The main entrance to Riverwalk is at Eighth and Reynolds streets, a block off Broad Street. The top of the old river levee has been turned into an inviting brick esplanade with seating clusters overlooking the river, historical displays and playground and picnic areas. Major hotels, shops and dining are along the Riverwalk. Stop first at the Cotton Exchange Welcome Center, Eighth and Reynolds Streets, for information and historic exhibits on Augusta's once-lucrative trade in "white gold." It's open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Phone (706) 724-4067 or (800) 726-0243. Self-guided walking and driving tours as well as group tours are available at the welcome center.

The Augusta Museum of History is now part of Riverwalk's excitement. Early in 1996 the 60-year-old "municipal attic" moved into a new 48,000-square-foot home at Sixth and Reynolds streets. The 23 permanent galleries are filled with Revolutionary and Civil War weapons and uniforms, Native American culture, natural history (including a major dinosaur exhibit), space exploration, communications, vintage photographs and a tribute to the city's and Georgia's founding father, Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe. Savannah River marine life inhabits a small aquarium. Train buffs shouldn't miss "Old No. 302," the Georgia Railroad's last steam engine. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Admission proces are adults, $4; seniors, $3, and children, $2. Children 6 and younger are admitted free of charge. Phone (706) 722-8454.

National Science Center's Fort Discovery, Seventh Street at Riverwalk, (800) 325-5445, www.nscdiscovery.org, one of Riverwalk's newest attractions, is a world of fun and educational experiences for people of all ages. The 200 hands-on, interactive exhibits range from simple games for young children to more complicated lessons to tax the brain power of serious science students. You're invited to ride a bike on a high wire, walk on the moon, maneuver robots and play the newest multimedia games. Special shows are held in the 250-seat Paul Simon Theater, and there's a snack bar when all this fun works up your appetite. The two-story, 128,000-square-foot museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Adults, $8; children,$6.

Morris Museum of Art is at Riverfront Center, 1 Tenth Street at Riverwalk, (706) 724-7501. Two centuries of Southern art are represented in this new museum designed like a private home. The permanent collection includes works by Augusta native Jasper Johns and mixed media artist Robert Rauschenberg. Special exhibits are held throughout the year. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $2.

Fort Discovery

The Augusta Golf & Gardens, home of the future Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, Reynolds Street between Eleventh and Thirteenth streets, (706) 724-4443, features eight acres of display gardens and sculptures of golfing's greats. It's open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students, seniors and military personnel and $5 for children. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge.

You can stay in the heart of the Riverwalk at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel, 2 Tenth Street, Augusta 30901, (706) 722-8900. The modern, 234-room hotel has full-services dining, entertainment, health club and many other amenities. Rates run about $100 for a double.

Sacred Heart Cultural Center, 1301 Greene Street, (706) 826-4700, is a heartening and spectacular example of a cherished piece of architectural heritage, down on its luck, given a new lease on life. Consecrated in 1901, the redbrick, twin-spired Romanesque Catholic church summed up the highest skills of European artists. Jewel-like tones of German stained-glass windows play against the creamy white Italian marble columns, stations of the cross and the ornate high altar. In the early 1970s, with much of its congregation now in the suburbs, Sacred Heart's doors were closed and the church deconsecrated and left to the mercy of the elements and vandals.

The church would probably have kept a date with the wrecking ball if an "angel" in the form of an affluent and civic-minded corporate executive hadn't come to the rescue. Following an extensive renovation, Sacred Heart Cultural Center is now the scene of banquets, wedding receptions, fashion shows, chamber concerts and numerous other functions. A gift shop on the lower floor sells works by local artists and authors. You may take a self-guided tour of the sanctuary Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; donations are accepted. Guided tours are by appointment 1 to 4 p.m. Adults are $2; senior citizens and students, $1.

Meadow Garden

Ezekiel Harris House, 1840 Broad Street, (706) 724-0436, is Augusta's second-oldest structure. In 1797 Harris came to the area from South Carolina with plans to build a town to rival Augusta as a tobacco market. On a hill overlooking Augusta, the house is an outstanding example of post-Revolutionary architecture. The gambrel roof and vaulted hallway are reminiscent of New England. Tiered piazzas are supported by artistically beveled wooden posts. Rooms are furnished with period antiques. It's open Monday through Friday 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults are $2; students, 50 cents.

Meadow Garden, Independence Drive near the intersection of Walton Way and 13th Street, (706) 724-4174, was the home of George Walton, one of Georgia's signers of the Declaration of Independence.