In Augusta for a day... (Summerville, White: condos, hotel, travel)

[Mary_Moon]

I'll be traveling with my husband on a business trip to Charleston, SC next week. He'll need to stop and work one day in Aiken and our hotel is in Augusta. I'll be on my own for entertainment that day and was wondering if I could get some input on where I should best spend my time! I've never been to Augusta and am looking forward to a bit of adventure.

I'll have about 6 hours free to explore the city. I love shopping for antique glass, walking through gardens and studying architecture. I read of the Riverwalk and Botanical Gardens. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[CoolPerson45]

Yeah, you should totally visit the botanical gardens and the Riverwalk. There are also some nice restaurants and shops along Broad Street. If I am not mistaking, they are still doing tours of the White's Building (a revitalization project that will have 80 condos). Though, it opens on July 31. You can also drive through Summerville, Olde Town, Forest Hills, and West Augusta for sight-seeing nice homes. Augusta Mall is about a couple miles away. It just opened a couple of nice stores. Also, I would suggest looking at the riverfront homes in North Augusta.

[Mary_Moon]

Thanks for the suggestions, CoolPerson45! I'll certainly enjoy looking at the homes along the riverfront.

Anyone else have any ideas? We leave in the morning and will be in Augusta Tuesday.

[DisgustaTruth]

Augusta is not much of a touristy town.. but you should have plenty to occupy yourself with for 6 hours.
If you are into antiquing, you will find several places on the upper blocks of Broad St between 13th and 9th streets. Merry's Trash and Treasure is one notable spot. The Augusta Museum of History and Morris Museum of art would be another suggestion. they are at the riverfront at opposite ends of the Riverwalk. For a nice lunch, consider The Bee's Knees or White Elephant Cafe.. both downtown. For a tour of scenic homes.. head up Walton Way to "The Hill". Streets worth exploring are Walton Way, Milledge Rd, McDowell St, Forest Hills Dr, Monte Sano Ave, Katherine, St, etc. If you love architecture then a must on your list should be the Sacred Heart Cultural center .. it's a beautifully restored Romanesque Church and is located at the corner of 13th st and Green St.The shopping mall is located about 7 miles from downtown on Wrightsboro Rd. It is a fairly nice mall for a city the size of Augusta, but then again it's just a mall, nothing really all that unique about it. If you have 6 hours and want to

[Mary_Moon]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions, DisgustaSucks. I'm not a touristy type and prefer locally owned shops and restaurants anyway so these places sound great. I think I'll be able to keep myself amused for 6 hours without having to resort to the mall.

[DisgustaTruth]

downtwn is still in the early stages of revitalization.. unfortunately you will still find lots of boarded up storefronts and urban decay, but there is a renewed interest in downtown and you will find new locally owned cafes, coffehouses, pubs, art galleries, and antique shops. Most of the revitalizations seems to be confined to the upper blocks of broad st from 8th st to 13th streets. The lower blocks still have lots of VACANT space but provide ample opportunities for someone wanting to start a new business. There are talks about starting a trolley line through downtown. This would be a great idea because part of the problem with Augusta's downtown is that it is basically one long strip about a mile long.. so many people never make down to the lower blocks.. a trolley line would help open up more of downtown to development... we'll see though.. Augusta doesn't have a great track record of supporting progressive ideas like a trolley system. However, the city does have an energetice, young, forward looking mayor (even though he has little power under the city charter, he has managed to set a positive tone for the city).. so who knows.. maybe Augusta has turned the corner and made it to the 21st century.. only time will tell.

[DisgustaTruth]

Be sure to update us on your thoughts and impressions of Augusta.