Explore Columbus: A City with Big Vision!
A city on the move!
Columbus, located 100 miles from the Georgia capital of Atlanta, is a city on the move. It’s the second-largest city in Georgia and is home to the state’s fourth-largest metropolitan area. In 2020, the city had a population of over 200,000 people, with well over 300,000 living in the Columbus Metropolitan area.
For years, the city lay sleepy near the end of the Chattahoochee River’s run to the sea, but that all changed. Visitcolumbusga.com says, “[For years,] Columbus was under the radar.” But now it is “over the top as it blends a vibrant artsy energy with unique local history and a thriving food scene.”
The city is also perfect for enjoying the outdoors, listening to local bands, and tasting finely brewed beer. In short, Columbus has “world-class experiences without the world-class ego.”
A little history: Columbus was initially inhabited by the Creek Indians. The city was settled in 1828 and named for Christopher Columbus. Up until 1918, Columbus was an important shipping port. Then, in 1918, it became home to the U.S. Army’s Camp Benning (now Fort Moore).
Outdoor Living
The city has always been unique because it is situated along the Chattahoochee River, which borders Alabama—not far from Phoenix City. But Columbus’s recent claim to fame comes from its placement as having some of the country’s best whitewater kayaking and rafting.
Outdoor lovers flock to Columbus to experience the longest urban whitewater course in the world and a zip line across the river. Here’s how they make the river happen! Columbus and the Chattahoochee River are inextricably linked. It is the city’s lifeline.
In 1882, a dam was built across the Chattahoochee from Alabama to Georgia to power cotton textile mills along the river. This added a second small reservoir to the region.
According to visitcolumbus.com: “The Eagle and Phenix dam was much larger than its predecessor at 30 feet high and 20-30 feet thick. It was the largest masonry dam in the south at the time. There was a need for more horsepower from the technology changes and demand increasing.”
Columbus is that city for those who love to see an area grow to have a healthy community! The whitewater course that changed a city began in 1972, the National Park Service listed the Columbus Industrial District, including the two masonry dams, as National Historical Landmarks.
When textile mills were abandoned, the city knew that a change needed to take place. City leaders and private developers came up with a plan to bring new life and residences to Columbus and to the nearby cities of Alabama.
From a history of manufacturing to a future of outdoor fun!
“In 2003, W.C. Bradley, the legacy cotton manufacturing company that now works in real estate and selling home goods, purchased the Eagle and Phenix Dam. The safety and stability of the nearly two-century-old dam were not well understood, and W.C. Bradley was liable for any harm incurred.
“Ideas to create an urban white water course on the river were floated by the outdoor store owner, environmentalist, and naturalist Mr. Neal Wickham. Wickman and John Turner, son of the former CEO Bill Turner of W.C. Bradley, heard about engineering rivers to create urban white water courses from other success stories throughout the country.
“Wickman and Turner thought let’s not just remove these nonfunctioning impoundments but actually create waters that are more appealing to kayakers and rafters bringing in tourists and money to the city. This is highlighted in the Chattahoochee Unplugged documentary.
“Uptown Columbus jumped on board and funded the project. Planning and feasibility efforts to remove the dams and transform the river for kayak and white-water recreation would take place for two years.
“Project teams of engineers, hydrologists, divers, historic preservationists, the Army Corps of Engineers, environmental scientists, biologists, and professional kayaker and wave-making engineer Rick McLaughlin came together to build a whitewater trail like no other.
“After many lab tests, computer simulations, and underwater soil probing to understand the river’s potential, it was concluded that if the dams were removed, the river would not offer waves appealing enough to kayakers and rafters. So, the idea of using a “waveshaper” was born.
“A waveshaper is a steel mechanical, ‘60-foot-wide structure with movable veins shaped like airplane wings dubbed “waveshaper’ would do the trick. This fluctuation was key given that the North Highlands dam, which is 2.5 miles north, will inevitably create low or high waters depending on demand.”
World-famous whitewater city!
When the dams were destroyed, Columbus took a huge step toward becoming a world-famous whitewater city!
“The change was critical to the history of Columbus, as was when the first stone was laid on the first mill of these shores,” Teresa Tomlinson, former Columbus mayor, said in September 2011.
The section of the Chattahoochee River near Columbus went from two large, lifeless reservoirs to an area full of activity.
In Columbus, Georgia, you can enjoy a lazy river ride in the morning and a wild adventure with class V rapids in the afternoon at RushSouth Whitewater Park, the longest urban whitewater course in the world.
The Chattahoochee River Whitewater course between Columbus, Ga. and Phenix City, Al. extends along the river from just south of the North Highlands Dam near Lake Oliver to the Dillingham Bridge in Uptown Columbus and creates the longest urban whitewater course in the world. There is approximately 2.5 miles of freshwater fun for people to enjoy the river activities with rafting, kayaking, paddleboarding, or canoeing and the Riverwalks provide outdoor activities such as fishing, walking, running, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading and much more!
Or you can take a high adventure on the zip line that crosses the Chattahoochee River from Georgia to Alabama and back again.
Other things to do in Columbus, Georgia
Fly to the moon at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center or study distant planets at the Omnisphere Planetarium. Simulators and artifacts from NASA’s space program provide a glimpse that’s truly out of this world.
Explore your creative side with our arts scene. Visit the Springer Opera House, the State Theatre of Georgia; Columbus Museum, one of the largest museums in the Southeast that brings American art and regional history to life; and RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, the centerpiece of the city’s new arts and entertainment district.
According to Visit Columbus, “When you’re hungry, no other destination offers more authentic, eclectic Southern cuisine!”
The thriving downtown is a mecca for attractions, restaurants, and shops. And if you are considering moving to Columbus, know there are a tremendous amount of activities in the area, from Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain to the National Infantry Museum at Ft Moore.
Bring your boat, rent a cabin or condo on Lake Harding, only 30 minutes from the whitewater experience, and spend the week discovering what the area has to offer! Or, enjoy fishing on West Point Lake and Lake Eufaula within a 45-minute drive to the urban whitewater course.
However you plan your adventure along the Chattahoochee River, it will be a vacation to remember!
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Photo by Sean Pavone on Shutterstock
