Plan a 3-Day Weekend in Historic Columbus, Georgia

There is no one single version of Columbus, Georgia. Visitors can find a military center, an artistic incubator, a capital of industry, a destination for outdoor adventures and a hub for Black history.

Whether you’re a thrill-seeking whitewater rafter or a history buff, there’s a lot to discover in Columbus — and a wide-ranging food scene to keep you fueled, from haute cuisine to Georgia barbecue.

As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.

Friday: Immerse Yourself in History

Check out Iron Bank Coffee Co. — a café located inside an old bank — for coffee and pastries. From here, begin in downtown (also called uptown, confusingly enough) Columbus by following the Black Heritage Trail, a National Recreation Trail that will take you to the Ma Rainey Home as well as the Liberty Theatre & Cultural Center, where Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed.

Stop for lunch at Minnie’s Uptown Restaurant, where Southern staples are served buffet-style alongside sweet tea.

Then head to MidTown to visit the Columbus Museum, which showcases American art, from impressionist Mary Cassatt to Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage to contemporary artist Amy Sherald, who is most famous for her portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Regional history is also on view, starting with Muskogee Creek archaeological materials to a 19th-century carte-de-visite of pianist, composer and Columbus native Thomas Wiggins, known during his lifetime as “Blind Tom.”

Grab dinner at the Wicked Hen, where tradition is turned on its head in delicious, inventive dishes like “Grilled Green Tomato Hash” and “Buttermilk Frog Legs.” Finally, stop at Columbus State University’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians — located in the writer’s childhood home — for readings by writers in residence, which are free and open to the public.

Saturday: Embark on a Whitewater Adventure

After grabbing breakfast at your hotel, lace up your sneakers and take advantage of Columbus’s ample outdoor spaces.

Start with the city’s world-class whitewater on a guided trip with outfitter Whitewater Express, which offers rafting at a range of different challenge levels. (At the Challenge level, you’re facing up to Class V rapids in smaller, more reactive rafts. The Classic Trip combines up to Class III rapids interspersed with calm, “lazy river” intervals.)

Once you’ve been through the river, why not get a different perspective — above it? Blue Heron Adventure offers a 1,200-foot zip line across the Chattahoochee River (and state lines).

Banks Food Hall beckons you back from the Alabama side of the river, where you can refuel: Get your seafood fix at the Jazzy Crab, stock up on sweets at the Bakeshop by Fountain City Coffee Co. and quench your thirst with craft beers by local brewer Maltitude.

Next, head to the Columbus Botanical Garden to explore preserved native pine and hardwood forest alongside terraces of elegant ornamental roses. For dinner, chow down on hickory- and cherry-smoked sausage and pulled pork with mustard sauce at veteran-owned Zombie Pig BBQ, which got its start as a popular food truck.

End your night beneath the stars at the Hangout Bar & Grill‘s outdoor patio, where local bands play live every weekend.

Sunday: Take In the Museums

Spend your last day in Columbus with a trip through time. Start with breakfast at Bodega 1205, where the menu offers vegan and vegetarian options with Latin flavors. (Don’t sleep on the empanadas!)

From here, start near Fort Benning at Historic Westville, an immersive living-history museum of the Chattahoochee Valley in the 19th century. Learn about Muscogee Creek life here before and after the U.S. passed the 1830 Indian Removal Act and the daily experience of people enslaved on the area plantations that fueled Columbus’ — and the nation’s — economy.

Head back to downtown for lunch at 11th & Bay, located in a former cotton warehouse beneath the historic company headquarters of W.C. Bradley (which itself began as a cotton factoring firm).

At this farm-focused take on Southern food from husband-and-wife team Michael and Heather Harrell, find dishes like “Southern Caprese” (complete with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese) and shrimp and grits with peri-peri sauce and beurre blanc.

Next, zoom forward into the 20th century and beyond at the city’s science center, which houses Georgia’s most extensive space shuttle artifact collection, as well as the Challenger Learning Center mission simulator. Run by Columbus State University, this state-of-the-art museum does double duty as a teaching and research site for the school’s astronomy department.

For dinner, treat yourself to a meal at Epic, Columbus’s most recognized, and perhaps most ambitious, fine-dining establishment. Menus are organized into chapters alongside glossary and index sections, where you can find dishes like “Study of Apple” and “Georgia on My Plate.” Finally, catch a show at the historic Springer Opera House, where Broadway musicals and award-winning plays take the stage.