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Posted February 26, 2016, 9:56 am

Augusta attractions

Augusta's got it all

Getting tired of the action on the greens? Don't worry, not every local site is related to golf. Augusta is full of history and these attractions are proof. Here are some of the places that Augustans show guests when they come to town.

 

Augusta Canal National Heritage Area: At the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Discovery Center at Enterprise Mill you'll learn the stories of people, progress and promise of a unique piece of American history. The Discovery Center tells the story of how a city used its waterways to reinvent itself and define its destiny. The Center has been developed by the Augusta Canal Authority in partnership with the National Park Service.

Augusta Market at the River

Shop, enjoy music or join in on the Triple 8 Group Run each Saturday from March to November. The Augusta Market at the River is open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays at 15 Eighth St., off Reynolds Street, in downtown Augusta.

http://www.theaugustamarket.com

 

 

Augusta Museum of History

The Augusta Museum of History is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting history in relation to the past of Augusta and its environs for the education and enrichment of present and future generations. Exhibits include healthcare in Augusta, The Sport of Golf, Local Legends, and James Brown, among others.

http://www.augustamuseum.org/

 

 

Augusta Riverwalk

The Augusta Riverwalk is located directly on the beautiful Savannah River. Take a stroll down the shaded sidewalks of the riverwalk, which consists of two bricked levels, gardens and a children's play area. The upper level is accessible via stairways and ramps located at the ends of 10th Street, the Eighth Street Plaza and Sixth Street. The lower level can be accessed at the RiverWalk Marina (Fifth Street), the Eighth Street Plaza, the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre and the 10th Street Plaza (in front of the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center).

http://www.augustaga.gov/292/Riverwalk

 

 

Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th president of the United States on March 4, 1913. His two-term administration was among the most notable in U.S. history. In 1917, during his second term, the United States entered the First World War and Wilson played an international role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles and the organization of the League of Nations.

"Tommy" Wilson (1856-1924) spent the formative years of his childhood in Augusta, years that would affect him for the rest of his life. While living in Augusta Wilson experienced the hardships of the Civil War and Reconstruction. He also began his education, tasted leadership as president of the Lightfoot Baseball Club, and grounded his deep Presbyterian faith.

Located at 419 Seventh St.; (706) 722-9828

http://www.wilsonboyhoodhome.org/

 

Brick Pond Park

Brick Pond Park is a forty acre restored wetland, stormwater treatment system, and public nature park.  Walking trails wind throughout the wetlands and below the canopy of the forested areas.  The park walking trails allow visitors up close encounters with the wildlife that live there.  This includes alligators, deer, river otters, more than 111 species of birds (visit throughout the year), turtles, frogs, fish, and more. 

http://www.northaugusta.net

 

 

Confederate Powderworks Chimney

At the beginning of the Civil War gunpowder supplies for the Confederate armies were insufficient.  In 1861 Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, charged Col. George Washington Rains with solving this issue by creating a local supply of gunpowder. Rains chose the flat lands by the Augusta Canal as the most suitable site for making the much needed gunpowder.  He named Maj. Charles Shaler Smith as architect to design the Confederate Powder Works.

The Confederate Powder Works, the only permanent edifice constructed by the Confederate States of America, was in operation until April 1865. 

The Federal Government confiscated the powder works land and sold it between 1868 and 1871. By 1872, the buildings and structures remaining were deemed useless, and a project to widen the canal caused the demolition of most.  At the request of Rains, the smokestack was left standing as a memorial to those who fought for the Confederacy. 

The Powder Works Chimney is accessible anytime free of charge.  

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/augusta/sibleymill.html

 

Ezekiel Harris House

Built in 1797, this second-oldest structure in Augusta is an outstanding example of 18th-century architecture. 1840 Broad St.; (706) 722-8454 

 

U.S. Army Signal Corps Museum

The mission of the U.S. Army Signal Corps Museum and Fort Gordon is to function as a permanent historical and educational institution at Fort Gordon, providing training and education to the soldiers, military dependents at Fort Gordon and to the general public on all aspects of the history of the Signal Corps, the development of Fort Gordon and vicinity, and the U.S. Army.

http://www.signal.army.mil/OLD/History/museum.html

 

Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art is an independent nonprofit visual art school and gallery. Admission is free; donations are encouraged. 506 Telfair St.; (706) 722-5495

http://www.ghia.org/

 

 

 

Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum is the only African American Museum in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA, Augusta and its Surrounding Areas). The museum, which opened in 1991, is a small house museum that was the former home of Lucy Craft Laney.

Lucy Craft Laney, one of the most influential educators in Georgia, called Augusta home until her death in 1933.

http://www.lucycraftlaneymuseum.com/

 

Magnolia Cemetery

Magnolia Cemetery, located between Second and Third streets on Augusta's east side is the resting place for hundreds of Civil War dead, including seven Confederate generals. There is a section dedicated to 183 Union prisoners of war who died in the Augusta area, too.

The Crape Myrtle tree, located at the dead end of Third Street, is said to be classed as the oldest tree in the State of Georgia.

Cemetery gates are open until 8 p.m. daily.

http://www.augustaga.gov/352/Magnolia

 

 

Morris Museum of Art

The Morris Museum of Art, located on the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta, Georgia, 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. In addition to the permanent collection galleries, the museum hosts eight to ten temporary special exhibitions every year.

The museum also houses the Center for the Study of Southern Art, a reference and research library that includes archives pertaining to artists working in the South.

Museum Hours: Tuesday–Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon–5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

http://themorris.org/

 

 

The Laurel and Hardy Museum

Elvis fans have Graceland. Baseball fans have Cooperstown. Laurel and Hardy fans flock to Harlem, Ga. Oliver Hardy, the rotund half of one of Hollywood's most famous comedic duos, was born in Harlem in 1892, and the city established a museum to honor Hardy and his partner, Stan Laurel. 250 No. Louisville St.; (706) 556-0401

 
 
Phinizy Center for Water Sciences Swamp & Nature Park
 
See blue herons, red-shouldered hawks, otters, alligators and bobcats in this 1,100-acre nature park. It’s open from dawn to dusk daily and admission is free. Groups of 10 or more wanting a tour must call ahead. (706) 828-2109