Augusta Travel Guide

Home to one of the world's most prestigious men's professional golf tournaments, the Masters, Augusta is a Southern city of charm and grace. Lying along the banks of the Savannah River, it stands about halfway between Savannah and Atlanta, but bears little resemblance to either one.Augusta is the state's second-oldest city, dating from 1736, when it was marked off for settlement by Gen. James E. Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia. Surprisingly, long before Florida became fashionable, it was a major winter resort, attracting the Yankee wealthy seeking to escape their own bitter winters. In time, tycoons such as John D. Rockefeller, who could afford to go anywhere, selected Augusta for extended winter stays on "The Hill," also known as Summerville. Except at the time of the Masters Tournament, Augusta doesn't attract vacationers like it did in its heyday, but that's beginning to change.