AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As winter gives way into spring, more and more people will be looking for a fun place to head after work and on the weekends — whether to grab a drink or a bite to eat.

And a growing number of businesses coming to the area are providing plenty of options.

Craft beer and wine shop “Tip Top Taps” just opened its doors on Thursday after relocating from Evans to Augusta.

The business cut the red ribbon, marking the start of a brand new journey as a place to hang out and grab some beer, wine or champagne. They even have free popcorn and an atmosphere that mimics a backyard.

They are just one of the latest examples of how downtown continues to grow.

It was a big day for Marty Koger as he cut the ribbon on his new tap house.

“Augusta’s got another dynamic and it’s got some of the best restaurants in the CSRA and we want to be part of all of that and part of those success stories,” said Koger.

They are just one of the latest examples of how downtown continues to grow.

They’re a success story just like Nacho Mama’s, which is located in the heart of downtown Augusta.

But it’s a journey Berry Blackston says hasn’t always been easy.

“We’ve seen downtown go from street lights turning off at five in the afternoon to the inability to find a parking space at any given time. So we’ve seen a lot of change,” said Blackston.

Margaret Woodards with the Downtown Development Authority says a lot of the foot traffic is coming in from the entertainment district and soon will be downtown living.

“You’ve really gotten there when you have a downtown living population because it gives you that 24/7 feel of people living downtown. They tend to work downtown and then play downtown,” said Woodard.

She says more foot traffic calls for more expansion.

“We’ve seen a tremendous net gain of businesses over the last five years. I believe in 2021, it was 53 new businesses opened up last year was 47 new businesses opened up and something amazing like 11 expansions, businesses expanding,” said Woodard.

As empty buildings on Broad Street breathe new life, Woodard says the goal is to always have something new to do in the Garden City.

“There’s more for people to do now. You can come downtown and eat, go look at the bookstore, then go have a beer somewhere or go have a specialty cocktail at Vance’s Bakery Bar. They’re just so many great things to do,” said Woodard.

Right now, the DDA is still tallying up how many new businesses have opened up from 2023 until now, but Woodard says more restaurants are coming to lower Broad Street this year.

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