Things to do in Augusta Ga Things to do in Augusta Ga

Superb Augusta Ga Adventures: 12 Must-Explore Sites

On the eastern edge point of the U.S. state of Georgia, which contains some of the best tourist attractive cities, one of them is Augusta, officially Augusta-Richmond County is an amalgamated city-county.

The city is located at the head of the Savannah River’s navigable stretch, across the river from South Carolina. There are plenty of fun things to do in Augusta Ga.

Following Atlanta and Columbus, Augusta is the third-largest city in Georgia. It’s nestled along the Fall Line.

Many army businesses, noticeably powder-works facilities, were constructed in Augusta during the Civil War.

Right after the war, Augusta’s textile industry flourished, supporting the development of numerous mills around the Augusta Canal, including  Sibley Mill, Enterprise Mill, and King Mill.

According to surveys, Augusta is the best metro place in Georgia to live and mature.

In the annual rankings presented by U.S. News and World Report, The Garden City scored higher than both Atlanta and Savannah.

The Augusta region placed 79th for best places to retire and 76th for best places to live nationally. Savannah, Georgia’s third-place city, clocked in at 102nd and 95th nationwide, while Atlanta, the state’s second-place city, got in at 95th and 90th, respectively.

12 Best Things to Do In Augusta Ga

Being the oldest city in Georgi, Augusta has so many of the world’s beautiful spots to offer.

One cannot go empty-handed when it comes to visiting Augusta attractions and having to experience what this place has to offer. This article provides a full-fledged guide to the best 15 things to do in Augusta Ga.

1. Augusta Museum of History

The Augusta Museum of History, which was organized in 1937, is Augusta’s earliest historical organization dedicated to the preservation and display of regional and local history and one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

The non-profit organization serves as the majority’s material past’s incredibly valued, rich, and varied steward. The exhibition has the most extensive and important historical catalog in the CSRA and provides a chronological research and resource center for media, corporations, and individuals.

It is also the location of the permanent exhibition Augusta’s Story, a 12,000-year journey through the area’s heritage.

Many relics, pictures, and miniatures on display demonstrate the rich history of the neighborhood which puts it under the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

For the sake of the current and forthcoming families’ education and enrichment, the Augusta Museum of History records organizes and displays history in relevance to the prior Augusta Museum and the Central Savannah River region.

things to do in Augusta
Image from Augusta Museum of History 

2. Riverwalk

In Riverwalk, along Savannah River in the Georgian capital city of Augusta, there is a small park called Augusta (formerly known as the Augusta Riverwalk) that is ranked as one of the best places to see in Augusta Ga.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers was permitted to build a new levee anywhere along Savannah River to the present level it is at through the Flood Control Act of 1936, which was put into effect seven years later.

In response to a downturn in Downtown Augusta in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Augusta Tomorrow, a new community organization, was established to work on strategies to encourage local growth in the Downtown area.

The idea for erecting a Riverwalk along the summit of the current levee construction remerged. The park is located next to and above Augusta’s levee. It spans from the Gordon Highway bridge to the 13th Street Bridge.

Georgia Cyber Centre, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and the Morris Museum of Art are some of the locations along the Riverwalk and are one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

3. Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home

At 419 7th Street in Augusta, Georgia, there is a historical house museum labeled the Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home which is known to be one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

It was founded in 1859, and Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), the 28th President of the United States and a supporter of the League of Nations, lived there as a youngster.

On October 6, 2008, Historic Augusta, Inc. received the designation of National Historic Landmark for the home, which it owns and manages.

At the northeastern corner of Telfair and 7th Streets in the heart of Augusta is where you’ll encounter The Wilson Boyhood Home.

It is situated diagonally across the street from the First Presbyterian Church, for which it worked as a manse, and next to the Joseph R. Lamar Boyhood Home, which today houses the house’s visitors center.

It is a 2 different brick building with two points chimneys, a five-bay front entrance, and a side gable roof. The home is very charmingly entitled to the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

https://www.exploregeorgia.org/augusta/history-heritage/civil-war/boyhood-home-of-president-woodrow-wilson
Image from Explore Georgia

4. James Brown Statue

John Savage, an orthopedic surgeon, created the sculpture, which depicts Brown as he came later during his career while donning a theatrical cape and posing on a small ledge, which makes him look taller than he was and this made it one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

The statue has received relatively positive reviews, although not without controversy, much like Brown himself.

After Brown was imprisoned for supposedly threatening his new bride with a chair, its exhibition was delayed by a year. For some reason, it turns Brown’s backside on Georgia and steps away from Augusta toward South Carolina.

The majority of the cooling, shady trees nearby were felled after the city moved them to the middle of a busy thoroughfare, making it difficult to access.

