Overview
Fort Eisenhower is the Army's cyber and signal schoolhouse. Renamed from Fort Gordon in October 2023, the post hosts the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, which runs the Signal School and the Cyber School and writes the doctrine for cyberspace operations, networks, and electronic warfare. U.S. Army Cyber Command moved its headquarters here, NSA/CSS Georgia operates a major cryptologic center on post, and the 15th Signal Brigade owns a steady flow of AIT soldiers on courses that last months. Add lieutenants and captains in BOLC and the Captains Career Course, warrant officers in their basic and advanced courses, joint and Guard personnel on cyber rotations, and contractors working a multi-year campus rebuild, and you get a population that is constantly turning over.
The post sits on the southwest edge of Augusta, Georgia, straddling Richmond and Columbia counties along Gordon Highway. Augusta is a mid-sized river city on the Savannah River: hot, humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms, mild winters, and one week every April when the Masters fills every hotel room within an hour's drive. For a TDY traveler the things that matter are the gate you use (Gate 1 for DoD ID holders, Gate 6 for passes), the IHG hotel's availability, and whether you land in Columbia County or in town, because that choice sets your commute and your cost of living.
Weather
Augusta is humid subtropical. July highs average about 93 degrees with afternoon thunderstorms most weeks, and the humidity makes it feel hotter. January lows average around 38 with highs near 58, and the area gets roughly 46 inches of rain spread through the year. Snow is rare; ice storms are the winter hazard.
Best months
October through November and March through April, with mild days and low humidity
Tough months
June through September for heat and humidity, plus Masters week in early April when lodging prices spike and traffic on Washington Road stalls
Getting there
- Fly into Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), about 14 miles and 30 minutes from post. Exit the airport onto Tobacco Road and drive straight to Gate 5; the road becomes Rice Road inside the fence. Atlanta (ATL) is about 2.5 hours west on I-20 if you need more flights or cheaper fares.
- Driving in on I-20, take Exit 194 to Belair Road and Jimmie Dyess Parkway; Dyess Parkway leads directly to Gate 1 (McKenna Gate) at Gordon Highway.
- Gate 1 (McKenna Gate) is open 24 hours but limited to DoD ID card holders 5 to 9 a.m. on weekdays; visitors with a pass are redirected to Gate 6 or Gate 5 during that window.
- Gate 5 (Tobacco Road) is open 4:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for DoD ID holders. Confirm current hours for Gate 6 on the garrison gate page before you plan an off-hours arrival.
- Gate 6, off Gordon Highway (US-78) on the east side of post, is the main access point for visitors, commercial vehicles, and anyone without a DoD ID. The Visitor Control Center there is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed weekends and federal holidays, (706) 791-3071. Unescorted visitors 18 and over need a valid photo ID and a background check.
- Traffic: Gordon Highway and Jimmie Dyess Parkway back up at the 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. peaks, and the I-20 / I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) interchange is the choke point from Columbia County. Masters week traffic on Washington Road is a different animal; avoid it entirely.
TDY lodging
On base
IHG Army Hotels runs all temporary lodging on Fort Gordon.
- Phone
- 877-711-8326
- Pets
- Pet-friendly units
- TLF (families)
- Available
- IHG Army Hotels runs all temporary lodging on Fort Gordon.
- The check-in desk for every on-post hotel is at Griffith Hall, the Holiday Inn Express in Building 250 on Chamberlain Avenue, on the left just inside Gate 1; the extended-stay Candlewood Suites on post is one of the largest in the IHG Army Hotels system and is where long-course students usually end up.
- Reserve at ihgarmyhotels.com or 1-877-711-8326 (1-877-711-TEAM).
- Breakfast is included seven days a week, and the hotels are pet friendly with up to two pets under 80 pounds for a cleaning fee plus a nightly charge.
- If the hotel cannot accommodate your dates it issues a certificate of non-availability, which authorizes off-post lodging at per diem; confirm the front desk hours and current pet fees on the IHG Army Hotels page.
Off-base per diem
- Confirm the current lodging allowance for your duty location and travel dates with the official rate lookup and your travel office.
- No current rate is quoted here.
- Alaska and Hawaii use DoD OCONUS rates.
- A published ceiling is not proof of reimbursement eligibility.
The crashpad option
Signal and Cyber courses run weeks to months, which is exactly the stay length where a furnished crashpad with a real kitchen and a fixed nightly rate at or under $125 pays off over a hotel. Base Crashpads does not have a listed property at Fort Gordon yet; we are expanding here, so if you own a furnished place in Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, or Martinez, or you need one for orders, reach out and we will connect you.
