EAT. PLAY. GO. get your sugar rush at Funnel Cake Lounge

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. - The fair's certainly not in town yet, but delicious funnel cake is, piled high with toppings of your choice.

"They've never seen funnel cake to this extreme," Funnel Cake Lounge owner Andre Walker said.

If you're in search of the fair without all the rides, head to Funnel Cake Lounge on South Old Belair Road in Martinez.

"We've actually applied to go to the fair and they came back and told us we won't allow you. You take our business," Walker laughed.

The "Cookie Crumble" is one of several funnel cake concoctions the shop offers.

"Usually I sort of take something that I've seen, I deconstruct it and I put it back together. But, in funnel cake. So, I had one, coffee and cream. I took a Starbucks drink. I deconstructed it, put it back together and it flowed," Walker explained.

But, when funnel cake lounge creator Andre Walker turned the former Dominican restaurant into a funnel cake shop, there weren't many fans of the idea.

"I did it and I was like, I don't think this is going to work," he said. "No one in here had my back, so at first I was like, this is not going to work. Funnel cake is not going to sell. This is Augusta. It's not a tourist city. It's not the fair."

But, they were proved wrong when Walker said a line was out the door when they first opened.

It's no problem if you can't decide on a flavor. Walker said you can order half a funnel cake one flavor and the other side another.

"It's always couples. It's the husband and wife. I want this one, but I want this one. And when we tell them, blown away. And we actually build it half and half," Walker said.

Their "Cookie Crumble" is piled high with powdered sugar, crushed Oreos, cookies and cream ice cream, whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle.

"It was different. Something with funnel cakes that we've never tried before. So here we are," new customer Juan Martinez said. "It just looked delicious."

The Funnel Cake Lounge plans to start offering flavored whipped cream in the Fall. A gluten-free batter is also in the works.

The shop is open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.