Columbus: History, Culture and Nature on the Tombigbee

Columbus combines historic sites with trails along the Tombigbee River. This gives you two distinct perspectives to consider when planning your trip: the city’s cultural history and trails through river and woodland landscapes. You can include museums and memorial sites, as well as opportunities for walking and cycling.

Cultural History and Memorial Sites

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Catfish Alley was a central gathering place and business district for Columbus’s African American community. At the end of the alley, on College Street, there is a Mississippi Blues Trail marker. This brings the history of the neighborhood and a specific place in the cityscape together.

The Tennessee Williams House Museum & Welcome Center is a restored Victorian house built in 1875 and a National Literary Landmark. It was originally the rectory of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Reverend Walter Dakin, the grandfather of playwright Tennessee Williams, served at this church. A free tour takes visitors through the playwright’s first home; a donation of $5 is recommended.

Friendship Cemetery also preserves various aspects of the history of remembrance. The first Decoration Day, a memorial event that gave rise to today’s Memorial Day tradition, was held there in 1866. Marble markers identify the final resting place of 2,194 Confederate soldiers. 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 artifacts related to the Civil War. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum explores the waterway’s distinctive features and its extensive system of locks and dams. It also displays artifacts from rail and road transport.

Events add special reasons to visit alongside these historical themes. Catfish in the Alley takes place every year in spring and features Mississippi farm-raised catfish, concerts, craftspeople and food stalls. The Spring Pilgrimage includes candlelight tours of antebellum homes, as well as carriage rides through historic neighborhoods. When planning your trip, it is worth checking the event dates.

Trails Along the Tombigbee River

The Columbus Riverwalk is a 4.4-mile trail that starts downtown and runs along the Tombigbee River. It is suitable for walking and cycling. Amenities include two pavilions, restrooms, benches and picnic tables, as well as a lighted, covered stage for events such as outdoor concerts. If these amenities are important to your plans, check the latest information before your visit.

Plymouth Bluff offers a different landscape: five miles of trails wind through bottomland hardwood forests and higher-elevation mixed forests. The trails follow a 60- to 70-foot bluff and offer views of the former course of the Tombigbee River. Plymouth Bluff also has easily accessible fossil deposits containing numerous marine shell fossils. The trails described here therefore differ not only in length, but also in the landscapes they explore.

Planning Your Visit

The Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by prior appointment. Since appointment requirements and opening hours may change, check them before your visit. The University Galleries are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Hours may vary on university holidays.

For the broader travel overview: Lowndes County.