Teen activities
in Augusta, GA.
Find their people.

Use this comparison for the broader list; the finder above highlights a shorter selection. Costs are admission or participation notes, not a complete outing budget. Confirm your date directly with the provider.

The cheapest teen social life in the CSRA is outside. Most of it costs nothing, and each outing still needs a plan for access, transport and meeting up.

Augusta Canal towpath

Official visitor information / current program details.

The flat, shaded towpath in Augusta runs for miles past old mill buildings along the canal. It is the region's default route for teen bike rides, runs, and long walks with a friend. Walking and riding the towpath is free; the museum and boat tours at the Discovery Center are the paid part.

Riverwalk Augusta and the Fifth Street Bridge

Downtown Augusta's riverfront is where teens end up when nobody has a plan: walk the Riverwalk, cross the Fifth Street Pedestrian Bridge into North Augusta, and come back by way of Broad Street. Public access, no admission, and the best free sunset in the region.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

A wetland park on Augusta's east side with boardwalks and trails through cypress swamp, listed by the Phinizy Center as free and open daily from dawn to dusk. It suits the teen who would rather photograph herons than hang out at a mall. Bring bug spray in warm months.

Blanchard Woods Park skatepark and BMX track

Official visitor information / current program details.

At 4600 Blanchard Woods Drive in Evans, this 153 acre Columbia County park pairs a skatepark and a BMX track with soccer fields and a cross country course. Skating and BMX are different activities: confirm whether the track is available for casual use or a scheduled session. Bring the protective equipment required for your activity. The park is free to enter; check Columbia County's facility page for event closures before you go.

North Augusta Greeneway

North Augusta's paved trail, spelled Greeneway on the city's own pages, runs along the river and through town. It is the easiest long, flat bike ride in the region and connects with the Fifth Street Bridge from downtown Augusta. Free.

Savannah Rapids Park

A 33 acre Columbia County park in Martinez at the canal headgates, 3300 Evans to Locks Road. Teens come for the towpath's top end, the river views, and room to spread out with friends. Free to enter.

Mistletoe State Park

On Clarks Hill Lake near Appling, with swimming, trails, and campsites when a family lake day is the plan. Georgia State Parks charge a $10 daily ParkPass per vehicle, verified at gastateparks.org. It is the closest real lake day to Augusta.

School teams are not the only route. County leagues, two long running community programs, and one very Augusta spectator sport cover the rest.

Columbia County Recreation Department leagues

Columbia County runs youth leagues by season out of Evans and across the county. Its Youth Sports Handbook lists soccer for ages 4 to 18 and tennis for ages 10 to 18, with basketball, baseball, and softball seasons for younger teens. Registration fees apply and seasons fill, so check the handbook and registration dates on columbiacountyga.gov before the season you want.

Martinez-Evans Little League

One of the largest youth baseball and softball programs in Columbia County, based in Martinez and open to players ages 4 to 16, with spring and fall seasons. Older teens play in the upper divisions rather than aging out at 12. Registration fees apply; the league posts season details on its own pages.

Kroc Center of Augusta

The Salvation Army's Kroc Center at 1833 Broad Street in Augusta puts a pool with a water slide, a gym, and youth and family programs under one roof. Access runs on paid memberships and program fees, so check current rates and the current youth schedule at the Augusta Kroc Center page before planning around it.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta, E.W. Hagler Teen Center

The Boys and Girls Clubs serve members ages 5 through 18 across Greater Augusta, and the E.W. Hagler Teen Center focuses on students in grades 9 to 12 with homework help, tutoring, mentoring, arts, fitness, and career exploration. A registration fee applies per program and financial help is available on request. Start at bgcgreateraugusta.org for current sites, fees, and hours.

Skateland of Augusta

Official visitor information / current program details.

The roller rink at 2451 Windsor Spring Road in Augusta runs public skate sessions, parties, and group nights, with skate rental on site. It is the classic Friday night answer for CSRA teens. Admission is paid and the rink posts that all prices are subject to change, so check skatelandofaugusta.com for the current session schedule and price before you go.

Soul City Sirens roller derby

Augusta's women's flat track roller derby league, founded in 2008 and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association since 2013, per the WFTDA league listing. The Sirens are an adult league, so for teens this one is a spectator sport: a loud, fast, genuinely local night out with friends. Check the league for its current bout schedule, venue, and ticket prices, and ask about any junior or volunteer opportunities if your teen wants in, because we could not verify a standing youth program.

