In the 19th century, long before it became known as a golf mecca and home to the Masters tournament each April, Augusta, Georgia, was a center of textile manufacturing in the Deep South. Many first-time visitors to Augusta are surprised to learn the city has a canal system connected to the wide Savannah River that flows past downtown, built to serve the textile mills. Today, the river and the Augusta Canal are centers of recreation as well as commerce, with boat tours available on each waterway.