.
- Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals Sunday before the Masters
A lottery ticketed junior finals day at Augusta National on the eve of Masters week.
- Sacred Heart Garden Festival Late April
Private Summerville gardens open to visitors while the city is still in spring bloom.
- Arts in the Heart of Augusta Third weekend in September
The city biggest arts weekend since 1982, with fine art vendors, a Global Village and downtown stages.
- Westobou Festival Late September to early October, five days
A cross arts festival of music, film, food and ideas across Augusta venues.
- Head of the South Regatta November weekend
College rowing takes over the Savannah River for a weekend in cool fall weather.
- Augusta Futurity January
A major cutting horse championship, billed as the largest such show east of the Mississippi.
- Christmas in Hopelands December evenings
A holiday light display through Hopelands Gardens in Aiken, with hot drinks and live music.
Best things to do in Augusta
Augusta National Golf Club
Home of the Masters, a private club you can only enter with a lottery badge, a borrowed badge or a hospitality package.
Augusta Canal Discovery Center
The canal museum at Enterprise Mill plus a narrated Petersburg boat tour past mills and the old Powder Works site.
Augusta Museum of History
Augusta history in one building, with a major James Brown gallery, golf history and a restored 1914 locomotive.
Morris Museum of Art
The first museum in the country devoted to Southern art, in a calm riverwalk building that takes about an hour.
Augusta Riverwalk
A two level levee walk on the Savannah River linking museums, an amphitheater, fountains and the Saturday Market.
Sacred Heart Cultural Center
A former Catholic church with glowing stained glass, now a concert and exhibition hall with free self guided tours.
Imperial Theatre
A restored 1918 theater on Broad Street hosting musicals, ballet, concerts and comedy in an intimate 853 seat room.
The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson
A guided tour of the manse where Wilson lived from 1860 to 1870, telling the Civil War era through one family.
Where to stay in Augusta
Downtown and the Riverwalk
first trip, walkable base
The only walkable base, with the riverwalk, museums, theaters and Broad Street dining on foot.
Summerville
couples, splurge and golf trips
The gracious hilltop summer colony near Surrey Center dining and minutes from Augusta National.
North Augusta, South Carolina
families and baseball weekends
Newer riverfront at Riverside Village by SRP Park and the Greeneway, one bridge from downtown Augusta.
Washington Road and West Augusta
golf groups, road trips and value
Chain hotels with free parking and easy I 20 access for courses and lake days, a short drive downtown.
Think twice about
- Gordon Highway motel strip
Ageing budget motels with poor value in any week and heavy Masters week price rises, car dependent with nothing walkable.
- Peach Orchard Road corridor, South Augusta
A sprawling industrial corridor far from every sight, with no walkable visitor infrastructure and long drives downtown.
Best restaurants in Augusta
Abel Brown Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar
Augusta best table, a Southern kitchen in Surrey Center built around fresh oysters and seafood at fine dining level.
Frog Hollow Tavern
Downtown farm to table flagship known for its pork chop, scallop risotto and a long, honestly priced wine list.
Becks
A quiet Summerville seafood and steak room open three nights a week, known for fried lobster tail and grouper.
Craft & Vine
A tucked away cocktail bar and eatery with serious drinks, deviled eggs, duck poutine and wood fired pizzas.
Sole Augusta
Sushi and tapas on Broad Street with a fire pit patio, late weekend hours and a lively bar for celebration dinners.
The Boll Weevil Cafe and Sweetery
Southern comfort plates, fried green tomato BLTs and towering layer cakes in a historic cotton warehouse.
Farmhaus Burger
Farm to table burgers from a local custom grind, with boozy shakes, Cheerwine floats and feta fries.
Whiskey Bar Kitchen
A Broad Street gastropub for craft burgers, a Tokyo beef bowl and one of downtown better bourbon benches.
Best coffee in Augusta
Buona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee
Augusta own artisan roaster with house made syrups, a rotating pour over and a sunny pet friendly patio.
