Downtown Augusta GA
what's open, what's building

Picture a downtown in two halves. The riverfront half works today. You can walk the Riverwalk, tour two museums, see a show at a 1918 theatre, and eat well on Broad Street tonight. The construction half is just as real. Broad Street is being rebuilt block by block through the end of 2026 on the city's expedited schedule, outside parking spaces close in the active blocks, and business owners have told reporters they worry about making it through the disruption (WRDW, February 13, 2026; Augusta Chronicle, August 24, 2026).

The investment is real money, not renderings. Four named projects with published figures add up to about $496 million on their own: the $42 million Broad Street streetscape, the $250 million new arena, the $50 million Conroy hotel conversion, and about $154 million of recently completed downtown housing (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). More is in planning behind those numbers, including a second Marriott hotel and about 1,000 additional housing units the Downtown Development Authority says are in the pipeline (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026).

The skepticism is also real, and this page gives it its own section below. Residents lost mature Broad Street trees to the rebuild and watched new ones go in this month. The county sheriff tightened access to the Flock license plate camera system in September 2026 after six deputies were charged with using it for personal searches (Augusta Chronicle, September 4, 2026). And the new housing is market rate, which is exactly what some neighbors mean when they call the new downtown overpriced. Both stories are true at once. That is the downtown you are visiting.

Broad Street Improvement Project

The spine of the rebuild. The streetscape runs on Broad Street from 15th Street to 5th Street and covers new sidewalks, bike lanes, trees, and brick amenities, priced at $42 million by the Downtown Development Authority (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). Under the street, crews are also replacing water and sewer lines and drainage, which is why the work moves slowly and why side streets close in pieces. Seventh Street, for example, closed between Broad and Reynolds from October 14 to October 31, 2026 for drainage work tied to the project (Augusta Today, October 15, 2026).

The Augusta Commission approved an expedited schedule so that the most disruptive work in the heart of downtown is finished by the end of 2026, with block phases overlapping from April through mid December (City of Augusta announcement, reported by the Augusta Chronicle, April 14, 2026). Treat that as the city's target, not a guarantee. The project's own updates, including lane and parking changes, post at AugustaDTP.com.

What it means for a visit today: businesses stay accessible and pedestrian access is maintained through the work zones, but outside parking spaces in the active blocks close temporarily while median parking stays open (Augusta Chronicle, August 24, 2026). Section 7 below has the parking playbook.

New Augusta Arena, on the James Brown Arena site

The old James Brown Arena, opened in 1980, has been demolished. In its place at 601 Seventh Street, the New Augusta Arena is rising: a $250 million, 10,500 seat arena owned by the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority, funded by the half cent sales tax Richmond County voters approved in 2023 (Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026; PCL Construction, August 18, 2026). Groundbreaking was June 25, 2024. A new Great Hall will connect the arena to the Bell Auditorium, the 1940 concert hall next door.

On the name: as of the Augusta Chronicle's April 1, 2026 report, the arena is still unnamed. James Brown's name was on the old building, and no naming announcement for the new one had been made in the sources checked for this page. If that changes, this page will update.

The Coliseum Authority's builder, PCL Construction, reported in August 2026 that the project was on schedule and on budget, with topping out expected that summer. The arena is planned to open in spring 2027, host about 100 events a year, and bring professional hockey back: an ECHL team, the Augusta Lynx, is set to start with the 2027-28 season (PCL Construction, August 18, 2026; Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026). The $1.6 billion regional impact and 600 permanent jobs figures you may see quoted are projections from the project team, printed here as projections, not results.

The Conroy: the old Ramada becomes a Marriott

The 50 year old hotel at 640 Broad Street, designed by architect I. M. Pei and opened in 1974 as the Executive House, spent recent decades as a Ramada. Charleston based Breakwater is converting it into The Conroy, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel: 176 rooms, down from 200, with more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space (Augusta Chronicle, December 10, 2025). Interior demolition began in November 2025.

The Downtown Development Authority prices the project at $50 million and expects it complete around the end of 2026, open in time for the 2027 Masters (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). The developer's own target, reported in December 2025, was a February 2027 reopening (Augusta Chronicle, December 10, 2025). Either way, plan on early 2027, and do not book a room until the hotel itself opens reservations.

The second Marriott: Residence Inn at 13th and Walker

A new extended stay Residence Inn by Marriott is planned for the corner of 13th and Walker streets, on a former industrial site, with subcontractor bids tendered in spring 2026 and PeachState Hospitality behind the project (Augusta Chronicle, May 7, 2026). This one is earlier in the pipeline than The Conroy. It has a site, a brand, and a builder soliciting bids, not an opening date. The same Chronicle report notes a planned Embassy Suites on the 1100 block of Broad Street, where the former Sky City building has been demolished.

