Promoting a tourism culture in the Augusta area, ghost tour guide extraordinaire partnered with local businesses to give guests an unforgettable experience featuring delicious drinks and baked goods on Saturday evening, Nov. 4.
Despite the chilly winter weather, residents of the CSRA ventured on downtown Augusta streets to hear about the spooky and fascinating tales of historical hauntings, while making stops along the way to enjoy cocktails samplings at 2nd City Distillery and cake tastings from the Boll Weevil Cafe at the Cotton Bug Bakery.
With his year-round ghost tours, Michael Wolff, owner of Augusta Adventure Tours, dreams of not only bolstering a tourism community in Augusta, but also showcasing to Augusta natives the true wonder and significance of their community.
Inspired by the term ‘edutainment,’ also known as educating entertainment, Wolff’s specialized and themed ghost tours – scattered throughout the year – have sought to create a newfound interest in locals’ everyday environment by sharing historical secrets of delightful pop culture and bewitching stories.
“If there’s one truth I’ve learned in my years of experience of conducting tours in Augusta that reigns profound is that just because you live in an area doesn’t mean you necessarily know the area,” Wolff said. “ … one of the core reasons is the realization that local schools no longer teach local history and that has led to not only a lack of understanding, but an overall lack of appreciation for the history and heritage of the city in which they have lived.”
In addition to well placed jokes sprinkled along the way, Wolff embeds his tours with passion for Augusta’s history, fun facts and hidden treasures. He has even gone the extra mile with his tours by partnering with several local businesses to expand audiences.
“There’s nothing more beneficial than to be exposed to a storyteller like [Wolff],” said Bennish Brown, president and CEO of Destination Augusta, as he attended the dessert-themed ghost tour. “He really gives visitors a reason to brag. People come and enjoy themselves and go back to their neighbors and say ‘oh my gosh, you should’ve been there.’ He’s really helping to build the assets that we need to continue growing.”
With Wolff’s past work experience in the Walt Disney Company, Brown said his imagination, enthusiasm and relationships building knows no bounds – evident by his networking skills expanding his tours for guest enjoyment.
Mixed in with fun jokes and first-hand accounts, attendees learned about many relevant artifacts, including: the Old Cotton Exchange Building, Augusta bricks, downtown restaurants and artwork, the James Brown Statue, the Lamar Building and local threats to Augusta’s history.
Those attending Wolff’s latest tour, Desserts with a Ghost, were also given exclusive night access to the Cotton Bug Bakery by the Boll Weevil Cafe’s staff, who provided various pieces of their famous, award-winning cakes.
Reminded by nostalgic memories of business partners and neighbors banding together in communities to help one another whenever a need arose, Rafael Gonzalez, general manager of Boll Weevil Cafe, said he was excited to partner with Wolff in his ghost tour because it propelled one of his favorite community ideals while promoting fellow local businesses.
“I’ve always loved that idea of not trying to be better than anybody else or having the better product, but working with your community to try and make it better as a whole – not just for yourself but for everybody involved,” said Gonzalez. “It just builds the community … I think people need to not focus on trying to be the best or working against each other. It’s always nice to have friends rather than enemies.”
Guests smiled from ear-to-ear as they nibbled on slices of heavenly chocolate, red velvet, spice cake and more, before stopping for a drink break at the 2nd City Distillery to enjoy sipping on cookie-inspired cocktails named after different ghost stories, while Wolff supplied entertaining stories of eerie happenings in the community.
“I really like that he is not doing this alone. He truly is a one-man show, but he also understands how to weave connections in the community,” said Brown. “Every place we actually spent stopping in, it was because he spent time building a relationship with. I love what I call the ‘cross-promotion.’”
For Josie Swanson, 2nd City Distillery’s mixology specialist, joining Wolff’s endeavor to educate people on Augusta’s history while promoting downtown business ventures matched the distillery’s mission to increase community camaraderie
“We’re in the same city, we want to do better for the city, so why wouldn’t you partner like this?” said Swanson. “I’ve been in Augusta for three years and I love it. I think it is lacking in a lot of local and community aspects, and to be able to bring together something that incorporates the history of Augusta and companies within it just makes sense. I love getting to do this and meet new people.”
Not letting the downtown frenzy stop his adventurous tour, Wolff showed audiences how to roll with the punches by dancing along to unexpected music breaks and even promoted businesses on the spot as owners said hello from window fronts.
After guests laughed, ate and drank together, many left the tour with newfound friendships and an interest in checking out Augusta’s nightlife.
“Wolff was a poster child for ‘immersive experience’ tonight. He had us taste and drink things; he told us stories that gave us chills. He’s just a master at what he does,” said Brown at the end of the tour. “I love that he gets you out at night. I really don’t walk the streets here at night and it’s such a great vibe here in Augusta on a Saturday night. He’s just so incredibly masterful at what he does.”
Before saying goodbye to his attendees, Wolff invited guests to come back soon and enjoy the holidays with him on his upcoming tours, such as: Spirits of the Holidays – Candlelight Walking Tour; A Christmas Scarol; Old Thyme Paranormal for the Holidays – Ghostly Exploration Tour; and Desserts with a Ghost – Christmas Edition.
“This is about building relationships,” he said. “It’s never been just about the tours … it’s really been about doing my part to help build a tourism community, because I think there’s a big need for it.”
To view upcoming events with Wolff’s Augusta Adventure Tours, please visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AugustaAdventureTours.
