augusta

TravelShopping

Apr 21

Turns out there's more to Augusta than azaleas and Tiger Woods...

Yes, the Masters in Augusta was amazing and Tiger had all in a frenzy by noon on Sunday. Here are a few fun facts about the event provided by a female non-golfer.

- While walking to the gate and upon entering the event, visitors are greeted by intense lovers of Jesus. We pass "Master's Corner" a tricky play on words, and then are accused along the way by extreme activists who are convinced we are sinners. I'm not sure what the correlation between attending the Masters and being a sinner is, but nevertheless, they were adamant.

- What you've heard about the azaleas and magnolias is true - truly magnificent.

- People who attend the Masters don't seem to be even a little bothered about Tiger's texting/cheating shenanigans.. Everyone is rooting for Tiger Woods. (except of course the greeters aforementioned)

- Visiting the gift shop is not unlike shopping for Micky paraphernalia at Disney. Men I tell you are jam-packed in to small spaces cheerfully shopping for shirts, hats, sports bags, umbrellas, and many unnecessary golf items - all with the famous Masters logo.

- Prices (once you are in the event) is where the Masters differs from Disney. Sandwiches are offered for $1 and include egg salad on white, ham and cheese on rye, and turkey and cheese on wheat. They were good old-fashioned sandwiches on super soft, super processed bread. Truly scrumptious. Reminded me of a sandwich right out of my lunch bag in 4th grade. The sandwiches are made by a local church and proceeds go to charity.

- The plastic Masters cups are quite the souvenir trophy. We collected 10 over the weekend as lemonade was a requirement thanks to the sweltering heat. Everyone had stacks of cups in their shopping bags.

- There are no cameras or cell phones allowed. This is not a joke. You are scanned airport style except you don't retrieve your belongings once through the scanner.

- The actual tickets are like carrying around precious gems. They must be returned after the event or a $2500 fine will be suffered. If the ticket holder is asked to leave for any reason, the ticket owners lose their tickets forever! Needless to say, there's no monkey business at the Masters.

- My feet are telling me we walked well over 100 miles however I cannot verify the accuracy of that number. I can tell you the rolling hills and the sweltering heat minus any breeze to speak of may have contributed to a miscalculation.

So, apart from the Masters festivities, we were able to enjoy 3 fabulous dinners - all by chance.

The first night we got lost and happened upon a local joint called T's. Fried catfish, fried oysters, fried quail, crab-stuffed fried shrimp and famously fried hush puppies were the highlights... read more about this hotspot HERE

Bistro 491, an intimate local neighborhood eatery quite close to the famous golf course was fabulous. Located in a charming strip mall (oxymoron?) where I spotted a couple boutiques we would need to revisit... photos coming... keep reading!

La Maison, a french restaurant with inventive cuisine (kangaroo and ostrich among others) and charm galore...

Finally, some photos...

Here comes the good part... Before leaving Augusta for the airport, I wanted to drive through some of the neighborhoods we had been passing by. It was hard to hang out the car window and take photos, but you can get a feel for the southern charm and character... Note the beautiful brick walls... they are everywhere - even at the airport!

We then revisited the boutiques I remembered from our Saturday night dinner...

Charming store fronts...

My favorite shop was Charleston Street... a flower shop with a few antiques and an interesting owner. Several things I picked up and wanted to purchase were not for sale. He likes to keep things until he is sure he can't use them somewhere.... Here are a few things I admired...