Housing: 500 units done, about 1,000 more in planning

Downtown living is the quieter half of the rebuild. The Downtown Development Authority reports 500 new market rate housing units completed in the year before July 2026, representing about $154 million in private investment, with about 1,000 more units in planning. At the end of 2024 downtown had about 400 housing units, and the new supply reached about 95 percent occupancy within 10 months, which the Authority reads as unmet demand (all figures: Margaret Woodard, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, in Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). Section 8 covers what that means if you want to live down here, including the part the boosters skip.

Jones Alley and the Augusta Common

The small project with an outsized quality of life pitch: turning the Jones Street alley into a pedestrian space that extends the Augusta Common, connects the convention center side of downtown to the Common without walking around a block, and improves access to the Reynolds Street parking deck (Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, Augustadda.com). The city awarded the Jones Alley construction contract to Reeves Construction for $1,824,495.70 in February 2026 (City of Augusta Engineering Services Committee, February 24, 2026).

A friend would tell you this part before you visit, because you will hear it in line for coffee.

The trees

Broad Street's mature median trees were the street's signature, and the rebuild removed trees that residents had known for decades. The pushback was loud enough that "how about those trees" became the shorthand complaint about the whole project. The city's plan always included new planting as part of the streetscape, and the replacement is now visible: workers replanted trees along portions of Broad Street on October 13, 2026 (Augusta Chronicle, October 17, 2026). New trees are not the old canopy, and nobody should pretend a sapling settles the argument. Judge the result in a few summers.

The cameras

Richmond County runs one of the larger Flock Safety license plate reader networks around: almost 200 cameras, per Sheriff Eugene Brantley (Augusta Chronicle, September 4, 2026). In 2026 the system became a trust story. Six Richmond County deputies were charged between June and September 2026 with accessing the Flock database for personal reasons and violating their oath of office, and all lost their jobs (Augusta Chronicle, July 20, 2026 and September 4, 2026). In September the sheriff restricted the system: supervisors now gatekeep searches, and a deputy must supply a case number and the criminal offense involved before running a plate (Augusta Chronicle, September 4, 2026). The sheriff's position is that the system produces leads in homicide and robbery cases and that the good outweighs the bad. The critics' position, voiced by residents well before the charges, is that a searchable record of where everyone drives needs stronger limits than a promise. The charges gave that argument local evidence, and the argument is not over.

The prices

The third argument is about who the new downtown is for. The completed housing is market rate by design, the Authority says so openly, and the two new hotels are a Marriott boutique property and an extended stay Marriott (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). Add construction that strains the Broad Street shops that were already there, with owners telling WRDW in February 2026 that they were not properly notified when work reached their block, and you get the local worry in one line: downtown gets nicer and the people and businesses who stuck with it cannot afford to stay. The counterweight is the occupancy figure. At about 95 percent, the new units filled with people who wanted to live downtown and could not before (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). Both things are happening. Plan your visit, and your opinions, accordingly.

Augusta Riverwalk

Start here. The Riverwalk is a multilevel brick trail along the Savannah River, running roughly between 6th and 10th streets, with the Jessye Norman Amphitheater, a playground, fountains, picnic areas, and the Heroes Overlook memorial along the way (Explore Georgia; Visit Augusta). It is free, open year round, and the upper level connects you directly to the Morris Museum at the 10th Street end and the Augusta Museum of History at the 6th Street end (Visit Augusta). Leashed dogs are allowed, and the main entry points at 10th, 8th, and 6th streets are wheelchair accessible (Visit Augusta). On a first visit, walk it in the morning, then cross the 5th Street pedestrian bridge for the river view back at the skyline.

Augusta Canal and the Discovery Center

The canal is the reason the mills, and half the city, exist. Built in 1845, it is a National Heritage Area, designated by Congress in 1996, and its towpath runs about 7 miles from the headgates at Savannah Rapids down to downtown (Augusta Canal Authority; Explore Georgia). The downtown door is the Augusta Canal Discovery Center inside Enterprise Mill at 1450 Greene Street, where the Authority runs exhibits and Petersburg boat tours. The Authority's office hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and boat tour times vary, so call 706-823-0440 or check augustacanal.com before you build a day around a tour (Augusta Canal Authority). Walking and biking the towpath itself is free. From downtown, the towpath is the best run or ride in the city that does not involve a car.

Morris Museum of Art, 1 Tenth Street

The first museum in the country devoted to the art and artists of the American South, sitting on the Riverwalk at the 10th Street entrance, with a permanent collection of nearly 5,000 works (Morris Museum of Art). Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youth 13 to 17, students, seniors, and military with ID, and free for children 12 and under and for everyone on Sundays (themorris.org/visit, checked October 2026). Free visitor parking sits on the south side of the Augusta Riverfront Center on weekdays. This is the easiest yes in downtown: an hour, five dollars, and you understand the region better on the way out.

