Augusta — It's the First Friday celebration and downtown's Broad Street is packed with folks out to have a fun evening.

Bee's Knees, Nacho Mama's, Tap Tap, Blue Sky Kitchen, New Moon and other quirky eateries are packed from the inside booths and bar stools to the umbrella tables on the sidewalks. Pulsating music wraps around the partiers, and some just gotta get up and dance.

William Schemmel / AJC Special (ENLARGE)

A statue of the late Godfather of Soul is at street level in Augusta, where visitors can pose with the famous singer.

Augusta Museum of History (ENLARGE)

Many of James Brown's costumes are on display at the Augusta Museum of History.

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To pry them away, art galleries and shops dangle discounts and free wine and cheese.

First Friday always draws a crowd, but there's a bigger buzz than usual to this one in May. It's wrapped up in "The Payback Festival," a weekend honoring James Brown's birthday.

"The Godfather of Soul," "King of Funk," "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" was born across the Savannah River in Barnwell, S.C., on May 3, 1933, and cut his musical teeth singing, dancing and shining shoes for tips in his aunt's Augusta brothel. He died in Atlanta of pneumonia on Christmas Day 2006.

He's buried at a temporary site in South Carolina, while his family considers a permanent resting place, which might be an attraction similar to Elvis Presley's Graceland.

"The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown," a three-year exhibit, opened this spring at the Augusta Museum of History. It includes hundreds of photos, costumes, show posters, videos and film footage spanning his life and career, highlighted by two Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Award, one of the charter entries in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and induction in the New York Songwriters Hall of Fame.

"I Feel Good," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Please, Please, Please," " Say It Loud, I'm Black and Proud" "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" and other gold and platinum smashes boom from a neon-lighted jukebox.

How big was he? The poster for a 1994 concert at Harlem's Apollo Theater includes, in smaller- print, "invited guests" Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and the O'Jays.

"James Brown had an incredible impact on so many genres of music, and his achievements and influence on the industry are tremendous," Augusta Museum of History executive director Nancy Glaser says. "I can think of no more fitting tribute than this exhibition in the town he loved. He is a true national and international treasure."

Brown's name and image are everywhere downtown.

The civic auditorium is called the James Brown Arena. A section of 9th Street is James Brown Boulevard. His bronze likeness is at James Brown Plaza on Broad Street. The statue, in the park-like median between 8th and 9th streets, seems small, but those familiar with the singer say it's a life-sized portrayal of his slender, 5-foot, 8-inch frame.

It's also accessible. Instead of standing on a pedestal, the smiling Godfather, wearing his signature cape and holding a microphone, is at street level, where his fans can drape their arms around him, put flowers and messages in his arms and have their photos made with him.

If you don't have a camera, stand next to the statue, smile up at the camera on the light post, punch in the posted number on your cellphone, wait 10 seconds, and download your photo on www.augustaarts.com.

Brown, were he still with us, would probably feel good about the signs of life in downtown Augusta.

Arts, eateries, condos and First Friday activities are reviving Broad Street, at 111 feet America's second-widest main street, after New Orleans' Canal Street.

More than a dozen working art studios, galleries, antique stores, gift, apparel and body lotion shops are on Artist's Row, between 9th and 11th streets.

Among the shops, laid-back coffeehouses and bars and restaurants are popular with Augusta's college crowds and the young-at-heart.

Vintage buildings, with too many vacant storefronts, are being turned into loft apartments and condos, with high-end retail.

The Riverwalk, Augusta's most popular attraction, is two blocks from Broad. Two levels on the old Savannah River levee have bricked walking and jogging paths, pocket parks, historic markers, trees and flowering plants, benches and gazebos — as well as more shops, restaurants and hotels.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Augusta is on I-20, 160 miles east of downtown Atlanta.

About the exhibit

Augusta Museum of History, 560 Reynolds St., in downtown Augusta, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m., Sunday. "Godfather of Soul" exhibit, running through May 2011, is included in regular admission: $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 ages 6-18, and free for under 6. 706- 722-8454, www.augustamuseum.org,

Where to stay

Augusta Marriott Hotel & Suites, 2 10th St., is two 11-story buildings on the Riverwalk, with deluxe rooms and suites, fine dining, pools, cable TV and wi-fi. Rates from about $150. 1-800-868-5354 or 706-722-8900, www.marriott.com.

Partridge Inn, 2110 Walton Way, is a recently updated historic hotel, 15 minutes from downtown, with a full-service dining room and bar. Rates from $125. 1-800-476-6888 or 706-737-8888, www.partridgeinn.com.

Where to eat

Bee's Knees, 211 10th St., tapas and eclectic finger food. 706-828-3600.

Blue Sky Kitchen, 990 Broad St., Asian fusion, Cajun, sandwiches and salads. 706-821-3988.

La Maison, 404 Telfair St. Former Atlantan Heinz Sowinski's lovely restaurant, in an historic downtown mansion, is Augusta dining's class act; European cuisine, a wine bar and tapas room. 706-722-4805.

Luigi's, 590 Broad St., near the Museum of History, old-fashioned spaghetti-and-meatballs joint, with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters on booth jukeboxes. 706-722-4056

Nacho Mama's, 976 Broad St., nachos, burritos, tacos and other Tex-Mex faves. 706-724-0501.

Tap Tap, 1032 Broad St., Mediterranean tapas and Tex-Mex tacos. 706-722-7738.

Information

Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau's Welcome Center, 560 Reynolds St., is inside the history museum. 1-800-726-0243, www.augustaga.org.