Everyone Knows Augusta for the Masters. Almost No One Knows the Rest.
5 Reasons to Visit® · Georgia
Everyone Knows Augusta for the Masters. Almost No One Knows the Rest.
The world knows Augusta for one week each April — the Masters. But the Godfather of Soul's hometown on the Savannah River has a riverwalk, a soul-music legacy, and Southern charm worth the other 51 weeks of the year.
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Augusta, Georgia, is one of the most famous cities in the world for exactly one week a year — and one of the most overlooked for the other fifty-one. Every April, the eyes of the sporting world turn to the Masters and the hallowed fairways of Augusta National. But Georgia's second-oldest and second-largest city, founded on the Savannah River in 1736, is far more than a golf tournament: it's the hometown of James Brown, a riverfront city with a scenic walk and a soul-music soul, and a genuinely rewarding Southern destination that most travelers rush right past.
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Golf is its global calling card. The Masters Tournament, held each spring at the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, is one of the most prestigious events in all of sport, and its azalea-lined perfection has made "Augusta" synonymous with golf worldwide. While Augusta National itself is famously private, the city embraces the game year-round, and the tournament's aura hangs over the whole place — a once-a-year global spotlight on a mid-sized Georgia river city.
But its true heartbeat is soul. Augusta is the hometown of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, and it honors him with genuine flair: a bronze statue of Brown mid-performance stands on Broad Street downtown, flanked by speakers that play his hits, and the Augusta Museum of History houses the most comprehensive exhibition anywhere dedicated to his life, costumes, and legacy. Brown's funk-and-soul revolution was born from these streets, and the city wears that legacy with pride.
Home of the Masters, hometown of James Brown, and a Savannah River city worth a real visit.
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The river is the city's front porch. The Augusta Riverwalk, a multi-level brick promenade along the Savannah River, is the scenic heart of downtown — lined with parks, gardens, fountains, playgrounds, an amphitheater, and historical markers, and home to the Morris Museum of Art, the oldest museum in the country devoted to Southern art and artists. Just upriver, the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area offers Petersburg-boat tours, kayaking, and the industrial history of the 1845 canal at Enterprise Mill.
There's genuine history and culture beyond the highlights. Augusta's nearly three centuries include the boyhood home of President Woodrow Wilson, the stunning Sacred Heart Cultural Center in a former church, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, and one of the oldest African American congregations in the country. A revitalizing downtown of locally owned restaurants, breweries, and a thriving arts community — plus the medical and university anchor of Augusta University — round out a city with real substance.
Augusta is honest about its lopsided fame — it books out completely for Masters week and quiets considerably the rest of the year, and it's a working river city rather than a polished tourist town. But that under-the-radar quality is part of the appeal, and there's far more here than golf. The Masters, the James Brown legacy, a scenic riverwalk, a Southern art museum, and a historic canal have made Augusta one of the most surprising cities in Georgia. For the visitor willing to come the other fifty-one weeks, it offers a soulful, historic river city that the world only glimpses once a year.
Augusta, Georgia: FAQ
Is Augusta, Georgia worth visiting?
Yes, and not just for the Masters. Augusta offers the world-famous golf legacy of Augusta National and the Masters Tournament, the James Brown statue and the Augusta Museum of History's exhibit on the Godfather of Soul, the scenic Savannah River Riverwalk, the Morris Museum of Art (the oldest devoted to Southern art), the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, and historic sites like the Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home. It's a soulful, historic river city.
What is Augusta, Georgia known for?
Augusta is best known as the home of the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, held each April, and as the hometown of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. It's also known as Georgia's second-oldest and second-largest city, for its Savannah River Riverwalk, the Augusta Canal, the Morris Museum of Art, and a growing arts and dining scene.
What is there to do in Augusta besides golf?
Beyond golf, Augusta offers the James Brown statue and the Augusta Museum of History's Godfather of Soul exhibit, the Savannah River Riverwalk, the Morris Museum of Art, boat tours and kayaking on the Augusta Canal, the Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home, the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, and a revitalizing downtown of restaurants, breweries, and arts venues.
Where is Augusta, Georgia?
Augusta is on the Savannah River in eastern Georgia, on the border with South Carolina, about two and a half hours east of Atlanta and roughly two and a half hours northwest of Savannah. It's Georgia's second-largest city and the hub of the Central Savannah River Area.
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