Nine vineyards and wineries spread out across the Northeast Georgia mountain landscape provide multiple destinations for a driving and tasting tour of Georgia burgeoning wine industry. View an interactive map showing the locations of all nine wineries on the tour. Photo by Blackstock Vineyards.

A driving tour of Georgia wine country is the perfect way to explore the Northeast Georgia mountains while at the same time sampling the award-winning wines at the nine Georgia vineyards and wineries that are members of the Wine Growers Association of Georgia.

The Northeast Georgia Mountains combine the perfect terrain, soil, drainage, and elevation necessary for vineyards to produce wines that reveal a “sense of place,” or terroir, which separates the wines of the region from those made in other geographically diverse regions. The soil composition is very much like that of Italy’s Piedmont region, which produces some of the most prestigious wines in the world.

All of the wineries on the tour are members of the Winegrowers Association of Georgia, a non-profit corporation organized to promote and market Georgia wines, to improve the market environment for Georgia wines, to increase public awareness of Georgia wines, and to facilitate research in Georgia viticultural and vinification techniques to improve already noteworthy Georgia wines. Annual members must qualify with a minimum of five acres in Georgia of vinifera or French-American grapes in production, or with a minimum of 1,000 cases of wine produced annually from Georgia-grown vinifera or French-American grapes.

Links:

• Read a feature blog about Habersham Vineyards and Winery.
• View profiles of all nine vineyards and wineries on the tour, as well as other Georgia vineyards and wineries.
• View an interactive map showing the locations of all nine wineries on the driving tour.
• Download a copy of the 2009 Georgia Wine Association Brochure.
• Read more about the Winegrowers Association of Georgia.
• Find places to eat in Northeast Georgia.
• Find places to stay in Northeast Georgia.

Rope making. Michelle Bourlet and a group of home-schoolers make rope the old-fashioned way during one of Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center’s two annual events celebrating the history and culture of Appalachian America. Self-guided tours of over 20 hand-made log structures, and a gift shop are part of the experience at Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center in Mountain City, Georgia.

The Foxfire Magazine started in 1966 as an attempt to engage high school students in the English curriculum and to involve them in their own learning. The simple idea of students producing a magazine grew into an educational success story unlike any other and has endured in the classroom - The Foxfire Magazine is still in production at Rabun County High School today. In 1972, an anthology of the student-authored Foxfire Magazine articles was gathered and published as The Foxfire Book. Over 40 years have passed since then, and 12 more books have been published, selling over 8 million copies. A 40th anniversary book was released in September 2006 at the Foxfire Fall Heritage Festival.

Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center
Royalties from The Foxfire Book series led to the purchase of land and funded the acquisition and construction of the 20+ log structures of The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center. This facility serves as a functional museum of Southern Appalachia with self-guided tours for visitors, featuring artifact displays in and around the cabins themselves, which represent a mixture of authentic, replica, and modern log construction. The Museum features a gristmill, a blacksmith’s shop, a replica church, a wagon collection (including the only known existing wagon that crossed the Trail of Tears), and several single- and multi-room cabins. Authentic Appalachian artifacts are housed throughout the Museum, and the Museum also serves as a resource for community interaction and education for visiting school, summer camp, and other tour groups. Sharon Grist, The Village Weaver, Foxfire’s Artist-in-Residence is available most days to share her craft with visitors, and broom-maker Carole Morse can be found demonstrating many days throughout the summer.

Gift Shop
The Gift Shop features handcrafted pottery, homemade soaps, handmade textiles, and wooden toys alongside The Foxfire Book series and a large selection of related books, covering topics such as Appalachian history, folklore, ghost stories, cookbooks, plant/animal identification, and how-to titles for traditional crafts and skills. Admission to the Gift Shop is free, and self-guided tours of the Museum are $6.00 per person; children ten and under are free. Admission includes one souvenir tour booklet per family/group. Guided tours are available for groups of 6 or more, by reservation only-please. Sorry! The Foxfire Museum is not accessible by large tour buses or extra-large motor homes.

The Foxfire Fund, Inc., is a not-for-profit, educational, and literary organization based in Rabun County, Georgia. Founded in 1966, Foxfire’s learner-centered, community-based educational approach is advocated through both a regional demonstration site (the Museum) grounded in the Southern Appalachian culture that gave rise to Foxfire, and a national program of teacher training and support (The Foxfire Approach to Teaching and Learning) that promotes a sense of place and appreciation of local people, community, and culture as essential educational tools.