There is no big dedicated esports arena in Augusta that we could verify, and we are not going to invent one. What the city does have is one large entertainment center that covers bowling, arcade, and laser tag in a single trip.

Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Center

Official visitor information / current program details.

At 3238 Wrightsboro Road in Augusta, Stars and Strikes runs 24 bowling lanes, a 7,000 square foot arcade and prize store, a laser tag arena, bumper cars, and virtual reality attractions, per its own Augusta page. That mix is why teen groups land here: nobody has to agree on one activity. Prices run by activity and the center posts changing specials, including a weekday Entertainment Happy Hour, so check starsandstrikes.com for the Augusta location's current deals before you set a budget.

Library gaming and hangout time

Both library systems below program for teens, and gaming shows up on their calendars alongside crafts and anime. It will not replace an arcade, but it is free and close to home; event staffing does not mean the library offers drop-off supervision. Check each system's event calendar for the next teen gaming session near you.

Augusta's arts scene has a real teen on ramp, and two of the best programs on this page cost nothing.

Jessye Norman School of the Arts

Official visitor information / current program details.

At 739 Greene Street in Augusta, this tuition free school runs a free after school program and a summer camp for middle and high school students, plus a homeschool arts enrichment program and community classes, per the school's own site. Students work in dance, drama, visual art, music, and digital art a few blocks from Broad Street. Admission is application based, so start at thejnsa.org for the current enrollment window.

The Augusta Jr. Players

Official visitor information / current program details.

The Augusta Players describe the Jr. Players plainly on augustaplayers.org: a free program for students ages 6 to 19, with hands on experience in fully staged productions led by theatre professionals. For a teen who wants to perform, or run lights, or build sets, this is the strongest free arts offer in the CSRA. Audition and production dates post on the Players site each season.

Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

Official visitor information / current program details.

At 506 Telfair Street in Augusta, inside the 1818 mansion known as Ware's Folly, the Gertrude Herbert offers quarterly studio classes and workshops for youth, teens, and adults, in media from drawing and painting to photography and clay, per ghia.org. Gallery admission is free, so a teen can look first and sign up second. Class fees vary by course; the current class list is on the institute site.

Morris Museum of Art

Official visitor information / current program details.

The first museum in the country devoted to the art of the American South, at 1 Tenth Street on the Riverwalk in Augusta. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth ages 13 to 17, students, military, and seniors, and admission is free for everyone on Sundays, per themorris.org. It is the rainy day pick that also works as a first date or a quiet hour alone with a sketchbook.

Looking across the river? Our North Augusta guide adds context for the riverfront and local outings. The photograph shows SRP Park, not a library program.

Libraries are the most underrated teen answer in the CSRA: free, air conditioned, full of wifi, and programmed for teenagers on purpose.

Augusta Richmond County Public Library System

Official visitor information / current program details.

The headquarters library at 823 Telfair Street in Augusta has a dedicated teen space, and the system runs free teen programs across its branches, including bingo nights, crafts, and book programs for ages 12 to 18 on its calendar. Hours vary by branch, and programs change monthly. The current calendar is at arcpls.librarycalendar.com; confirm the branch and time before you drive.

Columbia County Library

Official visitor information / current program details.

The Columbia County Library system anchors in Evans at 7022 Evans Town Center Boulevard, with branches in Grovetown and Harlem. Its calendar runs teen and tween crafts, makers sessions with tools like a 3D printer, and book programs through the school year, all free. Check the Columbia County calendar for the branch closest to you, because programs rotate by location.

Volunteering is how a lot of CSRA teens get their first real responsibility, their service hours for school, and sometimes their first job lead. Age rules vary by role, so treat every listing here as call to confirm.

Golden Harvest Food Bank

Official visitor information / current program details.

Golden Harvest fights hunger across the CSRA from Augusta, including the Master's Table Soup Kitchen downtown. Volunteer roles carry different age rules by task, and those rules change, so read the current requirements at goldenharvest.org and confirm a teen's role before signing up. Expect sorting, packing, and serving work that fills a morning fast.

Your library branch

Ask your branch about teen volunteering and advisory groups. The ARC library calendar lists Teen Advisory Board opportunities; use the current event entry to confirm the branch, age rules and whether service hours are offered. Get school approval before assuming any activity counts toward a requirement.