Outdoor things to do in Augusta
Forest Hills Golf Course
A public Donald Ross course from 1926 and the home course of Augusta University golf, bookable by any visitor.
Champions Retreat Golf Club
Twenty seven holes by Palmer, Nicklaus and Player in one private club, reached through members or hospitality.
Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
Free boardwalks over a cypress swamp with herons, eagles and alligators, about 14 miles of trails in the city.
Savannah Rapids Park
The canal headgates park where the towpath ride and the canal and river kayak put ins all begin.
Cole Watkins Tours
Guided kayak trips on the Savannah River to Stallings Island, where donkeys come down to the kayaks for carrots.
North Augusta Greeneway
A shaded paved trail along the river bluffs linking Brick Pond Park, Riverside Village and SRP Park.
Forks Area Trail System (FATS)
About 35 miles of fast, flowing purpose built mountain bike loops in Sumter National Forest near Clarks Hill.
Clarks Hill Lake
A huge Savannah River lake for boating, swimming, camping and striped bass fishing, about 30 minutes out.
Best hotels in Augusta
Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center
The full service downtown pick on the riverwalk, with the Morris Museum and Broad Street dining in walking distance.
Hyatt House Augusta / Downtown
Apartment style suites with kitchenettes and breakfast on Broad Street, steps from the Imperial Theatre end of downtown.
Holiday Inn Express Augusta Downtown
Downtown budget base with breakfast included, keeping the riverwalk and Broad Street walkable for less.
The Partridge Inn Augusta, Curio Collection by Hilton
The iconic 1910 hilltop inn with a veranda, a pool, Southern dining and the Six South rooftop bar.
Crowne Plaza North Augusta
A modern upscale hotel in Riverside Village overlooking SRP Park and the river, ideal for baseball weekends.
Lookaway Inn
A grand 1890s mansion inn with verandas, gardens and a cooked breakfast in old North Augusta.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Augusta
A large full service hotel off Washington Road near I 20, built to absorb golf groups and tournament overflow.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Augusta
All suite extended stay rooms with kitchenettes and breakfast that sleep a foursome for the price of one room.
Is Augusta expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $165 a person |
| Splurge | $380 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Augusta National Golf Club: months ahead
- Augusta Canal Discovery Center: a few days ahead
- Imperial Theatre: a few days ahead
- Lucy Craft Laney Museum: a few days ahead
- SRP Park: a few days ahead
- Forest Hills Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Champions Retreat Golf Club: months ahead
- Cole Watkins Tours: a few days ahead
- Masters lodging averages several times normal rates and sells out months ahead, with minimum stays common.
- Apply for the Masters ticket lottery on masters.com, typically June 1 to 20 for the following year.
- Reserve leading restaurants in Masters week, and canal boats, kayak tours and theater seats on busy weekends.
- Book Lucy Craft Laney Museum tours ahead, as reservations are required and tour times are set.
Is Augusta safe?
- Keep late night downtown walks to lit Broad Street, roughly 10th to 13th Streets, and the upper riverwalk level.
- Give alligators at Phinizy and on the river a wide berth and stay on boardwalks and paths for snakes.
- Paddle the Savannah River shoals with a guide or stay on the calm canal water.
- Do outdoor picks at dawn in summer and leave trails and water when thunderstorms build.
Augusta travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Paying Masters momentum prices for dates the week before or after the tournament.
- Expecting any public tour or view inside Augusta National outside ticketed events.
- Visiting the James Brown statue alone instead of pairing it with the museum gallery and Broad Street.
- Booking a Gordon Highway motel deal that costs little less than a downtown limited service hotel.
Getting around Augusta: public transport and more
- Walk downtown and the riverwalk, and rent a car for the canal headgates, Phinizy Swamp, golf, the lake and Aiken.
- Augusta Regional Airport is about nine miles south of downtown, with rental desks and hub connections.
- Check the city in your maps app, as Augusta, North Augusta, Evans and Martinez addresses sit minutes apart.
- In Masters week, base downtown and use shuttles or rideshares instead of driving Washington Road.
Who Augusta suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Augusta your trip
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