Free & Cheap Things to Do in Columbus

History & Culture

USA Today's Best Free Museum and one of CNN Travel's 12 Best Military Museums in the World — a 190,000-square-foot tribute to the American infantry soldier on a 155-acre campus just outside the gates of Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning). The Last 100 Yards Ramp recreates eight pivotal battles from Yorktown to Iraq; the Soldier Store, Fife and Drum Restaurant, and a 250-seat Giant Screen Theater add full-day options.

Address: 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, GA 31903

Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday 9am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm; closed Mondays. Giant Screen Theater and VR Combat Simulators are separate charges. Free parking on-site. Allow 3-4 hours minimum. The outdoor Memorial Walk of Honor is free and accessible any time.

Arts & Culture

Owned by Columbus State University on the downtown Riverwalk — Georgia's largest collection of NASA Space Shuttle artifacts ($17 million worth), the Omnisphere planetarium theater, the Space Shuttle Odyssey mission simulator, four flight simulators, and the Challenger Learning Center mission control simulator. Compact but dense with hands-on experiences for kids.

Address: 701 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Open Monday–Friday 10am–4pm, Saturday 10:30am–5pm; closed Sundays. Allow 2-3 hours. Planetarium shows run hourly — multiple titles (dinosaurs, black holes, super volcanoes) in heavy rotation. Free parking in front lot.

Arts & Culture

Georgia's second-largest general museum — 14,000+ artifacts spanning American fine art (from late 18th century to contemporary) and Chattahoochee Valley regional history. The 1947 benefactor's gift mandates free admission for all visitors in perpetuity, making this the cheapest serious art-and-history museum visit in Georgia. The Bradley Olmsted Garden adjacent to the building is also free.

Address: 1251 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA 31906

Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 1pm–5pm; closed Mondays. Children's hands-on gallery is the family favorite. The Bradley Olmsted Garden walking paths are free and open during museum hours. Free parking on-site.

History & Culture

A 40,000-square-foot Civil War naval museum on the south Riverwalk — the salvaged hull of the CSS Jackson Confederate ironclad (preserved in a climate-controlled hall), the recovered remains of the CSS Chattahoochee gunboat, a full-scale replica of the USS Hartford deck, dioramas, weapons, and naval flags. The most substantial Civil War naval collection outside the Naval Academy.

Address: 1002 Victory Drive, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm, closed Sundays and Mondays. Allow 2-3 hours. The CSS Jackson preservation hall is the marquee — one of only three preserved Confederate ironclads. Free on-site parking.

History & Culture

The restored Fifth Avenue home of Gertrude "Ma" Rainey — the "Mother of the Blues," the first nationally recorded female blues singer, and a Columbus native who mentored Bessie Smith. The small museum preserves period furnishings and exhibits on her recording career, the early-1900s Black entertainment circuit, and her influence on American blues.

Address: 805 5th Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Tours by appointment only at 706-326-8010 or florenedawkins@knology.net. Open Monday–Friday 9am–3pm, Saturday 10am–3pm; closed Sundays. Limited to four visitors per tour. Allow 45 minutes. Pair with the Black Heritage Trail driving tour through Historic Columbus Foundation.

Historic Sites

A one-block cluster of five preserved 19th-century structures at 7th and Broadway operated by the Historic Columbus Foundation — including the Pemberton House (1850s home of Coca-Cola inventor Dr. John S. Pemberton), the 1828 Walker-Peters-Langdon House (oldest in Columbus), an 1800 log cabin, the Woodruff Farm House, and the 1870 Italianate building at 700 Broadway. Guided tours by Historic Columbus Foundation.

Address: 716 Broadway, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Tours begin at 716 Broadway by appointment with the Historic Columbus Foundation — call 706-322-0756. Combine with the Foundation's free self-guided Soft Drink Heritage Trail and Black Heritage Trail driving tour. Free parking on Broadway.

Walking Tours

A 15-mile paved trail along the Chattahoochee River through Columbus, linking the cotton mill village of Bibb City, downtown Columbus, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, and the Fort Moore drill fields. Suitable for walking, biking, and running, with benches, restrooms, ADA-accessible paths, and free river views the entire length.

Address: Downtown trailhead at 1000 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Free, open dawn to dusk year-round. Bibb City end is the quietest, downtown section is the busiest. Bike-share stations along the downtown stretch. Pair with RushSouth Whitewater Park (literally in the river next to the trail) and the COMU museum stop.

Parks & Nature

The world's longest urban whitewater course — 2.5 miles of Class III–V rapids running right through downtown Columbus on a dam-controlled stretch of the Chattahoochee River. Free to watch from overlooks along the Chattahoochee Riverwalk; paid guided rafting trips run with Whitewater Express from late spring through early fall, with both family-friendly Class I–III morning runs and Class III–V afternoon "big water" runs.

Address: Chattahoochee River between 14th Street and Eagle & Phenix Dam, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Watching is free year-round — the river overlooks on the Riverwalk are best. Whitewater Express trips run from spring through fall — book separately. Afternoon "big water" releases (4,000-13,000 cfs) are 5-15× the morning flow.

Shopping & Strolling

Columbus's walkable downtown arts and entertainment hub along Broadway — locally owned restaurants, boutiques, galleries, and pubs anchored by the historic Springer Opera House and the Liberty Theatre. Free Friday Night Concert Series from spring through fall (jazz, rock, reggae, gospel), and Market Days on Broadway every Saturday April–November with 200+ vendors.

Address: Broadway between 9th and 12th Streets, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Free Friday Night Concert Series 7–11pm in season. Market Days on Broadway Saturdays April–November is the cheap-eats and farmers-market value pick. The 1871 Springer Opera House (Georgia's State Theatre) and the 1925 Liberty Theatre are both walking distance — visible from the outside even when not hosting events.

Walking Tours

A free self-guided walking tour through Uptown Columbus tracing the city's surprising role in the American soft-drink industry — Coca-Cola was invented in Columbus by pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton in 1885, RC Cola was bottled here, and Nehi originated in Columbus. The Historic Columbus Foundation publishes the route and stop list online; combine with a tour of Pemberton's restored home at Heritage Corner.

Address: Begins at Heritage Corner, 716 Broadway, Columbus, GA 31901

Tip: Self-guided — download the route from the Historic Columbus Foundation site. Allow 60-90 minutes for the full walking route. Free street parking on Broadway. The most unique Columbus-specific story you can hear in a budget walk — and you end at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center as a bonus stop.