Augusta Canal National Heritage Area

Finding Hearts in Nature! This week we are celebrating Valentines by finding hearts in nature. Today we are putting our own hearts into nature. Enjoy Valentine’s weekend by taking care of your heart and your valentine’s heart with a walk or bike on the Augusta Canal Trails. If it is too muddy this weekend set dates in writing to start your heart healthy walks or bike rides. Sunshine and fresh air just what the doctor orders for a healthy spring. See you on the trails.

Thank you for visiting and sharing these photos!

Canal Music Cruises 2021 New this spring for the Augusta Canal’s 16th Music Boat season, we are offering TWO back-to-back music cruises on Friday and select Saturday evenings. This is to allow for more social distancing on the boats, but still provide that wonderful entertainment! Bring aboard snacks and beverages of your choice and enjoy live music on a relaxing 1 hour and 15 minute cruise along the scenic Augusta Canal. RSVP and payment REQUIRED. Prices are $27 for adults and $25 for senior 60+, military, and students. Call (706) 823-0440 x4 to book a spot! *Departure times vary.

Finding Hearts in Nature! This week we are celebrating Valentines by finding hearts in nature. Get out on the canal trails and you will be amazed at the valentines nature has left for you. After a long walk in the woods it is always to look to the sky. Look and see what different shapes the clouds above us form. Let’s look for hearts this week. Try a digital jigsaw puzzle of a nature valentine. https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3a72badc026e

A gorgeous, warm day at the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area!

It’s Track, Hike, Bike it Month at the Augusta Canal! Your second tracking point is the Bulkhead Gate. This gate is used also as a bridge over the Augusta Canal besides protecting the city from flooding. This structure was built in conjunction with the levee on the Savannah River in the early 1900s. Mark your map and connect the first two dots. This is a great place for a selfie.

Heads up kayakers!!! Before you paddle the #AugustaCanal remember Lake Olmstead is closed for recreational use this year. Thankfully there are two easy-access alternatives not far away. #augnews

Christmas Stories from the Augusta Canal! As a child growing up in Augusta in the 1960s, Harrisburg had the best displays of Christmas lights in town. I used to love driving through seeing lights, lights and more lights. It seemed to be a community contest. Something about such modest houses decorated to the nines seemed to embrace the spirit of hope, love and joy in a deep and meaningful way. We always ended our tour with the big Christmas tree atop King Mill. Here are some pictures of lights in Harrisburg today. Some folks continue the tradition even today. If you have some old Christmas Pictures of Harrisburg, post to us please.

It’s Track It, Hike It, Bike It Month on the Augusta Canal! During January we will be giving out information about various trail points of interest. Readers are invited to mark these points on our trail map found at augustacanal.com or in our brochures available at the Augusta Canal Discovery Center. At the end of the week you connect the dots to track your hike or bike trail for the weekend. 1First point of the week on your trail map is our new sculpture Three Turtles by Ashley Gray, at the Lake Olmstead Trailhead. You may notice some work being done in area. The lake is being dredged and will cause detours on some trails.

Augusta Canal National Heritage Area 1450 Greene St at 4-7pm tonight to get your copy signed Pickup your pre-ordered book or buy one tonight!!!

Christmas Stories from the Augusta Canal! You may or may not have seen the Canal’s plastic Santa in pictures but this Santa has a story. Quite a few years back a wonderful plastic Santa was rescued from the Canal race gate at Enterprise Mill. It is unknown if a storm had sent him off course or someone was carrying out a sinister Christmas plot but the Augusta Canal employees came to his aid and he has been with us ever since. We love our rescue Santa. Here is a picture of Santa and rushing waters where he was found. Come by our Discovery Center and say hello to Santa and do some shopping in our gift shop.

From a Canal user: Lost Patagonia chest pack at upper canal parking lot (Headgates) behind the kayak van about 2-3 weeks ago. Description: "It had flies, a sage 8/9 large arbor reel and an Orvis 3/4 battenkill reel. Also tippett material and a tenkara spool." If you have found something similar, please message the Augusta Canal! THANK YOU!