Links:

• Read more about Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center.
• View a Gallery of Foxfire photographs.

Habersham’s Stonepile Vineyard. Located north of Clarkesville, Stonepile is Habersham’s original and oldest vineyard with plantings dating to 1980. Current plantings of about 30 acres yield 125 tones yearly on average. 

Producing Georgia wines since 1983, Habersham is one of Georgia’s oldest and largest wineries.

Some of the finest award-winning Georgia Wines have been produced at Habersham Vineyards and Winery since 1983. Over 150 medals have been awarded to Habersham Wines in both national and international competitions. The Winery was located in Baldwin, Georgia until November 1998 when construction on a new facility was completed at Nacoochee Village in Helen, Georgia.

Complimentary Tastings and Self-Guided Tours
The winery is open daily for complimentary tastings and self guided tours. In addition to a large selection of Georgia grown and produced wines, the tasting room also features a gift shop with gourmet foods and wine specialty gift items.

Tour Nacoochee Village
The winery is located one half mile south of Alpine Helen in the Nacoochee Village (pictured at right with Habersham Winery in the foreground). In addition to being the home of Habersham Winery, the Village is home to an historic grist mill, antiques, shopping, dining, cabin rental, and flyfishing. At Nacoochee Village, not only will your family enjoy a visit of the winery, but the other unique shops that are part of the Village.

Links:
Read more about Habersham Vineyards and Winery.
Read more about Nacoochee Village.

Georgia > Northwest Georgia Mountains > Murray County > Chatsworth

Who built the ancient stone wall at Fort Mountain has been a mystery that archeologists, historians and visitors have been trying to solve for years.

There are numerous ways to spend the day at Fort Mountain State Park – hiking, biking and horseback riding to name a few. But certainly, a highlight of the park and the landmark from which it derives its name is the mysterious wall that sits at the highest point of Fort Mountain.

The ancient stone Wall at Fort Mountain has been the subject of much speculation for centuries. Measuring 875 feet in length, it ranges in height from two to seven feet, although it was probably considerably higher in the past. Remains of circular depressions made of various sized stones and measuring about 10 feet across, occur in the wall at about 30-foot intervals.

Archeologists and historians have been unable to solve the puzzle of who, if anyone, built the wall or why or when it was built. There are many theories. A favorite explanation is that Woodland Indians built the wall around CE 500. The east-west orientation of its end points would result in alignment at sunrise and sunset at the solar equinox in both spring and fall. The dramatic setting of the wall, offering expansive vistas to the east and west, would add to its religious significance. Ceremonial centers similar to this were built by the Woodland Indians at Old Stone Fort, Tennessee, and Rock Eagle Mound in Putnam County, Georgia. The Woodland Indians occupied the Southeast from several centuries BCE to about CE 900. Read the rest of this entry »

The gopher tortoise, which lives in dry, sandy regions and is native to Georgia’s coast, can be see in the wild at Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

American bison, white-tailed deer, gray wolf, red fox, nine-banded armadillo, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, gopher tortoise and bald eagle—these are just some of the natural wildlife of Georgia and the nation that you can see at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah.

Located less than five minutes from Savannah’s historic district, the wildlife center has over 100 acres of maritime forest and exhibits 50 species of animals. Outdoor exhibits include the Wolf Wilderness, Alligator Wetlands, Predators of Georgia, and Birds of Prey. Goats, pigs, donkeys and sheep are just some of the animals found in the Georgia Farm area. Read the rest of this entry »

Franklin Roosevelt at Flat Shoals on the Flint River near the Little White House in Warm Springs. Roosevelt visited Georgia 41 times between 1924 and 1945, often touring the countryside including, in addition to Flat Shoals, Gay, Greenville, the Cove, Manchester and Dowdell Knob. View the Interactive Map to plan a Roosevelt Driving Tour in West Central Georgia.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, a wealthy aristocrat and nationally known Democratic political leader, came to Georgia looking for a way to fight the polio that was crippling his body. Between 1924 and 1946, he visited Warm Springs and Georgia forty-one times. He sought relief at the warm springs in Meriwether County. After being elected as the thirty-second president of the United States in 1932, he used his new home at Warm Springs, “The Little White House,” as a retreat from the rigors of leading a nation.

