Augusta’s reputation extends far beyond Georgia, largely thanks to one golf tournament. But what happens when you visit outside Masters week?
You’ll find an old theater screening classic films, a museum inspired by nineteenth-century sideshows, an industrial canal you can explore by boat, and an art gallery in a house built in 1818.
Beyond the golf courses, Augusta, GA’s best attractions vary by how you visit them: some are free, while others require reservations or open only on certain days.
Not sure which attractions to prioritize? Pick the experience that interests you most.
The Augusta Museum of History’s permanent exhibition, Augusta’s Story, traces roughly 12,000 years of regional history. There’s also a restored steam locomotive and an exhibition dedicated to James Brown, who grew up in Augusta.
What makes it worth visiting: You get historical context for the buildings and neighborhoods you’ll encounter elsewhere in the city.
Visitor detail: The museum currently opens Thursday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday, 1 PM to 5 PM.
Price: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for ages 6 to 18, and free for children under 6.
Pexcho’s American Dime Museum recreates a form of popular entertainment from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before cinema became widespread.
Like the dime museums of that era, it centers on unusual collections and curiosities that once drew paying audiences.
Know before visiting:
Price: Admission is $14.28 for adults; children are admitted free.
Augusta National Golf Club is private, so visitors can’t simply book a casual round there.
However, Topgolf Augusta provides an accessible alternative for people who want an activity rather than another sightseeing stop.
The Augusta location offers:
You don’t need golf experience to play. Beginners can aim at the targets, while experienced players can track their scores.
Useful distinction: Mini golf and the hitting bays are separate activities.
Price: Bays are priced per hour for the whole group, with up to six players per bay, and rates change by day and time. New players also pay a one-time $6 account fee.
The Miller Theater opened in 1940 as a movie house, closed in 1984, and reopened in 2018 following a major restoration.
Today, its calendar includes performances by the Augusta Symphony, comedy, ballet, concerts, and films.
Worth checking: The Movies at the Miller series brings film screenings back to the building. They take place on select dates, and general-admission seating is first come, first served.
Price: Ticket prices vary by performance, and some films are free with an advance reservation.
The Augusta Canal Discovery Center runs narrated boat tours through Augusta’s industrial past.
The open-air Petersburg boats pass historical sites, including textile mills and the Confederate Powder Works. Along the way, you can see how the canal powered the mills that helped the city grow.
Three details that matter:
The Canal Authority also cancels tours when the heat index reaches 105°F or higher. Advance reservations are strongly encouraged.
Price: The one-hour boat tour costs $14 for adults and $12 for seniors, students, and military. The Discovery Center alone costs $6.
Sacred Heart Cultural Center is a former church that reopened as a cultural center in 1987. The building is worth visiting even when no exhibition or event is taking place. Its brickwork uses 15 different types of brick, and 94 stained-glass windows from Munich line the walls.
Price: Free for self-guided visits.
Visiting hours:
Call ahead if viewing the full interior is your main reason for visiting.
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History focuses on the educator who founded the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute and contributed significantly to educational opportunities for Black students in Augusta.
Its exhibitions also examine local Black businesses, institutions, and community leaders.
The museum connects with the surrounding Laney-Walker district, including the historic Golden Blocks, once an important center of Black commerce.
Reservations required: Book a guided tour in advance. Tours run Tuesday through Saturday at:
Price: $10 for adults.
The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art occupies Ware’s Folly, a Federal-style house on Telfair Street.
Its galleries feature rotating exhibitions, while its educational programs offer art classes for adults and children.
The institute’s listed gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM.
Price: Gallery admission is free, with a suggested $5 donation.
These three stops are worth adding when their hours or programs match your visit.
The attractions above offer very different experiences, so it’s more useful to combine them than to try to visit the entire list.
A few practical considerations:
If you’re planning how you’ll move between multiple stops in Augusta, consider the distances between the locations you select and how much walking you’re comfortable with. Several downtown attractions sit close together, while Topgolf sits in a different part of the city.
Taken together, these places cover different sides of Augusta: its industry, its Black community, its theaters, and its architecture. That variety also means a return visit can feel completely different from the first.
Leave time to walk the streets around each stop, since much of that history is still visible outside the buildings too.