It’s Spooky Creatures on the Augusta Canal Week! Eeeek.It time for Spiders! Let’s look at the Wolf Spider and see if he howls owwwwwwwww! Tiger Wolf (Tigrosa aspersa) The wolf spider is very common in the U.S. In fact, scientists have identified more than 125 species of wolf spider in the U.S. alone. Although its large size (up to 2 inches long) causes fear in many people, its bite is not truly deadly. On the other hand, the wolf spider is considered to be one of the mo...st dangerous spiders in the world! https://www.thespruce.com/how-dangerous-is-wolf-spider-2656 https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp Halloween Spider Digital Jigsaw: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2c64491724fc See more

It’s Spooky Creatures on the Augusta Canal Week ! Today we look at the American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos, crows through history have been associated with foreshadowing doom and gloom. Crows have long been associated with creepiness. After all, a group of them is called a "murder." But maybe the birds have gotten a bad rap maybe their most unsettling quality is really just how smart they are. https://www.npr.org//crows-are-they-scary-or-just-scary-sm Digital Halloween Jigsaw puzzle with crow https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1c9266f11065

Yes! We can't wait for tomorrow! Thanks for sharing your talent for this children's book!

Happy New Year from the Augusta Canal! Holiday Hours: Closed January 1st in observance of the New Year. Open tomorrow Dec. 31 and Saturday Jan. 2 from 9:30-4:30. ALSO, Only a few more days for end of year giving! Please consider donating to the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area by website www.augustacanal.com.... Our mission is to support the work of the Augusta Canal Authority as it strives to preserve, develop and manage the trails, waterways, and historic heritage in the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area as a public resource. This public resource has been a wonderful outdoor retreat in 2020 for biking, hiking, and kayaking. It takes a lot of work to keep up the trails for our users and we appreciate any help we can get! See more

It’s Spooky Creatures on the Augusta Canal Week ! Guess whoooooo.we are talking about today? That’s right the spooky ole hooty owl whooooo..whoooo! The Eastern screech-owl is Georgia's most common owl. In fact, screech owls commonly live in both rural and suburban areas as long as they can find open woodlands or backyards dominated by mature trees. https://georgiawildlife.com/screech-owls Learn to Identify Five Owls by Their Calls | Audubon www.audubon.org news ...learn-identify-five-owls-th... Halloween Owl Digital Jigsaw Puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1e5595206603 See more

TOMORROW: "Make room for the Augusta Canal Children's book under your tree this year!" The Augusta Canal National Heritage Area is proud to announce the publication of the illustrated children’s book "Our Treasure in Disguise." The author, Kelli Spearman, is a retired elementary school teacher who has been working as a historian and tour guide at the Augusta Canal Discovery Center and on the Petersburg Boats. April Henry King , the illustrator, is a local artist who uses ...watercolor to represent the movement and story of Augusta’s waterways. Thanks to a grant from Women in Philanthropy, every Elementary school in the CSRA will receive a copy of this book to be used as support for field trips to the Augusta Canal! Join us for a Book Signing and Art Event December 8th 4:00 pm 7:00 pm at the Augusta Canal Discovery Center, located at 1450 Greene Street Suite 400, Augusta, GA 30901. This event will feature "Our Treasure in Disguise" author Kelli Spearman and illustrator April Henry King, along with other local authors Bob Young, Tom Robertson, and Dr. Lee Ann Caldwell! The Discovery Center will also be unveiling King’s original artwork from the children’s book that will be on display in the museum. Representatives from CSRA’s Elementary schools are also invited to attend and pick up a copy signed by the author and illustrator, courtesy of the grant awarded by Women in Philanthropy. See more

It’s Spooky Creatures on the Augusta Canal Week! With the spookiest of all holidays right around the corner, have you ever wondered how certain animals became associated with Halloween? Why do kids not dress up as snails or slugs or other bugs? Why is it that bats are the creepy representatives of this holiday? Signs of the Season By Tara Thomson https://sycamorelandtrust.org/2015/10/bats-halloween/ https://georgiawildlife.com/GeorgiaBats https://georgiabatcontrol.co...m/bat-facts-fiction/ Halloween Bat Puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3787c06e671b See more

Happy Friday! Music by De Ceadaoin on the Moonlight Music Cruise tonight! @visitaugusta @nationalheritageareas_nps

It’s Life as a Mill Worker Week on the Augusta Canal Textile mill Worker! The spinning room was almost always female-dominated, and women sometimes also worked as weavers or drawing-in hands. Boys were usually employed as doffers or sweepers, and men worked as weavers, loom fixers, carders, or supervisors. Mill workers usually worked six twelve-hour days each week.