Between therapeutic sessions in the warm springs pools, Roosevelt would fish the waters of the Flint River, drive the countryside between Manchester, Greenville and Gay, visit the Cove for bootlegged whiskey and fiddle playing, and spend hours on Dowdell Knob just thinking as he looked out over the great river valley below him. (View the Interactive Map). He would see an impoverished land where people lived as sharecroppers on un-mechanized farms where planting, harvesting and maintenance were done with the aid of mules and black field hands, who worked for a dollar and a half a day. The roads were unpaved, there was no electricity, radio reception was poor and staticky, electricity was available on a very erratic basis, and most farms had no electrical appliances.

Those years were years when the entire country would be plunged into the greatest depression it had ever known and then into the greatest world war ever known. During those years, Roosevelt bought farmland and woodland in Harris and Meriwether counties expressly to demonstrate to other farmers that a farm could be profitable - that they could grow something other than cotton. Roosevelt experimented with cattle and goat raising, timbering, peach and apple orchards, various vegetables and grapes. During those years, Roosevelt would serve an unprecedented three terms as President of the United States, and many of the New Deal policies that he would formulate to lead the country out of depression and financial ruin would stem from what he saw and learned from the rural counties and people that touched his life in Warm Springs.

Roosevelt died at the Little White House in April of 1945. To a generation of west Georgians, he was both a president and a trusted friend who could be seen waving as he passed by in his convertible or rode by in a train on his way to Washington.

Links:

• Visit Roosevelt’s Little White House in Warm Springs.

 By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Southwest Region > Tift County > Tifton

At the Agrirama in Tifton, you can experience a typical day of life in a rural farm community of 19th-century Georgia. 

If you are planning a trip to Florida and will be traveling down I-75 or if you just would like to spend a weekend giving your child a unique experience, consider a trip to Tifton and the Agrirama, Georgia’s Museum of Agriculture and Living History Museum.

The 95-acre complex consists of a traditional farm community of the 1870s, a more progressive farmstead of the 1890s, a rural town, an industrial sites complex, a national peanut complex, and the Museum of Agriculture Center.

Costumed interpreters perform the daily activities of life at the more than 35 restored and preserved structures that have been relocated to the site. You’ll see people working in the fields, the sawmill, the turpentine still, the blacksmith’s shop and the gristmill. On Main Street, you can visit the drug store, the print shop and the train depot. A 1.3-mile railroad system circles the site; but due to state budget cuts, the steam locomotive only runs during special events. You can walk through farmsteads of different eras as well as a mid-1890s one-room schoolhouse

These are just a few of the many, many experiences you can have at the Agrirama.

There’s easy access to the Agrirama—it lies right along the west side of I-75 just north of the Tifton downtown exit. You’ll find more information about the Agrirama here at Brown’s Guides. You can also find information on other things to do and see in the Southwest Georgia Travel Region as well as information on accommodations and lodging in Tifton.

THE CIVIL WAR IN GEORGIA

 Roswell to Peachtree Creek - A Driving Tour Including an Interactive Map

By JIM MILES

 Georgia > Atlanta Metro Region > Fulton County >Roswell

Classic homes like the 1839 Bulloch Hall in Roswell were left untouched by General William Tecumseh Sherman in the summer of 1864 when he burned all of the factories and mills of the small manufacturing town north of Atlanta. Sherman’s devastation of Roswell and his army’s march south to the Battle of Peachtree Creek are covered in this self-guided driving tour. VIEW AN INTERACTIVE MAP.

This driving tour begins at the intersection of 120 and US 19-GA 9 in Roswell. If you are 
coming from the north on Interstate-75, turn off on 
120-Loop, turn left under 1-75, and follow 120-Loop to 120 and Exit. Turn left on 120 and 
follow to the intersection with US 19-GA 9. If you 
are coming from the south, take 400 North from Interstate-285. Exit on Northridge Road, turn right to 
19-9, turn right and follow to the intersection of 120 
and 19-9. From the intersection of 120 and US 19-GA 9 
go south through a restored business district; at 0.1 turn right on Sloan. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Note the Bricks to your right, quarters erected in 1839 to house workers in the Roswell mills. They 
were used as a Federal hospital in 1864 and operated 
by the city as a library in the 1950s. Tenants are cur
rently being sought to set up shops. The Bricks are considered the oldest apartments in the United States.

