Explore Augusta: Renovated Market and New Amphitheater Await

Augusta's cultural landscape is shifting faster than it has in a decade. The reopening of the Broad Street Market last month, after a $4.2 million renovation, has already drawn 12,000 visitors, according to city records. And the new Augusta River Amphitheater, which opened July 1 on the Savannah River near 5th Street, sold out its first four weekend shows. If you haven't updated your local itinerary since spring, you're missing what's actually worth doing right now.

The Renewed Heart of Downtown

The Broad Street Market, at 850 Broad, now houses 18 permanent vendors, up from 12 before the renovation. On Saturday mornings, the attached outdoor plaza hosts a farmer's market that pulled in 2,400 people last weekend alone. The anchor tenant, James's Butcher & Cheese, started offering $9 lunch plates on weekdays; the brisket sandwich sold 500 units in its first week. Across the street, the Imperial Theatre just announced a fall slate that includes a five-night run of the touring Broadway production of Hadestown, starting November 10. Tickets go on sale August 1, starting at $45.

The Riverwalk, which runs from the ampitheater east to the Old Government House, got a $900,000 lighting and landscaping upgrade this spring. On July 4, an estimated 7,000 people lined the banks for the fireworks. The city's recreation department now runs free guided history walks every Saturday at 10 a.m., departing from the Cotton Exchange building on Reynolds Street. The walk covers the 1840s textile boom and the 1886 flood that reshaped the levee system, details you won't get from the markers alone. About 70 people showed up last week, a sign that locals are craving this kind of grounding.

Three Off-the-Beaten-Path Bets

The nonprofit Augusta Arts Council launched a pilot program on July 1 called Studio Crawl, which opens 12 working artist studios in the Olde Town district every first Thursday evening. At 215 Eighth Street, ceramicist Lila Morse offers $20 wheel-throwing sessions that include clay and firing; she ran out of slots for the July 1 crawl by June 25. The August 6 crawl is already half-booked, according to council director Tanya Rhodes.

For something quieter, the newly expanded Augusta Botanical Garden on Milledge Road added a 2.5-mile native plant trail in late June. Admission is free through August 31, funded by a $150,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. On July 18 at 9 a.m., the garden hosts a guided bird walk led by the Augusta Audubon Society; participants spotted 37 species during last month's pilot walk.

The remaining wild card: the Augusta Canal's new electric boat tour, which launched June 15. The 90-minute ride costs $22 for adults and $18 for children, and runs daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The boat is wheelchair-accessible and recharges overnight at a dock near the Enterprise Mill. As of July 10, the 1 p.m. tour was the most popular, selling out five out of seven days the previous week.

Plan your weekend accordingly. The farmer's market at Broad starts at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, and the Riverwalk walks are capped at 50 people, no reservations, first come. The botanical garden's free admission ends August 31, so don't wait. This is the season Augusta's culture scene actually delivers on its promise.