While some city supervisors, including the ones who cut down the trees, want to restore the James Brown statue to a more prominent position in Augusta, others would rather keep it where it is and surround it with more graves.

For the time being, Brown is still in Georgia, where he has been since 2005, scorching in the sun because neither faction has the resources to achieve its objectives. This place can be found very easily if we search about the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

james brown
Image from exploring Georgia

5. Forest Hills Golf Club

The public Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, is a facility that is owned by Augusta University. It is an 18-hole course that was remodeled by Arnold Palmer Company in 2004 and was originally built by Donald Ross in 1926 and comes under one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Although the entrance has organized repairs, thirteen of such original rounds and the clubhouse still exist.

Bobby Jones won the South-eastern Open in 1930, which featured two rounds at Augusta Country Club and two at Forest Hills, to start his illustrious 1930 Grand Slam of Golf.

He thrashed Horton Jones by 13 shots in the final round to win his first signing of the year.

He then continued to enjoy a stellar year on the tour by earning all four tournaments in the same year.

Since 1979, Forest Hills has remained the real workplace for all but three of Augusta University’s men’s golf tournaments, which have additionally gone by the names Insperity Augusta State Invitational as well as Augusta State Invitational.

Professionals like Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Charles Howell III, and Dustin Johnson have all participated in it which makes it more demanding to be in the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

things to do in augusta
Image from theforesthillsgolfcourse

6. Morris Museum of Art

As the first museum devoted to the preservation and exposition of art and artists of the American South, it is one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga, also William S. Morris III, founder of The Augusta Chronicle, started the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia, in 1985 as a non-profit foundation in commemoration of his parents.

Robert P. Coggins, a collector of Southern art, sold 230 paintings to Morris in 1989, and Keith Claussen was designated museum president the following year.

Over 10,000 tourists attended “The Morris” in its first two months after it opened its doors on September 26, 1992.

The museum, which has a permanent collection of more than 3,000 pieces, also conducts musical performances, educational programs, and interactive art programs. The Augusta Museum is close to Riverwalk and the Savannah River.

The Morris Museum of Art is well-known for its extensive curator of 5,000 collections of artworks and a rich variety of continuously updating special exhibitions and state programs.

It is situated on the Riverwalk in the heart of the town center of Augusta and is the country’s first museum that is explicitly devoted to the culture and art of the American South.

The Morris is committed to the ongoing exploration of Southern culture in all of its incarnations. This is a place worth mentioning in the best things to do in Augusta Ga

morris museum
Image from Morris Museum

7. Augusta Downtown Historic District

A good chunk of Augusta, Georgia’s downtown, and its pre-civil war neighborhoods are included in the Augusta Downtown Historic District.

In 2004, it was included in the list of historic sites on the national register.

Here are some of the historic places which are entitled under some of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

7.1 Academy of Richmond County

In Augusta, Georgia, the United States, there is a high school called The Academy of Richmond County. Prior to it becoming Richmond Academy, it was known as Richmond County Military Academy.

It was constructed in 1783, leaving it the oldest public high school still in operation in the South and the sixth-oldest public high school altogether.

At the perimeter of Augusta’s Summerville Historic District resides Richmond Academy.

7.2 Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

In the residence of former Augusta mayor and US senator Nicholas Ware, the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art is situated in Augusta, Georgia, and is very noticeably presented under the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Ware's Folley & Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in Augusta, Ga

In 1937, Olivia Herbert created the institute making it one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga. The institute’s previous name, the Augusta Art Club, was changed in honor of Olivia Herbert’s daughter, Gertrude Herbert Dunn.

Art instruction and visual arts presentation are the institute’s two main goals.

7.3 Lamar Building

In Augusta, Georgia, there is a 17-story skyscraper called The Lamar Building. It was meant to be finished in 1916, however the Augusta Fire of 1916 required workers to stop work and demolish the structure.

In 1918, it was fully finished and it is also one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Pei’s extension was a harbinger of the glass pyramid that was created for the Paris Louvre.

A 16th-floor roof elevation of 165′ (50 m) is indicated on fire insurance maps, immediately just under the penthouse extension.

Since its inception, it has held the distinction of Augusta’s tallest structure. The Lamar Building’s “sister building,” the Marion Building, is situated next to it.

8. Partridge Inn Hotel

A hotel in Hilton’s Curio Collection, The Partridge Inn is positioned in Augusta, Georgia. The Partridge Inn Augusta, Curio Collection by Hilton is its official name as of right now.

Initially, in 1836, a segment of the hotel was an element of a private dwelling and is one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

As folks sought asylum from the brutal winters in the Northeast of the United States, the location became a well-liked holiday destination.

In 1910, the hotel decided to make its formal debut. City officials collected the Partridge in 1923 to host a celebration for Warren G. Harding, who was the president of the time.

