Destination Augusta, the official convention and visitors bureau of the “Garden City of the South,” stopped by Brookhaven City Centre in late August for a three-hour open house promoting the Savannah River city.
Vendors, nonprofits, and project developers shared the city’s culinary scene, unique attractions, arts and culture, and outdoor experiences, highlighting the construction of a $275 million indoor arena at the downtown Augusta Entertainment Complex.
The 10,500-seat arena will connect to the existing Bell Auditorium, completing the Augusta Entertainment Complex by next summer. The ECHL Augusta Lynx, a minor league hockey team, is expected to hold its inaugural season in fall 2027.
Georgia’s third largest arena
At the Aug. 26 “PAR-TEE with Augusta,” project team representatives said the arena is currently on budget and on time, expected to draw about 250,000 people annually and create 600 permanent jobs. The three-level hockey arena and entertainment venue has an indoor connection to the Bell Auditorium via the Great Hall.
Representatives from Oak View Group, which manages the entertainment complex, said the new Augusta Arena’s capacity sits only behind Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and Gwinnett County’s Gas South Arena.
The city of Augusta, along I-20 in east Georgia, has an estimated population of 202,000, in contrast to the 60,000 people who live within Brookhaven’s city limits.
However, the Augusta, Georgia-South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is much smaller, at about 650,000 people. The population of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA is 6.5 million.
Golf and Southern culture
Explore Brookhaven is the city’s convention and visitors bureau and promotes the northern DeKalb County city, like Destination Augusta. The Savannah River city has a variety of tourist spots, including Fort Gordon, Augusta University, its historic canal, and the riverwalk.
The Augusta open house at City Centre featured mini golf, samples of Southern cuisine, merchandise giveaways, and history from the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History & Conference Center.
Augusta is known globally as the home of the Masters Tournament, one of professional golf’s four major tournaments scheduled for the first full week of April.
While Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most exclusive in the country and difficult for the public to play, the convention and visitors bureau team said the city and surrounding suburbs have several public golf courses, like metro Atlanta.
