Masters Tournament Visitors Guide 2023
Masters Tournament Visitors Guide 2023
Publisher
Joe Edge
[email protected]
Executive Editor
Debbie Reddin van Tuyll
[email protected]
Reporters
Skyler Andrews
Stephanie Hill
Scott Hudson
Susan McCord
Liz Wright
Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament Fred Ridley presents the trophies for the winners of
the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 2, 2023. Layout and Design
Debbie Reddin van Tuyll
Advertising
Bear Grant
[email protected]
Contact us at
(706) 834-8677
or
[email protected]
Richmond County traffic observation cameras. File photo by Dana Lynn McIntyre
“In the afternoon, if you want to north on Ber- Time for housekeeping, signs,
By Susan McCord
ckmans, that will be unavailable to you from 4
Returning Masters Tournament patrons and p.m. to roughly 7 p.m.,” Ussery said.
bulbs
locals who remain in the area will see a hand- The city also takes the time to tidy up its roads,
Berckmans, a public drive that feels like an ex-
ful of changes to Augusta Traffic Engineering’s replace light bulbs and install all the additional
tension of the club, was reconfigured in 2016
effort to prevent golf week gridlock. With atten- signs intended to get motorists to the club.
thanks to a $17 million advance by the golf club
dance expected to reach pre-COVID levels, first- “For the Masters, we go out, and we’ve been
to get the sales tax project started early. The club
time patrons might save time with a rideshare or restriping several streets that lead to Augusta Na-
maintains the roundabout landscaping through a
hotel shuttle. tional where the striping has faded over time,”
long-term agreement with the city.
Traffic Engineering has developed a network he said.
Traffic from the club’s upper parking lots,
of detours, one-way streets, road closings and “We’ve replaced and installed not just normal
those closest to Washington Road, can similar-
even a hidden exit that GPS rarely seems to traffic signs, but guide signs. We’re installing
ly use one-way Berckmans lanes to enter in the
know. Key advice is to follow the signs and di- those over the next couple of days that say ‘golf
morning and leave in the afternoon, he said.
rections from officers. traffic’ ‘or ‘golf parking.’ We’ve put up all the
In addition, the city division is restriping overhead signs that you see at traffic signals,
Same: Closing the I-20 exit at the signs on the band wires that are between the
roads, replacing light bulbs, installing signs and
Washington Road lights.
adjusting the timing of traffic lights. It’s all to en-
Patrons arriving on I-20 will again encounter Expect lane closures on River Watch the week
sure the smooth and sightly passage of vehicles
the eastbound Washington Road exit closed each of March 13 as lights are repaired and bulbs re-
in and out of Augusta National Golf Club.
morning from 7-10 a.m. Georgia Department placed, he said.
John Ussery, the head of Augusta Traffic En-
of Transportation does this to stop traffic from Lastly, during the week before Masters Week,
gineering for six years, said the plan remains in
backing up on the expressway. Engineering adjusts the timing of traffic lights in
place to make Berckmans Road a one-way street
Eastbound vehicles that don’t exit I-20 before the vicinity of the golf club.
each morning and afternoon.
the Washington Road exit will be routed to the “It basically emphasizes all the roads to and
Travelers approaching the golf club from the
River Watch Parkway exit, then to Alexander from Augusta National and the side roads, they
south each morning will find Berckmans, which
Drive. have to wait a little longer,” Ussery said.
lines the club’s patron parking, split into two
northbound lanes.
NEW: River Watch turn lane to Ei-
NEW: Using both sides of the senhower
Ussery said the big change this year is on River
roundabout in one direction Watch, which backs up to Augusta National Golf
An update this year is one lane will take the
Club employee parking on Eisenhower Drive.
opposite side of the roundabout at Ingleside
“Last year, you could leave the parking lot and
Drive.
turn right on River Watch. This year, (Georgia
“We figured out a way to actually get two
Department of Transportation) has allowed us to
lanes going through the roundabout up toward
install a right-turn lane. It allows people to now
Augusta National in the morning,” Ussery said.
turn into and out of that gate,” Ussery said.