Augusta Museum of History, 560 Reynolds Street

Augusta's oldest historical agency, founded in 1937, and the city's only accredited museum (Augusta Museum of History). The permanent exhibition Augusta's Story walks 12,000 years of regional history, the Transportation Corridor holds a restored 1914 locomotive and a 1920s trolley car, and the James Brown exhibit covers the Godfather of Soul in his hometown. Hours are Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6 to 18, and free for children under 6 (augustamuseum.org, Plan a Visit, checked October 2026). The museum's own lot is at the back of the building, at the corner of 6th and Broad. Note the shorter week: if you come on a Tuesday, this one is closed, and the Morris is your museum.

Imperial Theatre, 749 Broad Street

The 853 seat Imperial opened on February 18, 1918 as a vaudeville house and is the only operating historic theatre left in downtown Augusta (Imperial Theatre). It now hosts concerts, comedy, film, and local companies including the Augusta Players and the Augusta Ballet. The marquee alone is worth the walk down Broad at night. Check imperialtheatre.com for the current calendar, because a 1918 room this size books in runs, not every night.

Jessye Norman School of the Arts, 739 Greene Street

Named for the opera singer and Augusta native, the Jessye Norman School is a free after school arts program for middle and high school students, founded in 2003 and housed since 2008 in an 18,000 square foot building at 8th and Greene, with classrooms, a dance studio, a gallery, and a theatre space (thejnsa.org, About the School). Visitors know it through the Ann and Ellis Johnson Gallery in the same building and through student performances and community classes. It is not a drop in attraction so much as proof that downtown culture here is not only for ticket buyers. If you have a student in Richmond County, this is one of the best free resources in the city.

Bell Auditorium, Telfair Street

The 1940 auditorium next to the arena site kept hosting shows while its bigger neighbor came down, and it is being folded into the new complex through the arena's Great Hall connection (Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026). For now it remains a working room for concerts and graduations, and the practical downtown venue while the arena is finished.

Broad Street carries the food scene, and the blocks between 10th and 13th are the densest. Construction moves week to week, so treat hours as worth a quick check before you go.

• Frog Hollow Tavern, 1282 Broad Street. The downtown dinner reservation. Contemporary American cooking with local sourcing, a serious bar, and a dining room that fills on weekends. Open Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Reserve ahead (OpenTable listing, checked October 2026).
• The Southern Salad, 1008 Broad Street. The workday lunch pick: build your own salads and sandwiches in the middle of the Broad Street blocks. Open Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday.
• The rest of Broad. Luigi's at 590 Broad Street has served Greek and Italian food downtown since long before the current rebuild, Farmhaus Burger sits at 1002 Broad, and Mellow Mushroom is at 1167 Broad (Visit Augusta dining guide). Between them, the corridor covers a sit down dinner, a quick lunch, and a late slice without moving your car.

Our honest advice for a first food visit: lunch on Broad, walk the Riverwalk, then dinner reservations at Frog Hollow if the trip is a splurge, or burgers at Farmhaus if it is not. During active construction on your block, add five minutes and park on a side street or in a deck instead of circling.

Downtown is compact and walkable once you are parked. Broad Street from 5th to 13th is about a mile, the Riverwalk is two blocks north of Broad, and most of this page fits inside a 15 minute walk. The friction is parking during construction, and it is manageable if you plan for it.

• Riverwalk entries. Visit Augusta lists parking near the 10th Street entry by the Augusta Marriott, a large lot near the 8th Street entrance, and parking at the 6th Street entrance near the Augusta Museum of History (Visit Augusta, Riverwalk FAQ).
• Museum lots. The Morris offers free weekday visitor parking in designated spaces at the Augusta Riverfront Center, with municipal lots on Reynolds Street east of 10th (Morris Museum of Art). The Augusta Museum of History has its own lot behind the building at 6th and Broad.
• Decks beat circling. The Reynolds Street parking deck and the convention center parking on Reynolds put you one block off Broad with a roof over the car. City engineers have told commissioners the big decks sit mostly empty at midday, while drivers circle Broad for a street space. Take the hint and use the decks.
• During construction. Outside spaces on Broad close in the blocks under active work, while median parking stays open, and the city posts changes at AugustaDTP.com (Augusta Chronicle, August 24, 2026; Augusta Today, October 15, 2026). Check that site the morning of a downtown trip through the end of 2026.
• On foot and by bike. The Broad Street rebuild adds bike lanes between 5th and 15th (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026), and the canal towpath gives you a car free route from downtown up to Savannah Rapids. Downtown itself is flat. The river breeze is real, and summer afternoons are hot enough that most locals do the Riverwalk early or near sunset.

