Columbus brings together places with a complex history, trails along the Tombigbee River and the natural setting of Plymouth Bluff. Opening hours matter when choosing your visit dates: the University Galleries are open on weekdays, and visits to the Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center are available by appointment. Events can also provide a specific reason to choose when to travel.
Cultural History at Specific Sites
Friendship Cemetery is connected to the history of Memorial Day: the first Decoration Day was held here in 1866, giving rise to today’s Memorial Day tradition. Marble stones mark the final resting place of 2,194 Confederate soldiers. The story of Catfish Alley tells another part of life in Columbus: in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the street was a central gathering place and business district for the African American community. At the end of Catfish Alley, on College Street, there is a Mississippi Blues Trail marker.
The Tennessee Williams House Museum & Welcome Center brings together architectural history and literature. The restored Victorian house dates from 1875 and is a National Literary Landmark. It was originally the rectory of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where Reverend Walter Dakin, Tennessee Williams’s grandfather, served. The museum offers a free tour of the playwright’s first home; a donation of $5 is recommended. If you want to make the tour a firm part of your plans, ask in advance about its availability.
Other museums focus on different subjects. The R. E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Center is designated a Mississippi Historic Landmark. The Stephen D. Lee Home & Museum houses the Florence McLeod Hazard Museum, with collections and Civil War artifacts. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum explores the waterway’s distinctive features and its extensive system of locks and dams; it also displays rail and road transportation artifacts. Exhibitions and events at the University Galleries are free and open to the public. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; hours may vary on university holidays.
Riverwalk and Nature Trails
The Columbus Riverwalk is a 4.4-mile trail for walking and biking. It starts downtown and runs along the Tombigbee River. Its amenities include two pavilions, restrooms, benches and picnic tables. There is also a lighted, covered stage for events such as outdoor concerts. This sets the Riverwalk apart from the trails at Plymouth Bluff, which pass through a variety of forest landscapes.
Plymouth Bluff has five miles of trails through floodplain forests and upland mixed forests. The trails run along a 60- to 70-foot-high bluff and offer views of the former course of the Tombigbee River. Another distinctive feature of the area is its easily accessible fossil beds, with numerous marine shell fossils. If your main interest is experiencing the landscape and geology, these trails offer a different focus from the route along the river’s present-day banks.
Visiting Days and Seasonal Events
The Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by prior appointment. Schedule your appointment before visiting and confirm the latest information, as hours and appointment requirements may change. For the University Galleries, it is worth checking the university calendar if your visit falls on a holiday.
Events also give your plans a seasonal framework. The Spring Pilgrimage includes candlelight tours of antebellum homes and carriage rides through historic neighborhoods. Catfish in the Alley is an annual spring event featuring Mississippi farm-raised catfish, concerts, artisans and food stalls. When choosing your travel dates, it is also helpful to decide whether the appointment requirement at Plymouth Bluff or the Galleries’ opening hours work with your plans.
For an overview of the wider area: Lowndes County.