“One lane will go through the normal way, and
The gate isn’t normally open. It’s part of an
then there will be officers there to direct traffic
arrangement between the club and Augusta offi-
to actually go the opposite way you would nor-
cials, who allow the club to use Eisenhower Park
mally.”
for parking. But the passage is used as a route for
Each afternoon, the lanes are reversed. Patron
all cars exiting the area.
traffic exiting south from the parking lots can
Once they turn right, there isn’t another River
either go straight through the roundabout onto
Watch exit for the three miles to downtown Au-
Highland Avenue or, using the righthand lane,
gusta.
turn onto Ingleside Drive.
Top 5 Weirdest Masters Arrests:
Not All Golf Fans are Law-Abiding
Photo courtesy iStock Photos
by Greg Rickabaugh Authorities say they ordered the 52-year-old orderly conduct after his dip into the small body
Augusta welcomes thousands of visitors each preacher not to enter Augusta National “due to of water on the Par-3 hole.
year to the Masters tournament. But some of his aggressive behavior towards patrons” and Authorities say the restricted area was clearly
them wear out their welcome with criminal be- comments on “how the patrons were dressed.” marked by rope.
havior. But three hours later, Craft entered the golf prop-
Here are the five wildest Masters arrests in the erty on Berckmans Road and told deputies he Tiger’s Biggest Fan (2005)
last 20 years: was “not going to leave,” Sgt. Shane McDaniel On Masters Sunday in 2005, Tiger Woods de-
said. He was then arrested. feated Chris DiMarco in a thrilling playoff win
Adam Scott’s Father? (2014) Later that year, a six-member jury watched the to clinch his fourth Masters victory. Moments
Fresh off his release from jail for allegedly video of deputies arresting Craft and found him later, 24-year-old Arun Arora of Martinez flew
crashing the gates of Augusta National on Satur- not guilty of trespassing and obstruction of an through Gate 1 in his 2001 Acura and refused to
day, April 3, 2014, Pennsylvania resident Joseph officer. stop despite an officer yelling and signaling for
Murphy tried again that next Monday morning. him to stop.
But an alert deputy recognized the man, and he Sand Souvenir (2012) When he finally stopped in front of the shut-
was jailed without bond until the tournament After flying into Augusta on a private jet with tle pick-up near the Par 3 course, Aurora told an
ended. his client for Masters Sunday 2012, Oklahoma officer “he just wanted to meet Tiger and that he
Authorities say the 50-year-old golf fan salesman Clay Baker ended up hearing the re- was a big fan of the Masters,” a report stated.
showed up at 9:12 a.m. Monday at the main sults of the tournament from jailers at the Rich- Authorities were a little concerned when they
entrance, driving a rented Mercedes-Benz and mond County Detention Center. found two half-filled gas cans in the trunk, which
claiming to be the father of former Masters He was jailed on a charge of disorderly con- Mr. Aurora said were there in case his car ran out
champ Adam Scott. duct after he tried grabbing a handful of sand of gas. The man said he didn’t have tickets for
“He stated he was Adam Scott’s father, and he from a bunker at Augusta National Golf Club. the 2005 event. A supervisor for Augusta Nation-
was meeting him to play golf,” a deputy’s report Baker later told reporters that his attempt to al Security ordered the man to be escorted from
said. “Adam Scott is a PGA pro competing in the score some souvenir sand should not have led to the property and banned from ever returning. He
Masters golf tournament and is in no way related him being roughed up and hauled away to jail. later pleaded guilty and received probation and
to Mr. Murphy.” “I didn’t think grabbing a handful of sand would heavy court fees.