Fort Gordon crashpadsHousing & BAH
Housing
- Balfour Beatty Communities manages the privatized family housing on post and broke ground in 2023 on Pine Tree Terrace, a new neighborhood of three- and four-bedroom townhomes and accessible detached homes for privates and junior NCOs.
- Demand outruns supply, so get on the wait list as soon as you have orders.
- Off post, the rental market splits between Columbia County (Grovetown, Evans, Martinez), which has most of the newer single-family construction and the schools families ask about, and west Augusta near I-20, which has more apartments and shorter drives to downtown.
- Rents are moderate by Army-post standards, but new construction in Grovetown goes fast, and Masters week rentals distort short-term pricing every April.
BAH 2026
| Grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-5 | $1,890 | $1,644 |
| O-3 | $2,250 | $2,058 |
- Fort Gordon falls in military housing area GA073 (Fort Gordon).
- The 2026 rates published by the installation housing site are $1,890 with dependents and $1,644 without for an E-5, and $2,250 with dependents and $2,058 without for an O-3.
- Rates took effect January 1, 2026; confirm your grade on the DTMO BAH calculator before signing a lease.
Grovetown
Fast-growing Columbia County town with the newest subdivisions, lots of military families, and chain retail along Wrightsboro Road and Lewiston Road
Evans
Columbia County's hub: top-rated schools, Evans Towne Center, Riverside Park, and the widest choice of restaurants and grocery stores outside Augusta
Martinez
Established neighborhoods between Evans and Augusta, older homes on bigger lots, quick access to Bobby Jones Expressway
West Augusta (Washington Road / I-20 corridor)
Apartments and townhomes, hotels, and the Augusta Mall; closest in-town option for single TDY travelers who want restaurants and a gym nearby
Schools & childcare
- On post, Freedom Park K-8 is a Richmond County School System public school (not a DoDEA school) at 345 42nd Street; children of service members living in Fort Gordon housing are zoned for it, and off-post Richmond County families can apply through a lottery.
- Columbia County School District serves Evans, Grovetown, and Martinez and is the main reason many families choose those towns; Lakeside, Greenbrier, Evans, and Grovetown high schools all draw military families.
- Richmond County School System covers Augusta proper with nearly 33,000 students and more than 55 schools, including magnet options that families apply to through school choice.
- Child Development Centers and School Age Care on post run through Army Child and Youth Services; register early through MilitaryChildCare.com because infant slots have a wait list.
- The School Liaison Officer at Army Community Service can walk you through transfers, the Interstate Compact, and the Freedom Park lottery.
Healthcare
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) on post is a 93-bed hospital with an emergency department, inpatient care, specialty clinics, and a main pharmacy; information desk (706) 787-5811, TRICARE appointments 1-800-444-5445.
- Georgia is in the TRICARE East region, administered by Humana Military; enroll or transfer your Prime enrollment through the TRICARE East portal when you arrive.
- Connelly Clinic pharmacy and an Exchange refill pharmacy give you two on-post pickup options besides the hospital pharmacy.
- Off post, Wellstar MCG Health (Augusta University Medical Center) downtown is the region's Level I trauma center, and Doctors Hospital of Augusta houses the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. Piedmont Augusta is the other large civilian hospital.
On base
- Commissary & Exchange
The Commissary and the Main Exchange sit near the center of post off Chamberlain Avenue, with the usual Exchange food court, barber, and Military Clothing store.
- Fitness
several MWR gyms on post keep long hours for shift workers and students; confirm current hours on eisenhower.armymwr.com.
- Outdoor recreation
MWR Outdoor Recreation rents boats, campers, and gear, and Pointes West Army Resort on Clarks Hill Lake offers cabins, cottages, RV sites, and boat rentals for eligible patrons.
- Eisenhower Lakes
Eisenhower Lakes Golf Club, Five Star Lanes bowling, and Hilltop Riding Stable are all on post and open to the public.
- Commissary & Exchange
the Cyber Conference and Catering Center handles events and the AIT dining facilities feed students; TDY travelers on per diem usually eat at the Exchange food court or off post on Gordon Highway.
- Legal & finance
Army Community Service, the Legal Assistance office, finance, and the Main Post Chapel are all in the cantonment area; pets are welcome at the IHG hotels with fees, and on-post housing has breed and count limits, so check with Balfour Beatty before moving day.
Off duty
Augusta Canal National Heritage Area
Rent a bike or kayak, or take a Petersburg boat tour on the 1845 canal that powered the city's textile mills. The towpath runs about 7 miles of flat gravel from the headgates to downtown and is the best after-work run in the area.