• Turn right at 0.1 mile on Mill Street to the stop sign; park 
in the large lot before you. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Below this spot is a cotton mill converted into a shopping complex. In the creek are falls, a dam, and the 
remains of an old mill.

This is the beautiful, historic city of Roswell. It was 
named for Roswell King, an officer of the Darien Bank who traveled to north Georgia in the 1830s to open a 
branch. Enchanted by this spot on the Chattahoochee River, he bought vast acreage and offered his friends on the Georgia-South Carolina coast ten acres each if 
they would settle here. Many took advantage of the 
offer and built fine homes that still stand. Roswell and 
his son Barrington established a cotton mill in a steep gorge along Vickery Creek, and other mills and factories were soon attracted to the area.

The Kings laid out their town with a square and wide streets and gave lots for the building of Presbyterian and Methodist churches, both still in existence, and a school. Roswell was a prosperous city when Garrard and McPherson arrived in July 1864 
with orders from Sherman to burn all manufacturing facilities.

Long, sturdy sets of stairs descend from the parking lot into Vickery Creek Gorge, where King built his two-story Ivy Woolen Mill that was destroyed during 
the Civil War. The mill produced Confederate uni
forms; and when Federal cavalry arrived on July 6, 
manager Theophil Roche ran up a French flag and claimed protection as a foreign neutral. Sherman ordered the buildings destroyed, and Roche was sent 
north up the rails.

The factory was rebuilt here in 1882 as the Laurel Mills, but it burned after a lightning strike in 1926. 
Large sections of thirteen-inch-thick stone walls re
main from the mills, and a path leads to the old dam that channeled water to turn the waterwheels, in turn providing power for the mills. It also creates a lovely waterfall that can be heard for a considerable distance.

Above the ruins is the only remaining mill building in Roswell, built in 1929 to replace the second mill and operated until 1975. Previously ravaged by vandals 
and vagrants, a nine-million-dollar renovation project has transformed the cotton mill into an upscale retail 
establishment featuring one hundred shops and restaurants. Plans have also been formulated to construct 
a 7,000-seat amphitheater on the banks of the creek.

Just west on Minosa Avenue is historic Roswell 
Presbyterian Church. Built in 1840, it retains the original box pews, high center pulpit, and slave balcony. In 
the belfry is a bronze ship’s bell that was cast in Philadelhia. Following Sunday services, a mini-museum is open in the rear of the church where artifacts of 
church history are preserved, including the original 
silver communion service hidden in a barrel by Miss Fannie Whitemore until the War was over to prevent its theft by Federal troops, and a checkerboard carved on the back of a cabinet door by bored Union soldiers who used the church as a hospital.

Sherman burned Roswell’s factories and mills, but he fortunately spared the city and its fine homes. However, he committed his most dastardly act here: 
the removal of the Roswell women. Noting the mill 
labor force was female, he directed Garrard to send them to Marietta and then up north to deny their skills to the Confederacy. His orders were to “arrest all those people, male and female, connected with those 
factories, no matter what the clamor, and let them foot it, under guard, to Marietta, where I will send them by cars to the North. Destroy and make the 
same disposition of all mills …. The poor women will 
make a howl. Let them take along their children and 
clothing …. ”

The ladies were rounded up and sent on railroad 
cars to Chattanooga, Nashville, Lexington, and into Indiana. There is no evidence that a single woman was 
returned to Georgia following the war.

Visiting all the historic sites in Roswell would be a profitable day’s outing. Attractions include Barrington Hall, which Barrington King built in 1842. Ancient 
oaks frame this magnificent Greek Revival home that 
took five years to build. Bulloch Hall, a beautiful home 
built in a similar style at the same time, was the girlhood home of President Theodore Roosevelt’s 
mother, Mittie; it saw service as a Federal barracks. 
It is owned by the city and can be rented for special 
events. Great Oaks (1842) has eighteen-inch-thick 
walls and was Garrard’s headquarters. Mimosa Hall, 
built by John Dunwoody, is actually a reproduction; his 
first home burned during a house-warming party immediately after it was completed. Allenbrook, a two-story saltbox built of handmade brick in 1840 to house the Laurel Mills manager, is currently headquarters of 
the Roswell Historical Society. Primrose Cottage 
(1830) was the first building erected in Roswell, a gift 
from King to his widowed daughter. There is also the 
home of Francis B. Goulding, minister, author of Young Marooners and Marooners Island, and inventor of the first sewing machine - but he failed to obtain a 
patent!