Two days before that, police said he walked be that big of deal,” he said.
up to the club’s main gate at 8:40 p.m. After be- Baker said he attended the 2011 World Series Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report Contributor
ing told that only members were allowed inside, at Ranger Ballpark in Texas and sat in the front for the Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.ricka-
Murphy returned in his car 10 minutes later and row. Before he left, he grabbed some dirt from [email protected].
bypassed security. He was quickly stopped and the field and was not arrested.
arrested for trespassing. Authorities said that Baker was not arrested
Both cases were dropped a year later. Authori- for the sand, but for being drunk and crossing a
ties say the suspects family believed he had men- rope barrier that clearly prohibited patrons from
tal issues. They say he even claimed to have had walking on the course.
a private meeting with Bobby Jones. The charge was dismissed after Baker agreed
to forfeit the $285 in bond that he posted to be
Street Preacher Arrested (2013) released from jail.
A street preacher from Tennessee was arrested
on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, outside Augusta Lake Jumper (2010)
National Golf Club, accused of trespassing on A Canadian golf fan was “highly intoxicated”
club property after being told to leave. when he wrapped up Masters Sunday in 2010 by
Larry Craft, a controversial street preacher jumping into the pond on the 16th hole at Augus-
who traveled the country with his family, was ta National.
arrested for trespassing and obstruction. Eric Blue-Sky Sweet, 37, was arrested for dis-
Masters housing rentals poised to do well this year
By Skyler Andrews
Housing rentals for Master’s Week is a de-
cades-long phenomenon in Augusta; and tourna-
ment week in 2023 is gearing up to be as lucra-
tive as ever.
“Looks like we will rent more houses this year
than we did in 2019, which is a great sign that
our homeowners still continue to benefit from
patrons coming to the tournament,” said Sue
Parr, president of the Augusta Metro Chamber of
Commerce, about the Masters Housing Bureau’s
2023 bookings.
The Masters Housing Bureau is the only home
rental agency sanctioned by Augusta National
Golf Club. The Metro Chamber and the ANGC
partnered to create the bureau 50 years ago to be
a trusted means for golf tournament patrons to
secure rentals during their visits to Augusta.
Its automated booking system competes with
the likes of Airbnb and online travel company
Vrbo. Homeowners can set up accounts, list their
properties, upload photos and select their rental
rates on the bureau’s website, where the listings
Photo courtesy iStock
are placed in a larger database that prospective
renters can search through. The bureau also minute stragglers are not uncommon. Hayden
works with homeowners to help set their rates if we’re working with a large company, in the fall said January through March are “absolutely in-
they’ve never rented before; and assist renters in they may want to come here and actually tour sane” with rentals; and Parr notes that sometimes
seeking out properties. the homes and get a sense of how they want, and visitors have been known to book rooms on the
Stacey Hayden, vice president of Tourna- how it would work logistically if they have mul- first week of practice rounds.
ment Housing & Events, got into the business of tiple homes.” As to be expected, the COVID pandemic saw
booking homes for tournament week when her Both Parr and Hayden acknowledge areas a dip in bookings, with 2019 usually marked as
mother, owner and former Housing Bureau di- such as Summerville, the Rhodes Farm neigh- one of the last profitable years for rentals.
rector Jane Fuhrmann, branched out on her own borhood and the West Lake subdivision in Mar- The local industry has made its full recovery:
in 2002. tinez tend to prove popular for golf visitors. Hayden said that 2022 was “huge” for Tourna-
Tournament Housing is also web-based, “We have some clients that acquire housing for ment Housing, and this year poised to be partic-
though a lot of business comes either via its web- purposes of their staff and their workers, and ularly successful for the Housing Bureau.
site, word of mouth, or its visible location on 607 those tend to be more in the National Hills area, “The ability for a homeowner to rent their
Furys Ferry Rd. areas that are smaller homes, closer to the actual home is a great economic boon for the commu-
“Homeowners start registering when the kids tournament,” said Parr. nity, because most of those homeowners are ei-
go back to school,” said Hayden about the usual Many of those companies booking early ther maybe going out and doing remodeling or
booking cycle. “That’s kind of the rule of thumb. are looking to secure hospitality homes where landscaping or buying new furniture, whatever
I always tell them when the kids start going back groups will gather as hubs and host dinners and that might look like even their if that’s tuition for
to school, it’s time to start thinking Masters.” events. Sleeper homes, on the other hand, are their children,” said Parr. “A lot of it we know is
Hayden notes, however, that companies have spaces where guests actually lodge. really felt here locally to support our local busi-
begun registering for bookings earlier and earlier “The sleeper homes are kind of rented ness community and in our economy.”
