The scope of the canal here is quite impressive and to me, reminiscent of the canal that runs into…read morethe heart of Washington DC, as this one is from around the same time and has a notable aesthetic similarity. This one doesn't go all the way to the mountains, but you could easily spend a day on it on foot, and biking and boating are options as well. The infrastructure was good, and multiple open bathrooms and water fountains were available. The paths were generally quite wide (as former towpaths) and had plenty of space for bikes and pedestrians to share, with a couple of interesting exceptions. I didn't do any tours, but I expect the history is worth pursuing.

AUGUSTA, GA: known for the Masters Golf Tournament, the city of Augusta is also a charming town…read morefull of restaurants, shops, history, and a beautiful river walk. It is a great area to walk the pup, enjoy outdoor dining, find a small business for a unique souvenir, and see the Savannah River! With relatively mild temperatures in the fall and winter, it is a great time to visit! The summers are hot, hot, hot!

I had lived in Augusta for three years and failed to notice this historic landmark until last An…read moreauthoritative staff gave us our tour of the house and grounds and explain details of Georgia colonial history, and that of George Walton. This upcoming independence Day, our 250th, will be celebrated at this location. It is fascinating to see the steps taken to explore details of the construction of this small home. Highly recommended for any tourist who is also interested in history.

This is the home George Walton for a short time. He was a signer of the Declaration of…read moreIndependence. The guide gave a short history of him and the place. Took about 30 minutes. It is free.

It would be easy to miss this stone marker that is located on the traffic island at the…read moreintersection where US-1 turns north from running with US-78 in Aiken. It is a little colored and needing a power wash. It reads, "The battle of Aiken. Near this spot on February 11, 1865 was fought one of the final Confederate victories of the War Between The States. Federal Cavalry commanded by Major General Hugh Judson Kirkpatrick were attacked by Confederate Cavalry commanded by Major General Joseph Wheeler when the Federals entered Aiken from the south east along the South Carolina Railroad. The Federals retreated to Montmorenci where their infantry support was stationed. Successful defense of Aiken by the Confederates prevented the possible destruction of the cities of Aiken, Augusta and the Graniteville Mill." Online, there is more information. The Union general reached Aiken after looting and burning several other towns in South Carolina including Barnwell and Blackwell. The Union soldiers were quite cruel and we'll just leave it at that. There's a reason it's called "The War of Northern Aggression." [Review 15051 overall, 553 of 2021, number 819 in South Carolina.]

Man was I lied to when we were able to PCS. Everyone I spoke with RAVED about Ft. Gordon, and there…read morewas virtually no wait, so we decided to make the move. I wish we waited for the other locations we had on our wish list. Applying for housing was easy, but they did not want to work with us. We spoke to different people, who gave us different answers. We had asked for specific amenities (i.e. a fence for our dog, one story, near other families with kids similar in age), but all we disregarded. I'm not paying three thousand dollars for a fence I'm not able to take when we PCS again. We decided to live off post which was the best choice we could have made. You can get a QUALITY rental for the same price of your BAH. I've made friends with a few families on post, and looking at their houses made me feel so relieved that we don't live there. Eisenhower is okay. I like my kids pediatrician and she always puts out referrals for us no problem. I'm actually relieved that their specialty care is out in the world and not there. However getting immunizations here is awful. It's -always- a long wait after you see the doctor. I guess I was spoiled at Bethesda, because they had about five stations usually with two people at each, at least when it came to the kids shots. It was so nice because they could do shots at the same time on the opposite legs. But anyways, scheduling future appointments at Eisenhower is always a PITA too. For parents with kids four and under, they have a program called NPSP, New Parent Support Program. I've met some really nice moms there and it gets you and the kids socialized. They usually have quarterly events, and it's always open to their entire family. The PX is actually pretty nice. We've always had no problem. The food court isn't terrible, but I hear they're opening a Tropical Smoothie in May, praise. The commissary is TRASH, and it's closed on Monday. You'd think that given how big Ft. Gordon is, that it'd be quality products, but it's once of the worst commissaries I've ever stepped foot in. Always, always, ALWAYS check the expiration dates and look for mold. ALWAYS. While I wouldn't recommend anything in Fort Gordon, there is so much to do in Augusta, Grovetown, and Evans. And if you can swing it, live off post. You'll be happier.

When I first moved here, I heard nothing good about Ft Gordon or Augusta. I really like this place…read more It's quiet, but yet has enough amenities to be comfortable. The base is pretty easy to navigate once you know the main roads. Gate 2 is getting a bit busy, but Gate 1 is atrocious in the morning. Apparently, Ft Gordon has the nicest golf course in the Army? I guess they feel they need to live up to the masters. Oh and the PX has a legit Starbucks! I like that I can still collect points on my rewards cards and it's not a main street. Gas is comparable to the rest of the town. I don't notice much of a difference.