It’s Poisonous Plant Week at the Augusta Canal! Beware of poisonous mushrooms! Mushrooms typically pop up after a period of rainfall. University of Georgia plant pathologists say identifying the ones that are edible is hard, even for trained experts. Eating a poisonous mushrooms can lead to intestinal discomfort, cause damage to vital organs and even lead to death. https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story.html Mushroom identification link: https://gwinnettmastergardeners.com//poisonous-plants-and- Mushroom digital jigsaw puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=374b841465dc

We are so excited this is finally coming together! YOUR Augusta Canal children's book will be the PERFECT holiday gift. Softbacks $12.95 and Hardback $29.94. Get on our pre-order list [email protected] SAVE the DATE for the book signing & official art opening for April Henry King on December 8 at the Augusta Canal Discovery Center! These beautiful illustrations will be on display for a few months, but we will be selling SIGNED prints!

It’s Poisonous Plant Week at he Augusta Canal! Plants that Affect the Heart These are must-avoid plants due to the seriousness of their effect. A single encounter can cause cardiac arrest and other heart conditions that may hinder you or even threaten your life. White Baneberry (Doll's Eye) doll's eyes is a poisonous plant Once you learn what it is, you'll ever forget white baneberry. The plant's red stalk and its striking white berries are easy to identify in the wild. ...It's a good thing the berries are creepy looking - eating them can cause cardiac arrest and death. It is located in eastern North America. General poisonous plant list: https://secure.caes.uga.edu//publi/files/pdf/C%20957_3.PDF https://carteret.ces.ncsu.edu//Poisonour-Plants-of-the-Sou See more

Thanks for coming out to see us and sharing such great footage! It was a beautiful day!

It’s Poisonous Plant Week at the Augusta Canal! Plants that Affect the Nervous System These poisonous plants are much more severe because they attack your nervous system causing hallucinations, seizure and, at their worst, paralysis. https://www.greenbelly.co//poisonous-plants-identification Deadly Nightshade, the deadly nightshade is a poisonous plant. Deadly nightshade produces a cherry-like fruit which turns a shiny black color when ripened. The ground plant has ligh...t-purple bell-shaped flowers with pale green egg-shaped leaves. It is found in southern and eastern US, but it is rare. https://extension.uga.edu//weed-identification-resources.h See more

It’s Poisonous Plant Week on the Augusta Canal! Today we will look at: Plants that Affect the Digestive Tract These plants will irritate your digestive tract causing vomiting, nausea, swelling of the gastrointestinal tract, and similar uncomfortable symptoms. https://www.greenbelly.co//poisonous-plants-identification The best policy is to never eat plants growing in the wild unless you are with an expert and even then be very wary. It’s best not to trust a plant identif...ication phone app either. https://secure.caes.uga.edu//publi/files/pdf/C%20957_3.PDF Picture 1- Elderberry, Picture 2- Pokeweed See more

It’s Poisonous Plant Week on the Augusta Canal! Let’s start the week off with plants you should not touch. Follow this link to find out what the Mayo Clinic says about 7 poisonous plants. https://www.everydayhealth.com//rashes-caused-by-poisonou/ https://www.greenbelly.co//poisonous-plants-identification https://www.chop.edu//poison-control-cen/poisonous-berries

The Fall Moonlight Music Cruises are SOLD OUT for the rest of the season! Thanks for all the support during these times. Each boat was filled even with COVID-19 regulations. Keep an eye out for a Spring line-up in February and sign up quick!

It’s Canal Caterpillar Week in the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area! Today we look at the Luna Moth Caterpillar. The caterpillar is very hungry and eats constantly but the lunar moth has no digestive tract and eats nothing during its 1 week life span. Watch this caterpillar spin its cocoon: https://www.smithsonianmag.com//giant-caterpillar-weaving/ Figure 10. Fifth (last) instar larva (more sertiferous) of the luna moth, Actias luna (Linnaeus). Photograph by Donald W. Hall, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/luna_moth.htm