each year. throughout the whole year,” said Hayden. “A lot
“We actually start booking homes right after of the host homes are rented first because com-
the tournament ends because people, especially panies need to find where they’re going to have Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering
if they really like the house, just want to get it their main hub, and then they build their sleeper business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at
locked down,” said Parr, noting that the bureau homes around that.” [email protected].
is usually booking homes starting in May. “If Even with so many early reservations, last
TAP staff picks on best places to dine in
Augusta vary from healthy to decadent to
ethnic
SolFood Kitchen in Surrey Center offers a variety of tasty, healthy dishes. Photo courtesy SolFood Kitchen
Newspaper folks love good food at good prices, phia Roll. The chicken teriyaki entrée and chick- Masters week, but when it does, this is a real-
so we polled the staff for their recommendation en teriyaki bento box are also some favorites. ly comforting dish to warm up with. For more
of best restaurants for Masters Week visitors to For more information, visit http://www.tokijap- information, check out their website at: https://
check out. anesesteakhouse.com/index.html. salsasbarandgrill.com/.
Our selections are varied and offer opportuni-
ties to sample healthy, not-so-healthy but oh-so- Sole is a restaurant in downtown Augusta Villa Europa/Roman Villa is located in
tasty and everything in between. These are just that serves sushi, tapas and craft cocktails. This South Augusta at 3044 Deans Bridge Road. Villa
a sampling of the variety of dining opportunities restaurant, located at 1033 Broad St., Augusta, Europa is an old Augusta staple that specializ-
in the Garden City. GA, 30901, has salads, sandwiches and so many es in German and Italian food as well as amaz-
sushi options, from normal rolls to specialty rolls. ing steaks and prime rib. My husband loves the
Stephanie Hill, staff reporter Two of my favorites are the Gamecock Roll and bratwurst plate, and I tend to go for either the
the Sole Roll. The Sole Roll is a fried roll that is salmon or a steak, or one of their amazing spe-
Laziza Mediterranean Grill has loca- filled with tuna, crab, shrimp, cucumber, avoca- cials. A good friend always goes for the French
tions in both Evans (4272 Washington Road, do and cream cheese and is topped with a crab onion soup and snails appetizer. Their potato
Ste 8A, Evans, GA, 30809) and downtown Au- salad. The dyno and eel sauce are also amazing soup is to die for, as is their German salad, which
gusta (901 Broad St., Augusta, GA, 30901. This to pour or dunk the sushi in. One of my favorite features picked green beans, pickled beats and a
restaurant features a variety of Mediterranean things about this restaurant is the atmosphere. cucumber-sour-cream-and-dill salad. Add a glass
food, including a chicken shawarma platter, gyro There’s a lot of seating inside and out, including of German wine, and you’ll have a happy tum-
platter, falafel platter, chicken shawarma wrap, fireside tables and a porch. There are also bars my. That said, they also offer good Italian food
cauliflower bowl, hummus, and my personal fa- on the inside and outside of the restaurant, along that includes a range of pizza and pastas. Dessert
vorite, feta fries. I love the variety of food avail- with plenty of TVs to watch different sports, in- focuses on European cakes like Black Forest and
able at this restaurant and the fact that you can’t cluding the Masters. For more information, vis- Italian Cream. Yum. For more information, visit
go wrong with what you order. I’ve had wraps, it https://www.soleaugusta.com. their website at https://www.villaeuropa.com/
bowls, platters, and different extras, and loved
everything. I also like that there is a plethora of Debbie Reddin van Tuyll, executive editor Manny’s Sports Off Broad is located at
options for vegetarians so it’s easy to find some- 215 10th St. in downtown Augusta. They focus on
thing for everyone. To see a full menu or find Salsas Bar and Grill has two locations, typical pub food – burgers, sandwiches and sal-
out hours of operations, visit https://www.laziza- one in Augusta at 204 Bobby Jones Expy. and ads, but they also offer a super smoked pimento
grill.com. one in Evans at 4460 Washington Road #2. This meatloaf that’s served with jalapeño mashed po-
is one of the top Mexican restaurants in the area. tatoes and house-made pickled slaw. They have
TOKI Japanese Steakhouse and Their food is always fresh, and they use quality one of the biggest selections of beer – bottled
Sushi Bar has two locations, one at 362 Fu- ingredients. They offer the traditional Tex-Mex and on tap, and the best French fries in Augusta. I
rys Ferry Road Ste. 4, Martinez, GA 30907 and dishes such as tacos, burritos, chimichangas, and promise – you won’t be able to stop eating them.
