In Muscogee, nature experiences and a wide range of cultural attractions are close together. The Standing Boy Trails follow the shores of Lake Oliver across an extensive area; in Columbus, discoveries range from regional natural history to museums covering history, space exploration and theater. This makes it possible to get to know the region through a variety of interests, without any single subject defining your visit.
Nature at Lake Oliver and in Columbus
The Standing Boy Trails are located on a 1,580-acre site along the shores of Lake Oliver in Muscogee County. Visitors can hike, run, cycle and observe wildlife there. A park pass is required to use the trails. The trail system may close after heavy rain, so check trail status before you travel.
The Chattahoochee RiverWalk offers a different kind of nature experience: the 22-mile linear trail runs through Columbus. Parking is available near each listed access point. At the Columbus Botanical Garden, display gardens featuring native and regional plant species take center stage. The 36-acre site also includes the Joann Holt Walking Trail. Together, these places offer different ways to discover nature in Muscogee—on an extensive trail system, along a river or in a garden featuring regional plants.
In Columbus, the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center adds a focus on the region’s ecology and natural history. It offers formal and informal programs, interactive natural history exhibits and live collections of regional animals. Those interested in the landscape and wildlife will find a different perspective here than on the trails or in the botanical garden: nature is experienced not only outdoors, but also explored through exhibits and programs.
Museums spanning regional history and space exploration
The Columbus Collective Museums bring together eight museums in a restored warehouse and exhibit building belonging to a tile and marble company, originally built in 1946. The National Civil War Naval Museum focuses on naval history. Exhibits include the CSS Jackson and the recovered wreck of the CSS Chattahoochee. There is also a reconstruction of the USS Hartford, along with replicas of the turret of the USS Monitor and the CSS Albemarle.
The museum offers more than one way to explore its collections: the self-guided “Stroll the Decks” tour begins with an introduction by a museum interpreter, while “African-Americans & Civil War Navies” is a guided tour. The museum also hosts living history programs, tours, cannon firings, weapons demonstrations and special history projects throughout the year. The tours and programs highlight different aspects of the subject, from finding your way around the museum to demonstrations and in-depth historical offerings.
The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center focuses on the history of the American infantry. The museum preserves a significant collection of military artifacts; its galleries covering different eras document the infantry’s involvement in conflicts since the nation’s founding. The immersive exhibit “The Last 100 Yards” brings more than 240 years of infantry history to life. The 155-acre campus also includes a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a separate memorial to the Global War on Terrorism.
The Coca-Cola Space Science Center at Columbus State University houses a very different collection: it holds the largest collection of NASA Space Shuttle artifacts in Georgia. Visitors can take a virtual journey to the International Space Station and use flight simulators. Natural history, military history and space exploration are thus presented as very different subjects; the choice depends on which stories interest you most.
History, theater and city life
Historic Westville brings 19th-century daily life to life as a living history museum. Artifacts, traditional crafts, workshops and performers in 19th-century attire offer different ways to explore the era. The Columbus Museum, meanwhile, presents American art and regional history through more than 14,000 artifacts and objects. The two institutions have different focuses: everyday life and crafts at one, art and regional collections at the other.
Columbus city history is also told in different ways. Historic Columbus tours cover more than 150 years of the city’s history. A self-guided driving tour follows the Black Heritage Trail. The Springer Opera House opened in 1871 and is designated a National Historic Landmark. It offers historic tours with museum guides by appointment, as well as late-night ghost tours, and produces fourteen live theater performances per season. Advance registration is also available for a tour of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.
Two approximate travel times can help you plan your arrival: Columbus Metropolitan Airport is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Columbus, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is approximately an hour and a half away. Times are estimates and depend on traffic.
Discover more destinations: Columbus, Chatham, Lumpkin County, Jackson County, Macon County, Murray County, Sumter, Cobb.
For the main travel overview: Georgia.