If the visit turns into a move, here is the grounded version. The Downtown Development Authority counts about 900 downtown housing units after the recent wave: roughly 400 at the end of 2024, plus the 500 market rate units completed in the following year, at about 95 percent occupancy (Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026). That occupancy is the strongest evidence that downtown living has real demand, and it also means the good units do not sit empty waiting for you.

What the Authority's numbers do not give you is a rent this page can stand behind, because rents move by building and by month and no official source publishes a downtown median. Check current listings building by building, and weigh three downtown specific trades before you sign. First, construction: Broad Street noise and detours run through the end of 2026 on the city's schedule. Second, Masters week: downtown leases often carry Masters clauses, and your building will be priced like a hotel for one week in April whether you stay or go. Third, daily life: downtown has restaurants and the Riverwalk, but the grocery and pharmacy runs still mean a car for most households. Live here for the walk to dinner and the river, not because a rendering told you to. The fuller housing picture is in the Augusta guide and the neighborhoods guide.

• End of 2026: Broad Street's heavy work ends, on the city's target. The expedited schedule aims to clear the most disruptive Broad Street work by December 31, 2026, with the final scheduled block, 5th to 4th, running October 28 to December 15 (City of Augusta, reported by the Augusta Chronicle, April 14, 2026).
• October 2026: the trees are back in the ground. Replacement planting began October 13, 2026 along portions of Broad Street (Augusta Chronicle, October 17, 2026).
• Early 2027: The Conroy opens. The Marriott Tribute Portfolio conversion of the old Ramada at 640 Broad, targeted for February 2027 by the developer and for the 2027 Masters by the Downtown Development Authority (Augusta Chronicle, December 10, 2025; Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026).
• Spring 2027: New Augusta Arena opens. 10,500 seats, about 100 events a year planned, and ECHL hockey with the Augusta Lynx starting in the 2027-28 season (PCL Construction, August 18, 2026; Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026).
• 2027: an outdoor adventure center at the river. An eight story center with a climbing tower and a zipline over the Savannah River is expected in 2027 next to the Freedom Bridge pedestrian concourse at the end of 5th Street, operated by The Forge (Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026).
• In the pipeline, no dates promised here: the Residence Inn at 13th and Walker, a planned Embassy Suites on the 1100 block of Broad, Jones Alley construction, and about 1,000 additional housing units in planning (Augusta Chronicle, May 7, 2026; City of Augusta, February 24, 2026; Georgia Trend, July 31, 2026).

If half of that lands on time, downtown in the spring of 2027 looks different from downtown today in ways you can touch: a finished Broad Street, a new arena crowd on Seventh, and a Pei hotel lit up again on the 600 block. If it slips, it slips in public, one block at a time, and this page will track it either way.

Every project and price claim on this page traces to one of these. Hours and admission were checked against the venues' own pages in October 2026.

• City of Augusta, Broad Street expedited schedule and project updates, reported by the Augusta Chronicle, April 14, 2026, and August 24, 2026; construction updates at AugustaDTP.com
• Georgia Trend, "Augusta: Richmond County, Flourishing Region," July 31, 2026: Downtown Development Authority figures on housing, the $42 million Broad Street streetscape, and The Conroy
• Augusta Chronicle, April 1, 2026: New Augusta Arena cost, capacity, site, Bell Auditorium connection, hockey return, and the riverfront adventure center
• PCL Construction, August 18, 2026: arena construction status, sales tax funding, event and jobs projections
• Augusta Chronicle, December 10, 2025: The Conroy conversion of the Ramada at 640 Broad Street
• Augusta Chronicle, May 7, 2026: Residence Inn at 13th and Walker and the planned Embassy Suites
• Augusta Chronicle, October 17, 2026: Broad Street tree replanting on October 13, 2026
• Augusta Chronicle, July 20, 2026 and September 4, 2026: Flock camera charges and the sheriff's access restrictions
• WRDW, February 13, 2026: Broad Street business owner reaction to construction
• Augusta Today, October 15, 2026: Seventh Street drainage closure
• City of Augusta Engineering Services Committee, February 24, 2026: Jones Alley construction contract award
• Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, augustadda.com: Jones Alley and Augusta Common project description
• Morris Museum of Art, themorris.org/visit; Augusta Museum of History, augustamuseum.org, Plan a Visit; Imperial Theatre, imperialtheatre.com; Jessye Norman School of the Arts, thejnsa.org; Augusta Canal Authority, augustacanal.com; Visit Augusta and Explore Georgia, Riverwalk listings, all checked October 2026