6 Best Sights in Augusta, Central and North Georgia

Housed in a converted mill in the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, this museum traces Augusta's important role in developing Georgia's textile industry. The looms are still powered by the building's original turbines; they also provide the power to juice up the museum's Petersburg canal boats. Tours of the canal, usually one hour long, start here and are a fascinating trip through history. Guides are well versed in the passing sights, which include assorted wildlife, a working 19th-century textile mill, and two of Georgia's only remaining 18th-century houses.

The well-maintained pathways of the Riverwalk (between 5th and 10th Streets) curve along the Savannah River and are the perfect place for a leisurely stroll. The upper brick portion connects downtown attractions like St. Paul's Church and the Morris Museum of Art. There are a few shops and restaurants along the way, but not as many as you might expect. On Saturday mornings between April and November, look out for the Augusta Market at the 8th Street Plaza. The lower paths offer a close-up view of wildlife and a peek at the graceful homes of North Augusta, South Carolina.

Augusta's oldest residence, built around 1791, Meadow Garden was the home of George Walton, one of Georgia's three signers of the Declaration of Independence. At age 26, he was its youngest signer. Owned and operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution since 1900, it is one of the oldest house museums in the state of Georgia.

This is a splendid collection of Southern art, from early landscapes, antebellum portraits, and the Civil War period through neo-impressionism and modern contemporary art. The first institution dedicated to Southern art and artists, the museum also holds up to 10 special exhibitions each year bringing important, though sometimes little-known, artists to the forefront.