For one week in April each year, North Augusta draws crowds as the neighboring town of the famed Masters Tournament. But you’ll find plenty more reasons to visit this fun little city any time of year.
Located on the western edge of the state where the Savannah River serves as the dividing line between South Carolina and Georgia, North Augusta makes the most of its riverfront setting. Along the waterway are two beautiful parks, a boat landing, fishing piers, a multipurpose trail and the SRP Park, home of the Class A Augusta GreenJackets baseball team.
Since the first settlers came to the area more than 200 years ago, the river has been a driving force in its success. Originally called Campbell Town, it started out as a trading center for furs and tobacco. When the tobacco market moved across the river, the town was abandoned. Some 50 years later, it came back to life as Hamburg. The new town flourished as the home dock of a successful steamboat business that brought tobacco and cotton from downriver.
With the modern-day development of the Savanah River corridor, North Augusta has become a destination of its own. The state-of-the-art SRP Park, voted the best minor league ballpark in 2018, serves as the center of the thriving downtown. In addition to ball games, the stadium is the venue for concerts, community events, the annual Georgia Bulldog and South Carolina Gamecock Border Bash and Palmetto Peach Half Marathon. The Riverside Village surrounding the park features restaurants, shops and a Crowne Plaza hotel.
Along with its riverfront amenities, the town boasts some 17 parks, including the sprawling 149-acre Riverview Park featuring a 120,000-square-foot activities complex. Each year the Riverview Park Activities Center plays host to the EYBL Nike Peach Jam, a national recruiting showcase for top high school basketball players from across the country and Canada.
Art and history also play a big role in city life. The Living History Park, depicting life in colonial times, is the setting for concerts, picnics, historical demonstrations and annual events like Christmas in the Backcountry.
The town also has a DIY workshop, a local theater company, a wind ensemble and a cultural arts council that presents events year-round, including Music in the Park, a free concert series held May through July at Maude Edenfield Park.
One of North Augusta’s biggest events is the Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee, a family-oriented two-day festival held on Georgia Avenue in the city center. It includes arts and crafts, a costume contest, live concerts, amusement rides, inflatables and an array of food and beverage vendors.
