Columbus Attractions
Columbus Headlines
Andersonville National Historic Site
496 Cemetery Road
Columbus, GA
229-924-0343
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
Andersonville, or Camp Sumter as it was officially known, was one of the largest of many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War.
Heritage Corner: the Heart of the Columbus Historic District
1. Woodruff Farm House
708 Broadway
Columbus, GA
The Woodruff Farm House is an 1840's double pen structure serving as a house museum and the offices of Historic Columbus Foundation's Riverfest Weekend and Heritage Tours. The Woodruff Farm House was moved from its former site at Macon and Woodruff Farm Roads on February 14, 1986 to 708 Broadway.
The farm house is called a double-pen. When additional space was needed, adding more pens could enlarge a house. A single pen with another single pen adjacent to it is called a double pen. A double pen has two front doors as seen on this house and the West House at Westville in Stewart County, Georgia.
2. Log Cabin
7081/2 Broadway
Columbus, GA
The Log Cabin is an example of a dwelling used by traders in the early 1800's prior to the settlement of Columbus and is considered to be the oldest structure in Muscogee County, about two centuries old. It was moved from its original location, in the northeastern quadrant of the county, ten miles from its present site. The dwelling was found in a tangle of undergrowth on the George C. Woodruff, Jr. family farm. In an effort to preserve it, the family made the cabin available to the Historic Columbus Foundation.
The Foundation moved the dismantled cabin and reconstructed it at its present location, completing the project in the spring of 1988. The late Dr. Joseph Mahan, at that time historic preservation planner of the Lower Chattahoochee Area Planning and Development Commission, and Mr. Fred Fussell with the Columbus Museum guided the project. Lumpkin contractor, Henry Lynch, dismantled and reassembled the cabin.
3. 700 Broadway
Columbus, GA
700 Broadway is a two-story Italian villa-style townhouse that was restored for the offices of the Historic Columbus Foundation in 1977. Historic Columbus Foundation moved its offices in 2002 to the Rankin House, 1440 Second Avenue. It was the only two-story brick home in the original city of Columbus. The exterior and interior of the walls are solid brick. The first floor is open to tour and has an appropriately furnished parlor, dining room, a library and a bedroom. Original mantelpieces are retained throughout the house. The ceilings are 14 feet high. The light fixtures in this house are gasoliers. The second floor, formerly bedrooms with a wide central hallway, house the offices of the Junior League of Columbus.
Displayed on the Back Porch walls are some of the different historic sights around Columbus.
There are three National Historic Landmarks within the city limits:
The first National Landmark is the Industrial Waterfront District, which includes the Columbus Iron Works. During the War Between the States, the Iron Works produced cannons and mortars, as well as engines and boilers for gunboats. It burned in 1902 but has since been completely restored. It now serves as the Columbus Convention and Trade Center.
The second National Landmark is the Springer Opera House. The Springer is a Victorian theatre built in 1871. It was almost destroyed in the 1960's to build a parking lot, but was saved and restored. The Springer Opera House is now the State Theatre of Georgia.
The third National Landmark is the Folly, the only double-octagonal house in the United States. The first octagon consists of a central chimney and a fireplace in each of the rooms, and the second octagon is a bedroom.
The Walker-Peters-Langdon HouseThe Walker-Peters-Langdon House, a simple Federal cottage built in 1828, is considered the oldest house in the original city.
The Pemberton House
11 Seventh Street
Columbus, GA
The Pemberton House is a Victorian cottage which was occupied by Dr. John Stith Pemberton and his family from 1855-1860. Dr. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Columbus and later Atlanta, was the originator of the formula for Coca-Cola. The Pemberton House features an apothecary shop, and it is housed in an original outbuilding, formerly used as the kitchen. It has been carefully furnished to approximate the surroundings in which Dr. Pemberton worked when he was a Columbus pharmacist. Coca-Cola Company momentos, pharmaceutical items, a soda fountain, and advertisements of Dr. Pemberton's are some of the items on display
The Rankin House
1440 Second Avenue
Columbus, GA
The Rankin House was built for James Rankin, a planter and owner of The Rankin
Hotel, who immigrated to Columbus from Ayrshire in Scotland. Work on this
mansion was started prior to the Civil War but was not completed until the war
ended. The construction of the house is attributed to Lawrence Wimberly Wall, a
native of South Carolina who worked as a brickmason in Savannah before coming to
Columbus in the 1850s.