Official site ↗Photo by Wikimedia Commons contributor, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · source
Augusta Riverwalk and downtown Broad Street
The Riverwalk follows the Savannah River past the amphitheater and the Morris Museum of Art, and Broad Street a block away has the bars, breweries, and restaurants. Saturday mornings bring the market on the river.
Official site ↗
Mistletoe State Park
About 45 minutes northwest on Clarks Hill Lake, with swimming beaches, campsites, cottages, and some of the best largemouth bass fishing in Georgia. The lake trails are shaded enough for summer hikes.
Official site ↗Photo by Department of the Interior. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. National Conservation Training, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · source
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill)
The 71,000-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir north of Augusta has dozens of day-use areas, boat ramps, and campgrounds on both the Georgia and South Carolina shores. Pointes West Army Resort gives military patrons a discounted foothold on the water.
Official site ↗Photo by Wikimedia Commons contributor, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · source
Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
Over 1,100 acres of wetlands and boardwalks 10 minutes from the airport, good for a sunrise walk, birding, and getting a workout in before the heat builds. Free to visit.
Official site ↗Augusta GreenJackets at SRP Park
Single-A baseball across the river in North Augusta, South Carolina, in a riverfront ballpark with cheap tickets and a good beer selection. The April-to-September season lines up with most course dates.
Official site ↗The Masters at Augusta National
Held the first full week of April. Tickets are lottery-only and hotel rooms are gone months out, but if you are in town the practice-round atmosphere is worth seeing. Plan your TDY arrival and lodging around it.
Official site ↗Insider tips
- 01If your orders touch the first full week of April, book lodging the day you get them; Masters week empties every hotel in the area and rates triple.
- 02Gate 1 is DoD ID only from 5 to 9 a.m. on weekdays; if you are on a visitor pass, go straight to Gate 6 and save yourself a U-turn on Gordon Highway.
- 03Coming from the airport, Tobacco Road to Gate 5 avoids the I-520 and Gordon Highway traffic entirely.
- 04The IHG hotels include breakfast; if you are on the Candlewood extended-stay side, the in-room kitchen plus the Commissary can keep you well under M&IE.
- 05Columbia County (Evans, Grovetown, Martinez) may fall under a different per diem locality than Richmond County; check the GSA tool by county before booking off post.
- 06Get on the Balfour Beatty wait list from your current duty station; families who wait until arrival end up in a rental for the first lease term.
- 07Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms almost daily; get your run or lake time in before noon.
- 08Register kids for Freedom Park K-8 as soon as you have a housing assignment on post; off-post Richmond County families must enter the lottery.
FAQ
How long are typical courses at Fort Gordon?
Is the on-post hotel usually full?
What per diem applies to Fort Gordon?
Which side of the post is better for a crashpad?
Helpful resources
Official
Things to do
Community & local
- The Augusta Chronicle ↗
- Columbia County School District ↗
- Richmond County School System ↗
- 2026 Fort Gordon BAH rates (MHA GA073) ↗
- Fort Gordon MWR directions and lodging ↗
- IHG Army Hotels Candlewood Suites on Fort Gordon ↗
- Freedom Park K-8 School (Richmond County) ↗
- Balfour Beatty Communities Pine Tree Terrace groundbreaking ↗
- Augusta Regional Airport directions ↗
List your resource
Run a business, park, church, gym, or service that helps Fort Gordon travelers and families? Have a correction? Email basecrashpads@gmail.com with the link and a sentence on why it's useful. We review every submission and list the ones that earn it.
Sources & disclaimer
- Fort Gordon gate information (U.S. Army Garrisons) ↗
- GSA FY2026 per diem rates for Georgia ↗
- 2026 Fort Gordon BAH rates (MHA GA073) ↗
- Fort Gordon MWR directions and lodging ↗
- IHG Army Hotels Candlewood Suites on Fort Gordon ↗
- Eisenhower Army Medical Center ↗
- Freedom Park K-8 School (Richmond County) ↗
- Balfour Beatty Communities Pine Tree Terrace groundbreaking ↗
- U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence ↗
- Augusta Regional Airport directions ↗
Photos: Photo by Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Cen, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain); Photo by Wikimedia Commons contributor, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Full attribution on the photo credits page.
Rates, hours, and policies change — BAH resets every January and per diem every October. Confirm specifics with the official sources above and your orders. This guide is written by Base Crashpads and is not an official Air Force or DoD resource.