Sightseeing In Augusta, Georgia.....or how to spend a "golf-free" day during Masters' Week

It's Spring. The Japanese Magnolias and the Dogwoods are in full bloom. School is out for the week. There's only one problem: It's Masters' Week - the week where golf aficionados and zany fans alike descend on Augusta from all over the world. Washington Road is virtually impassable, sane people have decamped for the duration, and crazy people have all the local golf courses booked solid. So how should those who have stayed in town and those who aren't crazy for golf entertain themselves? And, God help us all, entertain the children?

Here's the family tested, mother approved, relatively inexpensive list:

*Artists' Row: Broad Street (mainly 700-1200 blocks) An eclectic collection of local art galleries, special boutiques and unique cafes.

*Augusta Cotton Exchange: 32 Eight Street Constructed in 1886 to house the business activities of cotton farmers, brokers, and buyers, the Cotton Exchange was once the second largest cotton market in the world. The bank lobby displays cotton-era artifacts such as the trading board that listed cotton prices, as well as an 1880s-era walnut bank teller line and period furnishings.

*Augusta Common: 836 Reynolds Street A park space that links Broad Street to Riverwalk.

*Riverwalk: 836 Reynolds Street Riverwalk has so much to offer, but most important to families is the playground right on the water. "Nuff said.

*Augusta History Museum: 560 Reynolds Street Don't miss Augusta's Story - a 12,000-year journey through local history. Interactive - great for kids.

If you're coming to Augusta, I hope you find time to visit these attractions....


Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, Georgia