The Richmond County marker on the grounds of Augusta City Hall reads like a compact civic…read morebiography, but when you slow down with it for a moment you realize how much of Augusta's identity is tucked into those few bronze paragraphs. It stands in the grassy strip just off Telfair Street, close enough to the Municipal Building that you can feel how deliberately the city placed its institutional memory beside its modern government. It is marker number 121-27 and it was erected in 1956 by the Georgia Historical Commission. It reads, "Originally designated as the Parish of St. Paul by the Act creating it in 1758, the name was changed in 1777 to Richmond County in honor of the Duke of Richmond, who, as a member of Parliament, was a zealous supporter of the American cause, advocating independence of the Colonies. It originally included a large part of four other counties: Columbia, Jefferson, McDuffie and Warren. Included within its borders are the incorporated towns of Augusta, the county seat; Hephzibah, formerly Brothersville; Blythe; and McBean. "Originally a trading community dealing in pelfry and tobacco, later its economy rested on numerous industries, principally textile, operated by power developed from its numerous creeks and the Augusta Canal constructed in 1845-1846, and agricultural products from rich arable farm lands. Numerous military engagements occurred here during the Revolutionary War, during which Augusta was twice captured by the British. "During the War Between the States, the United States Arsenal surrendered to State forces without resistance, and a Confederate powder factory, said to the be the second largest then in existence, supplied the Confederate Army and Navy. United States Army encampments, McKenzie, Hancock and Gordon, maintained during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, respectively." Taken together, the marker reads like a compressed timeline of Augusta's civic life: colonial parish, Revolutionary battleground, industrial canal town, Confederate manufacturing center, and twentieth century military site. Standing in front of it, with City Hall behind you and Greene Street stretching out nearby, you feel how the county's long arc is still present in the landscape, even when the modern city moves past it at full speed. [Review 225 of 2026 - 925 in Georgia - 25414 overall]

The Butt Memorial Bridge in Augusta comes across as a compact, stone‑clad tribute that carries far…read moremore emotional weight than its modest footprint, a 1914 canal crossing built to honor Major Archibald Willingham Butt, the Augusta native and presidential aide who died on the Titanic. The carved lions, the eagle‑topped globes, and the restrained classical detailing give it a quiet ceremonial presence, and the fact that President Taft dedicated it in person adds a layer of early twentieth century dignity that still lingers when you stand there today. It nearly vanished in the 1990s until locals rallied behind the wonderfully irreverent Save Our Butt campaign, a moment of civic humor that ended with federal protection for what remains Georgia's only Titanic memorial. Now it's simply a pleasant, photogenic pause along the Augusta Canal, a small bridge that manages to feel both ornamental and genuinely tender in its remembrance, and while the name invites easy jokes, it feels better to let the hero it honors keep the last word. The polished marker reads, "In Honor Of Archibald Willingham Butt. Born in Augusta Sept. 26, 1865. Graduated in the University of the South, 1880. Major in the United States Army. Trusted Aide-de-Camp of two presidents. Major Butt went to his death on the steamer Titanic after the rescue of the women and children from that ill-fated vessel, April 15, 1912. In memory of his noble and lovable qualities as a man, his courage and high sense of duty as a soldier. WH Taft" [Review 227 of 2026 - 927 in Georgia - 25416 overall]

I was researching places to go in Augusta on TikTok. The downtown area is very quiet on a Sunday…read more I always wanted to see this statue although I never thought I would be going to Augusta. The statue sits in the middle of the street. It is easy to find. There was no traffic or people walking around for that matter. For whatever reason I was not ready for the fact that the statue was the same size and height as Mr Brown. It sits on a concrete landing that's easy enough to climb in order to get a better view of the details or take pictures. I was intrigued. Down the street, maybe a block away is the mural. We took so many pictures standing in front of it. People in cars were riding by, stopping and taking pics. It is truly a beautiful tribute to the Godfather of Soul. All they needed was some speakers with his music.

This statue honors the "Godfather of Soul", Mister James Brown. One of the first inductees into the…read moreRock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1986, he was born in Barnwell SC. That's about an hour or so east of here. His ties to Augusta started at Augusta's Lenox Theater in 1944 where he won a talent show. The statue here in Augusta is on a small raised stage and features a lifesize sculture of the man holding a microphone. There's a selfie station where you can send a text and it will take your picture but that wasn't working today. Stop by. There is metered street parking nearby as well as restaurants and retail shopping. [Review 14732 overall, 232 of 2021, number 395 in Georgia.]

Set along a quiet stretch of US‑278 east of Augusta, the Downer School marker feels like one of…read morethose roadside pauses where the landscape briefly opens a window into a community's long educational story. It stands not far from another marker, but this one has a more intimate, almost elegiac tone, because it points to a school that has been gone for decades and an earlier institution that vanished more than a century ago. The setting is simple, just a pull‑off along the highway, yet the text invites you to imagine a succession of buildings, teachers, and students who shaped Beech Island long before the modern road existed. The front of the marker reads, "Downer Institute & School. Downer Institute, founded in 1843, was originally located 1.5 mi. NE of this site and operated until 1865. It was named for benefactor Alexander Downer (1752-1820), whose will established an orphanage and school at Beech Island. By 1898 the General Assembly, at the request of Aiken County citizens, reestablished Downer School for the community at large; the school reopened in 1899." And the reverse, "Downer School, 1924-1986. Downer Elementary School, successor to the Downer Institute, stood here 1924-1950 and 1952-1986. A one-story school built here in 1924 replaced a two-story school constructed ¼ mi. SW in 1899, which burned in 1923-24. It burned in 1950 and was replaced by a second one-story school built in 1952, which served the Beech Island community until Downer Elementary School closed in 1986." It is marker number 2-18 and it was erected in 2000 by The Downer Fund Trustees. The sign stands alone now, with no surviving buildings to anchor the story, but that absence gives the marker a kind of quiet authority. It becomes the last physical reminder of a place where generations learned their letters, weathered fires, and kept returning to the idea that education mattered enough to rebuild again and again. [Review 196 of 2026 - 1390 in South Carolina - 25385 overall]