36 hours in Columbus … if you love the Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River is the area’s one constant. It is the border between Georgia and Alabama, at once joining and separating the two states. The river powered the mills of earlier times and, today, powers whitewater rafting. It links us to the north, to Atlanta and the North Georgia mountains, and to the south of us, where the Chattahoochee drains into the Gulf of Mexico. In Columbus, the river spurs historic preservation, tourism, recreation and environmental learning. And, along its 430-mile course, it is the pool from which all of us drink.

Here are nine Chattahoochee-related things to see and do if you have 36 hours in Columbus.

#1 – How about a two-state, loop walk – in less than 60 minutes?

Introducing the Chattahoochee Riverwalk, opened 23 years ago, arguably the first and most important new engagement with the Chattahoochee River. Begin on the Georgia side. Park in the city-owned deck at the intersection of 12th Street and Front Avenue. Descend 50 steps down to the RiverWalk. Walk south. This is the RiverWalk at its most elegant: The walkway paved in brick and concrete. Stylish benches. The terraced levee. Trees, shrubs and other plantings. This first section of the RiverWalk was opened in 1992, five hundred years after Columbus arrived in the Americas. (Note the sculpture.) Exit the RiverWalk at the Trade Center. Walk north beneath the railroad bridge, past brick buildings on your right owned by Columbus State University. Turn left onto the Dillingham Street Bridge. Across the bridge, turn right at the plaque marking where Confederate troops torched the bridge. Walk through a parking lot with an amphitheater and a P.O.W. memorial on your right, then enter the Alabama side of the RiverWalk. A plaque noting the spot where six Indians were hanged marks the entry. On this side of the river, the walk is less formal, more natural, with access to the rocks along the river’s shore. Here you’ll see the receiving end and the return tower of the zip line as well as the 10-stop aerial course. Exit the RiverWalk at 13th Street. Walk beneath the 13th Street Bridge, through the 14th Street Plaza, then on to the Frank Martin Pedestrian Bridge opened in 2013. Halfway across are the best views of the whitewater course. Look north to see how the course sets up from the raft entry point at North Highlands Dam. Look south to see the rapids course on both sides of the river, including the Class V rapid, Cutbait. Exit the bridge to the south, returning to the RiverWalk and your starting point 200 yards away. This two-state, loop walk is less than 60 minutes at a brisk pace. But two or more hours will go if you linger at the points of interest, marvel at the views, rest on the benches.

Get maps and directions: Parking deck

#2 – Raft the whitewater course that runs along the city’s downtown

The 2.5-mile course is regulated by an upriver dam. During the early part of the day, “low flow” produces Class I-IV rapids. Later in the day, the upriver dam releases more water, producing Class II-V rapids through passages of the river with names like “Cutbait.” Rafting the river at “low flow” is low-risk, all-fun. But take care at “high flow.” Rafts upend, leaving rafters in the water. One upended rafter died in 2018. Yet, a blind, invalid retired Army colonel made it through, as have thousands of others, without having to swim for it. Rafting services offered by Whitewater Express, 1000 Bay Avenue. Many ticket packages. Seasonal.

Get maps and directions: Whitewater Express

#3 – See the river flow beneath you at 40 miles per hour

The Blue Heron Adventure, offered by Whitewater Express, is a dual zip line crossing the river from Columbus to Phenix City. Speeds reach 40 miles per hour, according to the company. The starting point is at the intersection of 11th Street and Bay Avenue. On the Phenix City end point, optionally connect with a tree-top aerial course or the zip line returning to Georgia.  Seasonal.

Get maps and directions: Whitewater Express

#4 – Sunset across the Chattahoochee can be both striking and historic

Park a camp chair on the fishing dock at the city-owned marina at Lake Oliver. The sun sets behind tree-covered land at the west side of the lake, igniting the water. Or, position yourself to the south and east of the burned-out remains of the Bibb Manufacturing Company’s cotton mill, once the nation’s largest. Watch the sun set through the six-story lattice of brick ruins.

Get maps and directions: Marina at Lake Oliver, Bibb Manufacturing Company

#5 – A bend in the river that resembles an oxen’s collar is known as an oxbow

The Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center is sited at an oxbow in the Chattahoochee River. Its meadows are, in part, a long covered over city landfill, and a vast open ground where Columbus Water Works spreads the bio solids from its nearby waste water treatment plant, nourishing the hay grown above. Visitors can engage the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center at different levels: Indoors, it’s a modern, fully air-conditioned, natural history center with exhibits, displays, a variety of snakes, turtles and fish. Outdoors, there is an alligator reserve, a bird sanctuary, and hiking trails along the shore of its duckweed pond. At tree-top level, there is a canopy trail, perfect for birders. And, when the gates are open, you’re free to explore the meadows. Explore deeply and you’ll reach the oxbow. Admission is free but the center depends on contributions.

Get maps and directions: Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center

#6 – Try the latest fitness craze, particularly among fit, younger women: stand-up paddle boarding and yoga

Chattahoochee Outdoors Academy offers classes for beginners to advanced – rental equipment available – in the calm pools and slower currents of the Chattahoochee River whitewater course, downtown. Arrange through either Whitewater Express office, 1000 Bay Avenue in Columbus,  or 1400 3rd Avenue in Phenix City. Seasonal.

Get maps and directions: Whitewater Express (Columbus) (Phenix City)

#7 – Explore the outdoor adventure game Geocaching while hiking along the RiverWalk

In Columbus, it’s called the RiverWalk Geo Tour, and it follows the precepts of the GPS-based game attracting interest across the world. New to the game? Geocaching is a treasure hunt where players use GPS-devices to track, find and record typically theme-related caches. In this case, it’s 32 containers along a 15-miles stretch of the RiverWalk. Find as few as 10 to win a coin. Pick up a scoring sheet at the Visitors Center or go online.

Get maps and directions: Visitors Center

#8 – Drive the 10-mile scenic River Bend Road in nearby Chattahoochee County

The entry point is a marked, right turn off U.S. 27, a few miles south of the intersection with Georgia 520. This is a twisting, hilly, two-land road through stands of slash pine, wild flora and deer. At its end is River Bend Park, a picnic area and boat ramp at a great big bend in the Chattahoochee River. Canoeists, according to riverkeepers Fred Brown and Sherri M. L. Smith, consider this section of the river “the finest to paddle in the Columbus area.” They are drawn by the shallow water, old channels and small islands – and the absence of fishing boats.

Get maps and directions: River Bend Road

#9 – Artists are drawn to the river to make art au plein air

Artist Gloria Sampson recommends setting one’s easel along the Alabama side shoreline, a bit north of the 14th Street Bridge. The view here is the water’s edge, whitewater, the old cotton mills, all framed by a tree canopy. (Take care in late afternoon when the water rises.) Some of drone photographer Jim Gates most revealing work is the Chattahoochee seen from the air. Set up on the Frank Martin Pedestrian Bridge just south of the 14th Street Bridge.

Get maps and directions: 14th Street Bridge

 

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