Columbus: City on the Chattahoochee

See and Experience Old World and New World Columbus

Official Columbus, GA Website: http://www.columbusga.com/

Columbus, Georgia straddles, quite literally, the border of Alabama and Georgia. In the middle runs the Chattahoochee River, from North Georgia to the Florida Gulf Coast. Like Augusta, Columbus’ river history is one of trade and commerce. In the 1800s cotton barges moved steadily along this route. Today the riverfront has become an integral part of downtown revitalization. Also like Augusta’s riverfront, Columbus’ stretch of the Chattahoochee riverbank has been stylishly converted to a 15-mile paved, mixed-use trail.

Columbus River Walk

The Columbus River Walk, as it’s called, winds along lush banks broken with expanses of wide river view and low meadow. Users access the River Walk in various key points along the trail. River Walk ends south of Columbus at Fort Benning and the U.S. Army Infantry School and Center. Fort Benning was a critical training camp for paratroopers during WWII.

One of the access points to the River Walk is adjacent to the very popular Coca-Cola Space Science Center at Columbus State University in downtown. The Center is a state-of-the-art science and technology attraction built to expose children to the wonders of the universe. Of particular note are the Mead Observatory and the innovative Challenger Learning Center, where school children may take part in simulated Challenger rides.

Museums and Gardens

Not too far north out of Columbus is Callaway Gardens. This one of a kind southern resort draws horticulturalists to its garden areas and hiking trails, and spectators to its sold out holiday Fantasy in Lights, an opulent array of lighted displays that dot a 7-mile long drive through the gardens. As a high-end getaway, Callaway offers top-notch golf and resort amenities.

The Columbus Museum is known throughout Georgia for the breadth of its art and crafts collections, particularly those native to the state and region. Among the museum’s permanent collections are works by Winslow Homer and Benjamin West, part of their enviable 18 th and 19 th Century American Art holdings. Among the decorative arts pieces, there are unique works by glass artists Dale Chihuly and pioneer glass master Louis Comfort Tiffany.