The charming business district dates from 1839; 
and the town square, where Teddy Roosevelt spoke in 1905, was laid out in 1840 and landscaped during the 
Depression as a WPA project. At the end of Sloan Street is Founders Cemetery, which contains the 
graves of Roswell King, John Bulloch, John Dunwoody, 
and other founders of the city. Other early settlers are 
buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery established in 1841 and the Methodist Church Cemetery 
(1850).

The Roswell Historical Society, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, and the city of Roswell regularly sponsor tours of the homes and the mill ruins, raft floats 
down the river, and recreations of 1840s life in Roswell. A brochure that illustrates these attractions 
and outlines a walking tour of the city is available from 
the Roswell Historical Society, Inc., 227 South Atlanta 
Street, Roswell, GA 30075.

• Return to 19-9 (Atlanta Road) and turn left to cross 
the Chattahoochee River at 1.2 miles. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

This is the approximate site of the original bridge at 
Shallowford. The Confederates burned it when Garrard’s cavalry galloped into town, but the spans were quickly rebuilt by Union engineers who tore down mill 
buildings to use the timber in the bridges. In sixty 
hours they threw up twin spans 710 feet long, 18 feet 
wide, and 14 feet high. While the Federals were crossing the river, a horrible thunderstorm erupted; and lightning killed a dozen men, split ninety-foot-tall oak trees, and discharged muskets.

On July 10 McPherson crossed here and advanced on Decatur to cut the Augusta railroad and descend on Atlanta from the east, while Thomas crossed from Vinings at Pace’s and Power’s ferries and proceeded 
south along Howell Mill Road and Northside Drive, 
and Schofield crossed at Sope Creek, between 
Power’s Ferry and Johnson’s Ferry west of this point, 
and marched toward Buckhead.

• Brave the Atlanta traffic 12.8 miles and take a right 
on West Paces Ferry Road. At .5 mile turn left onto Andrews Drive for 0.1 mile to the Atlanta Historical Society. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

The Society has created a fascinating complex that can 
occupy a full day of exploration. It hosts a wide variety 
of activities and programs. On its twenty-five wooded acres are gardens, the 1840 Tullie Smith House (one of Atlanta’s oldest surviving structures), the Swan House (an Italian-style mansion of the 1920s), and 
McElreath Hall, which features exhibits about Atlanta 
and Georgia history, an archives, library, and a permanent, outstanding display on the Civil War.

This display traces every segment of the Atlanta 
Campaign from Dalton to Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, 
Ezra Church, Jonesboro, and the siege and occupation 
of Atlanta. There are exhibits of camp life, Joe Brown 
Pikes, medals and insignia, artillery chests, dis
patches, cavalry and Confederate navy displays, uni
forms with bullet holes, a uniform of John B. Gordon, pistols, rifles, swords, maps, lifelike dioramas, and a 
”Repel the Invader” flag. One of the most interesting artifacts in the collection is two bullets that met head on in flight.

• From the entrance of the Atlanta Historical Society, return to US 19-GA 9 (which immediately be
comes Peachtree Street), turn right, and proceed 2.5 miles 
to Piedmont Hospital on the right. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

In front is a stone monument that commemorates the Battle of Peachtree Creek. South of the hospital along 
the sidewalk is an older WPA monument marking the spot where Confederate troops opened the assault.

• At 0.1 mile turn right onto Collier Road; at.5 mile to your right 
are the stones from Collier’s Mill. Turn left at 0.1 mile into Tanyard Creek Park.

This preserve is Atlanta’s memorial to Peachtree Creek. Created during the centennial celebration of 
the Civil War in 1964, nine plaques were set on cement stands to describe the action that occurred in this area; but several have been stolen.

Unfortunately for the Confederate effort, the 
Federals had crossed Peachtree Creek and set up defensive positions on a ridge just north of here when Hood launched his ferocious assault. The Confederates attacked from the south, crossing at this spot; 
and their battle line extended through the area of Piedmont Hospital north of Collier and up Northside Drive 
west of the park. The Confederates made two 
thrusts, Hardee to the east and Stewart to the west. Confederate General C. H. Stevens was killed at the 
intersection of 28th Street and Wycliff. Collier’s Mill 
was located upstream on Tanyard Branch, which flows through the park and is the site where Federals concentrated several artillery batteries that were instrumental in turning back the Confederate drive. Commanding the Federals was Colonel Benjamin Harrison, a future president.