the other at 4534 Washington Road Ste. 7, Ev- fajitas as well as some creations of their own. You can find out more about Manny’s at https://
ans, GA 30809. This restaurant has a variety of One of my favorites is their street burritos, which mannyssportsoffbroad.com/augusta-downtown-
options, including chicken teriyaki, spring rolls, are filled with black beans, rice, your choice of manny-s-sports-off-broad-food-menu
shrimp and chicken tempura, bento boxes, and protein, and salad ingredients like tomato and
a variety of sushi and sashimi. I would recom- lettuce. Another favorite is their chicken and rice Susan McCord, staff reporter
mend any of the sushi, especially the Philadel- soup. Weather doesn’t usually turn cold during
SolFood Kitchen is located at Surrey Cen-
ter, right next door to Calvert’s. It isn’t soul food
in the traditional sense - it’s “farm-fresh soul
food” or “SolFood,” food from the sun. The
restaurant intended to open during Masters Week
2020, but the pandemic delayed owner Mela-
nie Harvey, who opened the socially-distanced
“wellness cafe” in Surrey Center that August. Its
emphasis is on food that’s healthy but also tastes
good and offers a wide variety of vegetarian as
well as poultry, fish and beef items including
small plates, bowls, salads and larger plates such
as a vegetarian lasagna, smoked cauliflower,
shepherd’s pie and a ribeye steak. The restaurant
specializes in traditional dishes with a new twist,
such as kimchi pimento cheese served with scal-
lion pancakes. The restaurant at 471 Highland
Ave. has a full bar and wide selection of craft
beer, seltzers and kombuchas and recently added
brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar also has two lo- case showcasing an array of homemade cakes, tacos, too, as well as shrimp and shredded beef.
cations, one at 3051 Washington Road in Augus- cheesecakes and apple blossoms. Cakes can be If your idea of better is bigger, Nacho Mama’s
ta and one at 305 North Belair Road in Evans. ordered entirely or by the slice. For more infor- has got you covered. For more info visit www.
This Augusta institution is on the other end of mation, visit https://www.thebollweevil.com/. nachomamasaugusta.com.
the spectrum from TBonz in every way possible.
