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A big little southern city
By J.G. NASH COLUMBUS, Ga. -- This may be the second-largest city in Georgia, but it has the feel of a small southern town. Traffic is surprisingly light on the wide, clean streets. Buildings are an attractive mix of modern offices testifying to the city's current vitality, of restored brick factories dating to the Civil War, and of refurbished shops and charming B&Bs. The revitalized city offers guided tours of some homes in its 26-block historic district. Columbus has become a center for the performing arts: Its new, $67-million, 245,000-square-foot River Center is larger than Atlanta's Symphony Hall. A fine alternative venue is the antebellum Springer Opera House, which underwent an $11.3-million renovation in 1998. State officials since have named the Springer Georgia's State Theater. The city also boasts a variety of museums -- the traditional museum of arts and history, the Columbus Museum, with hands-on, interactive displays, and an unusual set of three other facilities: The Space Science Center, where the main attraction is a full-size mockup of the Discovery space shuttle and associated ground control stations. What is said to be the only museum devoted to Civil War naval history. There are displays of actual battle flags, armaments, documents and even pieces of a couple of vessels retrieved from the river that flows by Columbus. There are also full-scale mockups of ship interiors and a multimedia presentation of a battle. The National Infantry Museum, in all three floors of an old hospital building at nearby Fort Benning. The extensive displays are arranged in chronological order, starting with the first soldiers to wade ashore in what is now the United States. For more active entertainment, there are golf, horseback riding, tennis and river excursions lasting from one hour to overnight along the Chattahoochee. The city has minor-league hockey and basketball teams, too. Mondays and Tuesdays offer a special event -- mass parachute drops at Fort Benning. Or for a whole day filled with military matters, plan to attend the Airborne in Action show, Mondays at 9:30 a.m., then tour the Infantry Museum and finish with the afternoon's air drop. For entertaining children, the Hollywood Connection Family Center is a monitored attraction featuring several movie theaters, a merry-go-round, miniature golf, skating, computer games and food. On some evenings, the center offers parents an opportunity to leave the children there overnight. -- Freelance writer J.G. Nash lives in Homosassa. If you goGETTING THERE: The 440-mile scenic route to Columbus is via U.S. 19 to Albany, Ga., then west on U.S. 82, then north on U.S. 27 north into Columbus. STAYING THERE: There are the usual chain hotels and motels, but the city has fine B&Bs, too. The Rothchild-Pound House was moved to its present location in 1993. Extensive renovation turned it, and its two adjacent cottages, into one of the city's more popular places to stay. The Web site is www.thepoundhouseinn.com or call toll-free 1-800-585-4075. SEEING THE SIGHTS: Here are the details on the attractions mentioned above: National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning: Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and 12:30-4:30 p.m. weekends. Call (706) 545-2958 or go to the Web site www.benningmwr.com/museum.cfm. River Center for Performing Arts, (706) 653-7993; www.riverarts.net. The Columbus Museum: (706) 649-0713; www.columbusmuseum.com. Hollywood Connection Family Entertainment Center: Open 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; (706) 571-3456. Springer Opera House: (706) 327-3688. National Civil War Naval Museum: Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day except Christmas; (706) 327-9798; www.portcolumbus.org. FOR MORE INFORMATION: For help with reservations and for information, call toll-free 1-800-999-1613, or check the city's Web site, at www.columbusga.com/ccvb. ALONG THE WAY: For those with more time, Columbus is a good base from which to visit nearby attractions. Just south of the city, at Lumpkin, there's the authentically re-created turn-of-the-century Georgia village, Westville. Dirt roads wind past homes, businesses, schools and shops typical of the period. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's beloved Warm Springs home is less than 40 miles north of Columbus. Adults will be touched by the sense of his presence in this place. Children may be surprised at how simply that great president lived in his "Little White House." Pine Mountain is just a short drive beyond Warm Springs. It was made famous by the classy resort Callaway Gardens. At the least, visitors should drive through the extensive grounds and enjoy its famous gardens. The golf course is a fine one. If you go to Pine Mountain, schedule at least four hours for a drive through the Wild Animal Park, where the critters roam free.
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From the Times Travel page
From the AP |
