Hello, friends, I'm Going to Augusta ...

... And I could use some travel advice. A friend of mine has entered the lottery every year since we were about 18 and finally scored tickets to the Monday practice round this year. Neither of us have ever been, but I'm sure some of you have gone, either to cover the Masters or as patrons.

I'm wondering about which are the best hotels to stay at? Is it better to be closer to the course, or downtown Augusta? My Marriott points aren't accepted that week, so we're looking for a place that's decent, but won't break the bank. We don't want to stay in a shithole, though.

Any other advice on food, restaurants, things to do when we aren't at the course, parking, etc. is all appreciated.

 

Good luck with hotels. At the two Masters I covered, a group of writers from New England rented a home for the week. I knew guys who stayed in Greenville., S.C. and commuted from a Marriott there. Would that work for you?

 

How long of a drive is that to Augusta National? What is traffic like?

My buddy lives outside Charlotte, so I'm going to fly there and we will drive down to Augusta, so driving isn't an issue. It's mostly a consideration of difficulty getting to Augusta National and having something to do Sunday and Monday night when we aren't on the course.

 

Memory is a bitch. Not Greenville, Columbia, the state capital of SC. It's an hour 15 minutes and all Interstate. There's always a traffic backup right by the course, but they have it down pretty well. As for things to do, I've never been to Columbia, but any place large enough to have two gas stations is gonna have more to do than Augusta.

 

I've stayed in Columbia both times - about an hour away, all interstate. My only complaint would be the weather - we were rained out on a Monday after about 90 minutes the first visit. Everything else (traffic, concessions, merchandise) was tolerable.

 

That’s debatable. Plenty of action on Washington Road. Had some good times there about 20 years ago.