A local staple for 40 years, Rhinehart’s owners Skyler Andrews, staff reporter
New Moon Café. Two words: Green Mon-
Craig and Amy Bailey started the restaurant in
ster. There are plenty more reasons to visit this
1983 in an inherited house “with little more than Knuckle Sandwiches. If you’re wander-
coffee and sandwich shop, which has long-es-
a small refrigerator and their Aunt Nancy’s toast- ing down Broad Street, be careful not to blink
tablished locales in both downtown Augusta
er oven.” Over time, the little oyster shack with and miss this charming sandwich shop nestled
(936 Broad St., in the JB White’s Building),
a volleyball court outback has transformed into between the Firehouse bar and Grantski Re-
and downtown Aiken (116 Laurens St. NW). If
a full scale restaurant while keeping the delight- cords. The boxing-themed eatery at 1149 Broad
you’re a coffee drinker there’s a lot to love, of
fully tacky atmosphere that resembles a coastal St. has been a late-night mainstay downtown for
course, but if you’re not there’s a wide variety
dive bar. The only thing missing is a statue of over a decade. One of its signature sandwiches is
of smoothies and specialty drinks, such as the
Quint holding a shark harpoon. For decades, the the PBR-BQ, a beer-braised pork shoulder and
aforementioned Green Monster (comprised of
restaurant’s slogan was, “You can always tell an Swiss cheese hoagie. If one’s in the mood for
peanut butter, banana kale, yogurt and honey),
oyster eater by the smile on his wife’s face.” The grilled chicken—with sauteed bell peppers and
as well as the tropical Beet Monster (pineap-
restaurant features hand-breaded fried seafood, caramelized onions to boot—try the Blackeye
ple, strawberry, banana, coconut water, honey,
homemade Florida hushpuppies, shrimp and Chicken; and beef-lovers would likely find the
chia seeds and beets). If you’re stop by in the
grits and, of course, oysters at reasonable prices.sliced ribeye and bella mushrooms in the Up-
afternoon for lunch, you could try the “Tony
For more information, visit the website: https:// percut Cheesesteak a knockout. The fries with
Montana” Cuban roasted pork and Swiss; the
www.rhineharts.com/ Thai chili ranch that usually come with orders
“G-Love” with roast beef and mushrooms, or the
are worth the trip alone. For more info check out
“Turknado” with turkey and Muenster. The shop
The Boll Weevil is located at 10 James its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ also has plenty of sweets, as well as vegetarian
Brown Boulevard, and it’s the place to go for profile.php?id=100063575410235. and vegan options. For a look at the menu visit
those looking for a celebration of Augusta’s his- www.newmoondowntown.com.
tory along with great food; the restaurant is lo- Nacho Mamas. The tasty Tex-Mex keeps
cated inside a pre-1850 cotton warehouse. Din- the lines long at this downtown diner on 976
ers will encounter southern delights such as fried Broad St. Fill your order at the counter, listen for
green tomatoes and a large menu of sandwiches your name called and you’ll find it’ll be worth the
like paninis, the Southern Gent Sammich and wait. Patrons will find the usual Mexican fare—
homemade chicken salad. No visit is complete hard and soft shell tacos, burritos, salads and the
without a cup or bowl of tomato apple soup with like. But flavor and gusto spice up the menu—
carrots, a Boll Weevil creation. While the Boll as in the pulled-pork and guacamole-stuffed
Weevil is known for great soups and sandwich- “Godfather” burrito; or the Baja burrito, which
es, it is famous for their desserts and sweets. includes roasted potatoes and mahi mahi. The
The restaurant offers an entire wrap-around deli grilled, seasoned dolphinfish is a choice meet for
Columbia County prepares for the Masters The system the county uses allows them to work
the traffic signals from their office, so if they
see traffic starting to back up, they can work the
lights to relieve it.
While visitors are in town, there are many
things they can do, including visiting one of the
14 parks in Columbia County. John Luton, the
director of community service for Columbia
County, said other than Rock Fore Dough at Ev-
ans Towne Center Park the county doesn’t see
much of a change in park use.
“As far as day-to-day use we’ve found it to
by Stephanie Hill be about the same as any other week,” Luton
The Masters tournament may take place in said. “Really even less when you factor in that
Richmond County, but that doesn’t mean Co- our youth athletic programs are taking the week
lumbia County isn’t affected. off it’s usually a slower week for parks. We don’t
Many people stay in Columbia County during really do anything special or specific landscaping
the week at either one of the 18 hotels or in a wise at the parks to prepare for Masters week,
rented house. Columbia County Convention we like to try to maintain that high standard all
adjustments as needed,” Prickett said. “It’s a
& Visitors Bureau Executive Director Shelly year long. We feel like if, I know a lot of people
completely different way that people drive that
Blackburn, said that, pre-COVID, local hotels in the area do a lot to get ready for Masters week,
week. They’re mainly going to the National and
saw 98% occupancy during Masters week. but we want to try treat every week as masters
coming back. It’s not like generally during the
“Of course, things were a little wonky when week so our parks are maintained and kept at a
week we have people going to work and coming
the Masters was moved to November and the high standard for the masters.