The lower floor has been restored as an 1850-1870 house museum and decorated in
the representative Victorian style of that era. Original colors have been used
throughout the museum rooms. The fabrics in these rooms are specially created
reproductions of materials of the period and were authenticated by a curator of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Chattahoochee Riverwalk
Columbus, GA
706-322-3181
Admission Free
The RiverWalk is a 15-mile linear park that hugs the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Columbus came back to the river in 1992. But she was never too far away for the history of this city is washed in the waters of the sleepy Chattahoochee.
Call for detailed information
Columbus Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens
1017 Second Avenue
Columbus, GA
706-324-6252
Call for exact days and hours
Admission Charged
The Steeplechase at Callaway, known now as the "event of the season" and always falling on the first Saturday in November, brings family and friends together to watch thoroughbred horses race over timber and brush hurdles. Tailgating together, either in box seats or in the infield, guests select their favorite horse in each of the five sanctioned races and cheer them to the finish; they entertain their children with pony rides, Jack Russell Terrier races, rock wall climbing or Bare Ware Pottery opportunities. There are bagpipers and blacksmiths, as well as the parade of Midland Foxhounds and the WGSY Sunny 100 Tailgate Competition. Additional activities include two junior races for selected competitive riders sixteen and younger, a chefs' competition and a raffle. The day includes a variety of entertainment for all ages.
Coca Cola Space Science Center
701 Front Avenue
Columbus, GA
706-649-1470
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
Created and operated by Columbus State University, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center opened in 1996. Located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, Columbus GA, USA, the Center provides a unique on-site learning experience for all ages.
Confederate Naval War Museum
102 Victory Drive
Columbus, GA
706-327-9798
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
A visit to Port Columbus will allow visitors to place their feet in the shoes of those who made history in the sea services of the Union and Confederate Navies during the Civil War. Visit the original Confederate warships in the collection, some of the rarest and most significant Civil War artifacts in the nation, and reconstructed ships in which the visitor can feel how it must have been to live and work.
Historic Naval Ships
Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum
1002 Victory Drive
Columbus, GA
706-327-9798
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
One of the prime exhibits of Port Columbus is the hull of the ironclad ram Jackson which was designed as an armored, steam-powered ram for river and coast defense. The Jackson’s design was based on the successful model of CSS Virginia (Merrimac). The ship was also known as CSS Muscogee and exemplified the type of vessel employed by the Confederacy in naval combat during the Civil War. The nearly completed ship was burned to the waterline and sunk at the warfs end by Union cavalry General Wilsonís raiders in April of 1865. Jackson was discovered and raised in 1963. It is joined in the museum building by an excellent collection of Civil War naval artifacts including weapons, uniforms and an array of models of Civil War ships.
Columbus Botanical Gardens
Located adjacent to Weems Road
800-999-1613
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
The Columbus Botanical Garden is an approximately 20 acre site of beautiful rolling terrain in north Columbus.
Pemberton Grave
721 Linwood Blvd.
Columbus, GA 31902
706-321-8285
Columbus was the home of Dr. John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist who concocted the original (and still secret) formula for Coca-Cola syrup. He died in 1888; his grave can be viewed in Linwood Cemetery in one of the older sections of town. Pemberton fought for the Confederacy in the War Between the States along with 200 other cemetery residents — his stone is marked with a Confederate Army/Masons seal rather than the anticipated coke bottle engraving. Also in town, the Pemberton House & Apothecary Shop on 11 7th Street features a recreated pharmacy scene and a Pemberton-like mannequin. He was allegedly a morphine addict. Dr. Pemberton sold the secret formula for $1,750.
Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center
4225 University Avenue
Columbus, GA
706-687-4090
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-5pm, Sunday, noon-5pm, Closed Monday
Admission Charged
Oxbow Meadows is a nature discovery center located on 1,600 acres of hardwood wetland habitat in Columbus, Georgia. Nestled in a bend of the Chattahoochee River, it is a place where nature can be itself. Two nature trails wind between ponds, allowing visitors to view native flora & fauna. The center is a hands-on interpretive facility that focuses on the natural & cultural history of the region. Live & mounted animals are on display, including turtles, snakes, birds, frogs, spiders, fish & an alligator.
Nearby Attractions
Callaway Gardens
Pine Mountain, GA 31822-2000
Call for days and hours of operation
800-CALLAWAY (225-5292)
Admission Charged
Callaway Gardens is an award-winning, 14,000-acre resort and gardens nestled in the southernmost foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
Butts Mill Farm
2280 Butts Mill Road
Pine Mountain, GA
706-663-7400
Call for days and hours of operation
Admission Charged
Butts Mill Farm has it all. History, Beauty and wholesome family fun. At Butts Mill Farm you'll enjoy world class miniature golf. A 34ft. inflatable tiger slide, water slide, horseback riding and hay ride. That's just a few of the over 20 activities you can do daily. So plan your visit today and enjoy the excitement of the events and the charm of the Farm.
Pine Mountain Trail
In FDR State Park
2970 Ga. Highway 190
Pine Mountain, GA 31822
706-663-4858
Hours: 7am-10pm
Admission to Park, trail is free
The Pine Mountain Trail is open to hikers any time the park is open. You do not have to be a Pine Mountain Trail Association member to hike on the trail, nor do you have to pay to hike on the trail.
Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari
1300 Oak Grove Road
Pine Mountain, GA
31822
800-367-2751 or 706-663-8744
Call for dates and hours of operation as they vary by season
Admission Charged
From the moment you enter the gates of the A Wild Animal Safari, you begin an unforgettable encounter that spans seven continents. During a fascinating excursion through our 500-acre park, you will see hundreds of wild and exotic species of animals from around the world. Most of these beautiful creatures roam and graze freely, and many of them will come right up to your window for a scratch on the head or perhaps a bite to eat.
Providence Canyon
Located in Providence Canyon State Park
Route 1
Lumpkin, GA 31815
229-838-6202
Hours: 7am-6pm daily
Admission Charged
Visitors are amazed at the breathtaking colors of Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon." The rare Plum leaf Azalea and other wildflowers, as well as the pink, orange, red and purple hues of the soft canyon soil, make a beautiful natural painting at this unique park.
Westville
1850 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Lumpkin, Georgia
888-733-1850 or 229- 838-6310
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission Charged
Westville is a living history museum which depicts an 1850 west Georgia village. You may have seen pictures of little towns like Westville. They dotted the 1850s countryside in the southern United States. We have created Westville so that you can experience a community in the twenty-first century similar to the ones in which our ancestors lived in the middle of the nineteenth century.
FDR’s Little White House
401 Little White House Road
Warm Springs, Georgia
706-655-5970
Open seven days a week, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Admission Charged
Located near Callaway Gardens and the town of Warm Springs
Searching for relief from polio, Franklin D. Roosevelt first came to Warm Springs, Georgia in 1924 to swim in the springs' naturally heated water. Enchanted with the area, he built a vacation cottage on the side of Pine Mountain while running for president in 1932. During his trips to Georgia, he spent many hours visiting neighbors and learning of their difficulties, especially during the Great Depression. The Warm Springs cottage became known as the "Little White House".
Some of the most far-reaching policies of the New Deal were actually formed in the Little White House. The ideas for the National Bank Holiday and the Rural Electrification Administration each had their inception in its rooms. Many techniques for improving livestock breeding, crop rotation and reforestation were developed and demonstrated near Roosevelt's Little White House. The Civilian Conservation Corps, "the CCC" as it was called, employed many a young local man during the Depression years.