The Partridge Inn’s owner sold the property after Henry Flagler expanded railroads into Florida and caused a shift in traveler demand from Georgia to Florida.

The structure was once an apartment complex, however, it was eventually abandoned and scheduled for removal.

partridge inn hotel
Image from Partridge Inn Hotel   

9. Sacred Heart Cultural Center

In virtue of being a venue for meetings, the Sacred Heart Cultural Center—also referred to as Sacred Heart Catholic Church—is headquartered in Augusta, Georgia.

Special occasions are held at the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, featuring annual garden festivals, operatic recitals, Christmas events, and vintage festivals. The Art Gallery occasionally showcases masterpieces which makes it one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

AVATA DRONE VIDEO OF THE SACRED HEART CULTURAL CENTER - AUGUSTA, GA

A marvel of grandeur, this old Catholic cathedral was built about 1898 and comprises Italian marble altars, 94 stained-glass windows, and 15 different brick patterns.

It is a well-liked leased location and accommodates festivals, concerts, and other events.

Free self-guided tour packages, an audio guide option, and a gift shop with local ingredients, lovely souvenirs, jewelry, literature, and other goods are all available.

Sacred heart cultural center holds many wedding phases and attributes them very perfectly and is presented under the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

10. Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

The 1,100-acre (450-hectare) Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is located in Augusta, Georgia. There are wetlands and woodlands in the park, as well as a campus for water research and environmental education that has a visitor center.

Spanish moss-draped bald oak trees and loblolly tree woods can be found there. Red-shouldered hawks, wood ducks, giant blue herons, and species of birds like bald eagles are some of the birds that frequently roam the Phinizy Swamp.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

The park occasionally produces uncommon wildlife for Georgia, such as black-bellied whistling ducks and a cave swallow in 2004.

Frogs, turtles, copperheads, bobcats, moccasins, pygmy marmosets, amphibians, rattlesnakes, badgers, toads, alligators, and moths are some of the other animals that can frequently be seen in the park and the curiosity of the kids to see the brings in lots of tourists making it one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Within the park, hunting and fishing are prohibited. The Phinizy Center for Water Sciences is in charge of running the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.

Nothing compares to an excursion across Phinizy Swamp in the morning. Just south of downtown Augusta, a plain, picturesque wetland is bathed in the orange morning light that encompasses the swamp.

The swamp’s occupants awaken everywhere around them and it is recognized as one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

11. Savannah Rapids Visitor Center

This place is really good for a walk and is one of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Savannah rapids visitor center contains lots of trails which are very sufficient for morning walks, evening walks, and having personal time with your family.

This place is beyond perfect for picnics and excursions. One can get a perfect nature park view from here.

The place also provides Kayak rentals if you have an interest in fishing and other marine activities. It is a great place to pass time and really has a relaxing session.

SAVANNAH RAPIDS VISITOR CENTER
Image from Explore Georgia

12. Magnolia Cemetery

In Charleston, South Carolina, there exists a historic rural cemetery called Magnolia Cemetery. Edward C. Jones contributed as the architect when the first cemetery board was put together in 1849 which made it to be in one of the best things to do in Augusta ga.

Charles Fraser performed the dedication address when the facility was dedicated in 1850. It was nominated as a Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Charleston South Carolina's Historic Magnolia Cemetery

On the National Register of Historic Places is the non-profit trust established as Magnolia Cemetery.

During the “country cemetery movement,” it was established in 1850 on the premises of a rice plantation.

It is the final resting place for numerous people, including six Civil War military leaders, soldiers, cruisers, presidents, signatories of the convention of separation, governors of Charleston, solicitors, and health professionals.

Conclusion: Why You Should Not Miss Out On Augusta?

Get to know Augusta, Georgia!

Apart from being one of the most impressive historical places in the world, Augusta has so much of fun things to offer. The article summarizes some of the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

There is so much more to the place than we know. Here we are concluding more of some best fun things to do in Augusta Ga.

The Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes known as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in the Georgian town of Augusta. Augusta National Golf Club is a profit-making corporation, in contradiction to the majority of privately owned clubs that are non-profit enterprises.

All the famous golf tournaments take place here in Augusta national golf course at the Augusta National Golf club and are very favorable amongst the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

An experiential instructive museum that commemorates the history of Augusta’s 1845 canal and the industrial revolution in the American South, the Augusta Canal Discovery Centre provides piloted canal boat tours nearly every day and is amongst the best things to do in Augusta Ga.

Presented at the cotton mill from the nineteenth century. An adjacent gift shop is located on the site of Augusta Canal Discovery center.

Holy trinity catholic church is also one of the most sanctified places in Augusta. The place is clean and has one of Romanesque revival architecture.

This whole city has so many of the best historic, fun, inspiring, and enthusiastic places to offer.

Last Updated on June 10, 2023 by somya909