home during a set time. They leave, in the morn-
year prior when it was limited, but last year... One of the benefits that Columbia County gets
ings we kind of know their patterns. Masters
they were definitely higher than they had been.” out of the Masters is recognition, Blackburn said.
week we don’t because you’ve got some folks
Blackburn said that while they don’t have exact “Our homeowners benefit from it. All of our
that are going to go early, some folks will swap
numbers on how many people are in town be- business establishments, and then it’s just great
the badges out and go after lunch, so you don’t’
sides the patrons of the tournament, many people for tourism in general because it helps to put us
really know. You can’t really set for it. This year,
are brought into town to work at the tournament on the map,” Blackburn said. “People may, or
these people got badges or got practice round
from cooks to drivers. barely never heard of Columbia County or the
badges and they may stay wherever. It’s just a
“We see the people here. We know they’re things we have here. It’s a great opportunity for
matter of monitoring it and making adjustments
spending money. It’s really difficult to gauge us and our whole community really shines that
as they go.”
how much they spent,” Blackburn said. week. It’s a great chance for people to see what
To deal with the traffic, Prickett said there is
With plenty of visitors in town, Columbia we have so they may come back sometime out-
somebody in the office from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
County also monitors all the traffic on the roads. side of that first week of April.”
starting the week before Masters because of the
Randy Prickett, the manager for Columbia Coun- Women’s Amateur being played at Champions
ty traffic operations, said the traffic patterns are Stephanie Hill is staff reporter for The Augusta
Retreat in Evans.
different because many locals head out of town. Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.
“What we do is watch the signals so we can
“Our main thing is that we monitor and make com
make adjustments if we need to,” Prickett said.
Savannah Rapids is an area where locals and visitors to town can go walking and enjoy the scenery. Staff photo by Stephanie Hill
located at 1 Tenth St., Augusta. It is open Tues- is a 56-acre plantation where visitors can learn
day to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun- about Job Calloway, who built a log cabin at
day from noon to 5 p.m. The art museum fea- the location in 1787, and the history of Wilkes
tures a variety of exhibits, including a permanent County. For more information, visit the Calla-
collection. For more information, visit https:// way Plantation Facebook page.
www.themorris.org. Across the river is Redcliffe Plantation, a
North Augusta Greenway. Photo North Augusta City government For those wanting to venture outside the area, South Carolina State Historic Site, 181 Redcliffe
Besides parks and walking/jogging trails, there is the Robert Toombs House state historic Road, Beech Island, S.C. Redcliffe was complet-
there are several museums’ visitors can stop by. site in Washington. Robert Toombs had a career ed in 1859 and was the home of James Henry
In Harlem, patrons can stop by the Harlem Mu- as a U.S. congressman and senator and served Hammond and his descendants. For more in-
seum and Welcome Center, which is home of the as the Confederate Secretary of State for five formation, visit https://southcarolinaparks.com/
Laurel and Hardy Museum. months before resigning to serve as a brigadier redcliffe.
The museum features several exhibits includ- general in the Army of Northern Virginia. He
ing the Genesis of Harlem, Harlem Did It First, was one of the top contenders for president of
Celebrating Our People and The Marvels of Ed- the Confederate States of America, but because
ucation. Interactive parts of the museum, includ- he was drunk for most of the convention, dele-
ing a cinema room, photo options, a “Where in gates decided not to vote for him.
the World were Laurel and Hardy,” and What Before the Civil War, Tombs was one of the
does “We Are Harlem” Mean to You? highest paid attorneys in the South, which is ob-
vious from the architecture of his house. During
the Reconstruction Era, he believed Georgia
should have its own constitution. For more in-
formation, visit https://gastateparks.org/Robert-
ToombsHouse.
Also in Washington is the Callaway Planta-
tion, 2160 Lexington Road, Washington. This Redcliffe Plantation. Staff photo by Stephanie Hill