This February, learn about the Godfather of Soul, embark on heritage tours
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 2015 – Home of the “Godfather of Soul,” and rich with African American heritage, Augusta, located along Interstate 20, 150 miles southeast of Atlanta, is a Black History Month destination. The colonial city has been welcoming guests for decades and continues to do so with artistic and historic points of interest and easy accessibility.
Begin an exploration into the heritage of the area at the Augusta Museum of History, founded in 1937 and home to the largest historical collection in the Central Savannah River Area, including a major exhibition with interactive kiosks, paying homage to Augusta native and “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown. Dig into the city’s African American heritage with a visitors’ guide, available at the Augusta Visitor Center, discerning points of interest and activities such as the African-American History Walk and the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. During Black History Month the Lucy Craft Laney Museum, the only African American Museum in the Central Savannah River Area, is offering the Say It Loud! exhibit, which reflects on the political impact and influence of James Brown’s music on an entire generation and highlights many of the events of the Civil Rights Movement as it happened in Augusta. The exhibit borrows the James Brown’s 1968 lyric of black empowerment, “Say it loud/I’m black and I’m proud.”
Catch the Saturday Historic Trolley Tour of Augusta and gain inside knowledge of the area while touring Augusta’s historic downtown. Located on the Riverwalk, the Morris Museum of Art is the first museum dedicated to the art and artists of the American South. The collection includes holdings of nearly 5,000 paintings, works on paper, photographs, and sculptures dating from the late-eighteenth century to the present. Those who believe in historic tales won’t want to wander too close to the Haunted Pillar, part of an 1800s market where legend has it those who touch the pillar will die or suffer dire consequences.
Part of the Augusta Downtown Historic District, the village of Springfield was developed on lands confiscated from James Grierson, a Tory during the Revolutionary War. Because of their displacement from the Silver Bluff Plantation in South Carolina during the Revolution, a large population of free African Americans settled in Springfield by 1787. They established the Springfield Baptist Church, one of the oldest independent black congregations in the United States.
Brimming with artistic and historic points of interest, unveiling the cultural side of Augusta is a treat sure to have guests returning again and again. Between explorations, take time to eat locally and soulfully at T-Bonz Steakhouse, one of James Brown’s favorite places to grab a bite- complete with a menu section devoted to the Godfather of Soul. Cafe 209, open daily for lunch, offers the Southern fried food trifecta: fried pork chops, fried chicken and fried corn, in addition to green beans, biscuits, corn bread, black-eyed peas, collards, okra and more. This is Southern food at its finest. Nearby in North Augusta, DeShawn’s Seafood is owned by James Brown’s former body guard who is now married to Deanna Brown Thomas – James Brown’s daughter.
Rest easy in one of the Southern city’s hospitable lodging options, ranging from historical bed and breakfasts to chain hotels to a full service hotel, many with views of the Savannah River and within walking distance of the Downtown district.
