Columbus at a Glance
Group tours, meeting delegates, and others from around the country are discovering the many fascinating things to see and do in Columbus. Aside from finding that the Coca-Cola formula originated in the city or that it is home of Swift Denim, the largest producer of denim in the nation, Columbus is ideally located where five major highways intersect.
Columbus is an authentic Rivertown. The gently rolling waters of the Chattahoochee have provided food, energy, employment, and recreation for the citizens of Columbus throughout the years. Today, the river is home to the 15-mile trail known as the Chattahoochee RiverWalk. The RiverWalk provides an excellent facility to bike, in-line skate, jog, or just take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the scenery.
Columbus is located at the center of most of Georgia’s major attractions, including nationally-renowned Callaway Gardens, Roosevelt’s Little White House, and Westville the Village of 1850. What’s more, the city is less than an hour’s drive from Georgia’s most popular statewide destinations.
Locally, Columbus offers a variety of fine attractions such as the State Theatre of Georgia, the historic Springer Opera House; Port Columbus Civil War Naval Center, the National Infantry Museum, which displays a large collection of military art and artifacts; The Columbus Museum is one of the newest and largest state-of-the-art facilities in the Southeast and the beautiful Historic District - circa 1850-1870.
Renovated in the 1970’s, the historic Columbus Iron Works, now The Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center, was once a munitions factory during the Civil War and still displays its early wares including items from Civil War cannons to iceboxes, produced in the early 1800’s. Today, the facility is recognized as one of the nation’s finest examples of “adaptive reuse” offering 182,000 square feet of space, including three exhibit halls and 27 meeting rooms, a dining gallery, and a 22,000 square foot ballroom.
The South Commons Complex is the finest collection of sports facilities you will find at one location. The centerpiece of the complex is the Columbus Civic Center. Opened in 1996, this 10,000 seat venue is a true multi-purpose facility. A brand new addition to South Commons is a 2,500 seat softball stadium. The stadium is surrounded by a seven field softball complex and provides Columbus with the opportunity to host any size softball event. Memorial Stadium is a 17,000 seat football stadium that has been recently refurbished. The stadium hosts college football powers Albany State and Ft. Valley State, and the Tuskegee-Morehouse Football Classic. Historic Golden Park is a 4,500 seat baseball stadium that is home to the Columbus Catfish Professional Baseball Team. The stadium was completely refurbished in 1996 and was the Olympic venue for the Women’s Fastpitch Softball competition.
As Georgia’s third-largest city, Columbus has over 3,200 quality hotel/motel rooms and numerous meeting facilities. And, with so many fine accommodations and convention space, the city plays host to hundreds of tour groups as well as state, regional, and national meetings each year.
Columbus is a vibrant and growing community of 250,000 people. Besides being the home of the best Army Installation in the World at Fort Benning, Columbus is the corporate headquarters of many of the United States’ leading companies such as AFLAC Insurance, Carmike Cinemas, Char-Broil, TSYS, and Tom’s Snack Foods.
Southern hospitality is alive and well in Columbus. It’s just “the way we are down here.” It’s a community that takes pride in preserving the past while maintaining a vision for the future. Come to Columbus and let us share that vision with you!