Georgia > West Central Region > Muscogee County > Columbus

More than 6,000 displays, including “World War II Street,” are included in the $100 million Columbus National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.

Put yourself in the boots of the infantrymen from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution to events in Vietnam to the sands of the Persian Gulf at this unique historical center and its ever-changing kaleidoscope of more than 6,000 displays.

The new $100 million, National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center sits on 200 acres of majestic pines and hardwoods where Columbus meets Fort Benning, the home of the Infantry. It is the first world-class museum to pay tribute to the U.S. Army infantryman and his 230-plus years of service to America.

Heritage Walk. A 20-foot wide walkway that connects the museum with a five-acre parade field where friends and family can watch loved ones graduate from infantry training. The walk is lined with the flags of all 50 states and custom engraved granite pavers honoring those who’ve served or anyone who has supported a service member.

World War II Street. Visit an authentically re-created company street from the 1940s, featuring a chapel, barracks, mess hall and the headquarters and sleeping quarters once used by General George Patton.

Rifle Range. As kids of all ages try their hand in a weapons firing simulator just like the Army uses, they’ll learn the lessons that freedom is not free.

IMAX 3D Theater at Patriot Park. The area’s only 3D IMAX theater, where award-winning documentaries and Hollywood blockbusters alike are shown on a screen 5 stories high and 70 feet high.

The Fife and Drum Restaurant. Enjoy a fine dining experience with classic American fare served by a professional, dedicated staff well versed in Southern hospitality.

Soldier Store Gift Shop. Stop at the Soldier Store to purchase everything from teddy bears in camouflage t-shirts to hand-crafted art glass pieces.

Links:

• Read more about Columbus National Infantry Museum.
• Read more about other Columbus, Georgia, travel and recreation resources.

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Troup County > LaGrange

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

The historic Ferrell Gardens at Hills & Dales Estate is one of the best preserved 19th-century gardens in the Southeast United States.

Many people are familiar with Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain. Fewer people are familiar with Hills & Dales Estate in LaGrange, but the Callaway family established both attractions and the historic gardens at Hills & Dales have their own uniqueness and beauty.

Hills & Dales Estate is the home of the historic Ferrell Gardens. Created by Sarah Coleman Ferrell (1817-1903), the formal boxwood garden is among the best preserved 19th century gardens in the Southeastern United States. Since 1912, the extraordinary gardens have been tended and cherished by the Fuller E. Callaway family.

The centerpiece of Hills & Dales Estate is a beautiful Georgian Italian villa, designed by the noted Atlanta architectural firm of Hentz & Reid in 1914. The classically inspired architecture and remarkable craftsmanship have made Hills and Dales one of the most admired homes in the Southeastern United States. Built for Fuller E. Callaway, Sr. and his wife Ida, the home is furnished with family heirlooms and antiques.

Links:

• Read more about Hills & Dales Estate
• Find more LaGrange travel and recreation resources

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Harris County > Pine Mountain

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

A zebra is just one of the animals that might walk right up to your vehicle as your ride through Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain. 

Have you ever seen a Yakatusi, Nilgai, Rhea, Black Buck Antelope, Watusi, or North American Elk? After a trip through Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, you’ll be able to say “yes” to that question. At Wild Animal Safari, there are more than 700 free-roaming exotic animals from six continents - every continent except Antarctica. You can spend your entire day exploring a wildlife preserve that offers habitats encompassing the plains, swamps, deserts, mountains and forests of the world.

You can drive through the Safari in your own car, rent a Zebra-painted van, or take the guided tour bus, the Zebra Bus, offered seasonally by the park. Winding through 200 acres of natural environment on 3.5 miles of paved road, you will have a chance to touch a Giraffe, come face to face with American Bison, and see many other animals from all over the world in a natural setting.

The park also has a walk-through zoo environment, called the Walk-About, which is home to tropical birds, monkeys, bears, wolves, and other animals. The Georgia Wildlife Museum, housed inside the park, features wildlife native to Georgia in a natural setting, as well as a few exotic snakes and lizards.

Links:

• Read more about Wild Animal Safari
• Find more Pine Mountain travel and recreation resources

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Stewart County > Lumpkin

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

A craftsman shows young Westville visitors the fine points of weaving a traditional cotton basket.

Westville is an outdoor history museum which depicts an 1850 west Georgia village. You may have seen pictures of little towns like Westville. They dotted the 1850s countryside in the southern United States.

Westville has been designed so that visitors can experience a community in the 21st century similar to the ones in which our ancestors lived in the middle of the 19th century. See where the antebellum townspeople worshiped, voted and went to school. Westville has over 30 authentically restored and furnished pre-Civil War buildings: houses, stores, workshops, churches, school, and courthouse. In fact, it has all the ingredients of a functioning town.

Guides and interpreters are in 1850’s dress and will take you through the town and share with you the history of Westville, its people, and their times.

Links:

• Read more about Westville
• Find more Lumpkin travel and recreation resources

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Meriwether County > Warm Springs

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

The Little White House in Warm Springs was the Georgia home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is a good place for introducing your child to United States history. 

In 1932 while he was still governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt built a house in Warm Springs, Georgia, so that he could stay there when he came to receive treatment for polio at the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center. After he was inaugurated as President in 1933, the house became known as The Little White House.

The Little White House is pleasant, peaceful and has a real sense of history. Roosevelt spent a lot of time in Warm Springs during his presidency, which spanned an era from The Great Depression until nearly the end of World War II. You can imagine him pondering the difficulties of both in this serene atmosphere. It is known that he developed many New Deal programs, such as the Rural Electrification Administration, based on his experiences in the small town and Meriwether County. (more…)

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Muscogee County > Columbus

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Don’t be surprised if you spot a baby bobcat on the trails around the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center.

Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center was once the site of a landfill near the Chattahoochee River in south Columbus. The city capped the landfill with three feet of compacted dirt and sank monitoring wells, and then in 1995, opened the environmental learning center on 1,600 acres of reclaimed land. The pits are now wetland ponds, and a 300-year-old natural oxbow lake gives the area its name.

You will find a lot of river wildlife here, including turtles, butterflies, snakes, fish, otters, beaver, deer, wading birds, herons, waterfowl and songbirds. (more…)