• Return to Collier, continuing west 0.3 mile to US 41 
(Northside Drive), and turn left for 0.5 mile. If you are 
continuing the driving tour, cross the bridge over the 
interstate and turn right to enter 1-75 South. After 5 
miles leave 1-75 to get on 1-20 East (to Augusta); 
pay close attention to instructions at the interchange. 
After 4 miles take exit 61B at Glenwood Avenue. Turn 
left from the ramp 0.1 mile to Walker Monument on the 
left. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Fields of Glory
This self-guided driving tour covering a portion of the Civil War Battle of Atlanta is excerpted from Fields of Glory, A History and Tour Guide of The Atlanta Campaign by Jim Miles. Fields of Glory traces the story of the Atlanta campaign from the Tennessee border through the heart of Atlanta to Jonesboro. Included is a series of driving tours that enable readers to see firsthand the battlefields and important sites. Also included are: 25 original maps; 85 illustrations; a lively history of the Atlanta campaign; fascinating tours of the battlefields; articles on military strategy and biographies of generals; chronology of key battles and important events; and sources for additional information. Fields of Glory and other books by Jim Miles are available on Amazon.

 Georgia > West Central Region > Muscogee County > Columbus

The RiverCenter, a 240,000-square-foot facility that is the heart of Columbus Uptown’s arts and entertainment district, is a stunning blend of the past and the present, mixing the brick and iron work of the area’s historic buildings with a modern multi-level glass and steel facade.

Columbus artists and arts enthusiasts as well as arts and entertainment patrons from the region and all around Georgia benefit from the 240,000-square-foot RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in the heart of Uptown Columbus.

This beautiful center is the crowning glory of Columbus’ arts and entertainment district.

RiverCenter’s state-of-the-art facilities include the 2,000-seat Bill Heard Theatre, the center’s main venue and home to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Featuring orchestra, mezzanine and balcony seating, the hall is designed to meet the complex technical needs of attractions, such as Broadway shows, symphonic concerts, dance performances, pop concerts, lectures and conferences. Performances have included James Taylor, Jerry Seinfield, and Broadway productions, including Annie, Cats and Rent.

The center’s second largest performance space, Legacy Hall, has 430 seats and an elegant ambiance that includes orchestra and parterre levels and a balcony that wraps entirely around the stage. Known for its perfect acoustics and impressive Jordan Concert Organ, the hall is a popular venue with many noted musicians. The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, violinist Robert McDuffie, organist Olivier Latry and others have sung the hall’s praises after performing on its stage.

Legacy Hall and the facility’s 150-seat, black-box Studio Theater also provide rehearsal and performance space for the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music. The music school’s classrooms, studios, rehearsal rooms and practice rooms also are located at RiverCenter.

Unique and entertaining programs are presented throughout the year.

Links:

• Read more about Columbus RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, including a schedule of up-coming events.
• Find more Columbus, Georgia, travel and recreation resources.

 Georgia > West Central > Muscogee County > Columbus

The Coca-Cola Space Science Center, operated by Columbus State University, houses a Challenger Learning Center, a world-class planetarium / theater, the Mead Observatory and many interactive exhibits.

“Walk in space” for a day at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center in Columbus. Groups of 20-30 can “Voyage to Mars,” Return to the Moon,” Rendezvous with a Comet,” or “Encounter Earth,” at this exciting Challenger Learning Center. Gaze at the stars and other gems of the sky in the Mead Observatory. View a full-size replica of the nose cone of a NASA space shuttle orbiter in the museum. Other items of interest include the first Coca-Cola drink dispenser taken into space, a space suit, and an interactive view of 88 constellations in the night sky. Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center is located in the heart of uptown Columbus along the beautiful Chattahoochee Riverwalk and adjacent to the Columbus Historic District and the Iron Works Convention and Trade Center.

The state-of-the-art facility houses a Challenger Learning Center, the Omnisphere Theater and the Mead Observatory. Visit the Plaza area for many interactive exhibits and displays.

Links:

• Read more about Columbus’ Coca-Cola Space Science Center, including a schedule of up-coming events.
• Read more about other Columbus, Georgia, travel and recreation resources.