Parks and trails groups

County parks, Phinizy Swamp, and trail groups post cleanup and volunteer days on their own calendars through the year. Pick the park your teen already uses, check its official calendar, and call to confirm the age rule and whether a parent needs to stay. One morning with a work crew teaches more about a place than ten visits as a guest.

Part time work is an activity too, and Georgia's rules are specific. This section covers the Georgia side of the river. North Augusta families: South Carolina sets its own child labor rules, so check South Carolina's labor agency before a teen starts work across the river.

The rules that matter, from the Georgia Department of Labor

Use the official Georgia work-permit process and work-hour restrictions. Rules depend on age, tasks and the applicable state and federal law. This is a starting summary, not a job-specific eligibility decision.

• Work permit under 16. In Georgia, 14 and 15 year olds need an employment certificate, often called a work permit, before they start work. The Georgia Department of Labor runs the process online, and the school issues the certificate. Sixteen and 17 year olds do not need one.
• Hours at 14 and 15. Federal limits, listed by the Georgia Department of Labor at dol.georgia.gov: no more than 3 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non school day, 18 hours in a school week, and 40 hours in a non school week. Work runs between 7am and 7pm, extended to 9pm from June 1 through Labor Day, and never during school hours.
• Hours at 16 and 17. The Department of Labor states that minors 16 and 17 have no state or federal work hour restrictions. Hazardous work rules still apply until 18, and employers set their own hiring ages.
• Under 14. For most employers covered by federal law, 14 is the floor for regular part time jobs. Younger teens who want to earn should look at the neighborhood route below instead of a store application.

Where CSRA teens actually get hired

These are job types, not promises from named employers. Hiring ages are set by each employer, so ask when you apply.

• Grocery and food service. Bagging, host stands, dish rooms, and counter work are the classic first jobs in Evans, Martinez, and Grovetown. Many chains set 16 as their floor; some local spots hire at 14 or 15 with a permit.
• Recreation and summer work. County parks, pools, camps, and the Kroc Center hire seasonally for lifeguards, camp help, and front desk work. Lifeguard roles need certification first, so check the role’s minimum age and recognized certification before paying for training.
• Entertainment centers. Bowling and arcade centers hire for party hosting, kitchen, and front counter roles. Open interview and job fair notices post on their sites through the year.
• The neighborhood route. Casual babysitting or pet care for families you know can be a starting point. Do not assume all neighborhood work is exempt from youth-employment rules; check the tasks, equipment and employment arrangement first. A Red Cross babysitter course or a CPR card makes a young teen easier to hire and easier to trust.

A public place, a staffed event and an enrolled after-school program are different arrangements. Confirm the specific activity’s rules rather than treating every listing as supervised care.

• Age and registration: Is this session for this teen’s age? Is there a waitlist, application, audition or waiver?
• Adult attendance: Must a parent stay, sign in or collect the teen? What is the pickup deadline?
• Full cost: Include rental gear, shoes, equipment, arcade credit, food and transport. Ask about assistance directly with the program.
• Access: Ask about step-free routes, restrooms, sensory needs and any physical requirements that affect participation.
• Transport: Agree on a meeting point and return time. For bus or driving basics, use getting around the CSRA.

Three plans to adapt

A quiet Sunday: check the Morris Museum’s free-Sunday hours, then take a short riverfront walk if weather and access allow. Admission can be $0; food, transport and parking are separate.

An active afternoon: choose Blanchard Woods or a canal walk, rather than racing between both. Bring appropriate gear and agree on the pickup spot. These are outdoor outings, not supervised teen sessions.

A rainy-day meet-up: choose a library event with a confirmed age band, or one paid bowling/skating session. Reserve or register where required and set a spending cap before arrival.

Start free. A Saturday that pairs the Blanchard Woods skatepark in the morning with the Riverwalk and Fifth Street Bridge at sunset costs nothing but gas. Our free things to do in Augusta guide plans the zero dollar version in detail.

One paid anchor. Pick one paid anchor, a Stars and Strikes session or a Skateland night, and build the free parts around it. That keeps a teen weekend near the price of one ticket instead of five.

New here, or PCSing in? Read the things to do in Augusta hub for the full regional picture, then hand your teen this page and let them pick. Teenagers who choose the plan show up for the plan.

Want the week picked for you? The Friday Coming Up issue of The CSRA Brief rounds up local weekend events. Check each organizer’s age rules before choosing an event for teens. Sign up below and it lands in your inbox on Friday.