We have driven by Columbus, GA over a hundred times on our way from Chattanooga to Panama City beach where we have our beach house that we VRBO. We decided to break up the drive and spend the night in Columbus as it is about halfway. I found the sweetest B and B, called The Rothschild-Pound Inn. It is located in the historic district and thankfully has a couple suites that accept fur babies. The owner was very accommodating and recommend a couple places for dinner.
We decided on Nonic Beer Bar & Kitchen. They have a solid selection of craft brews & spirits on there menu. My partner in crime, decide on the 1792 Kentucky Bourbon, on the rocks. I went with a ginger beer, although the waiter said the bar could make me a mocktail of choice. We shared a bowl of boiled peanuts, let me tell you. These were not your roadside peanut stand boiled nuts and not too salty and a light spice. For dinner I had the steam buns with sticky chicken and side of the Brussel sprouts although I had been told their house-cut fries are off the chart. G had the Birria Tacos, which did not disappoint.
The town has a couple ice cream shops that were still open but I didn’t have any room left. We popped into Uptown Wine & Spirits to grab a night cap for G, to our surprise they didn’t have his usual gentleman’s jack but did have Jack Daniel’s “Bonded”. It find it humorous that it’s always someplace other than Tennessee that we find something new and interesting from Jack Daniels. The Jack Daniel’s distillery is located near Nashville, in the dry county of Lynchburg, TN.
I slept ok, but because I find myself rather sensitive to energy I had to listen to some calming music to fall asleep. The the Inn was built c. 1870 I’m sure the walls have some stories. I was not visited in the night by anything supernatural or had any crazy dream and the energy in our suite always felt positive.
I am a caffeine junkie, and I had spotted Iron Bank Coffee Company the night before and knew I needed to stop there for a morning coffee. The coffee shop is in the historic Uptown and has an original bank vault. They offer coffee, sandwiches, pastries and even a selection of craft beer on draft. The space felt inviting and cozy, and I could see myself sitting in a corner reading and drinking coffee on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
It just so happened that we stumbled across the Market Days on Broadway. On Saturdays in Uptown a variety of local vendors and crafts people pop up shops on the main street, Broadway. During our stroll, I grabbed a green juice from TrapNHealth. Some soy candle s from Georgia Soap Company, as well as their bug repelling body butter in both scents, grassroots and mint-eucalyptus. I’m obsessed with the body butter now and very stoked about my impulse buy as well as repelling bug I found it very helpful for sunburn. We also bought some kimchi and cucumber kimchi from a very sweet woman; she said the cucumbers were from her garden. It’s very important to me to support local vendors wherever I visit, and I like to think was influenced by a personal hero of mine, Anthony Bordain.
Because of time and needing to get on the road, we did not make it down to the 15 mile Chattahoochee RiverWalk. Which I will 100% do next time. I saw a fun bike shop that also rents bikes, a cool looking bookstore and some other awesome boutique shops that were not yet open. Another thing about the Chattahoochee River in Columbus is that it hosts a dam controlled white water rapids park which is said to be some of the best in the country. Depending on the timing there is also a flatwater course for the less adventurous. The park is called RushSouth Waterpark.
My list for next time includes my chaco’s and doing some hiking around Providence Canyon in Lumpkin State Park, which is a miniature grand canyon. The park even has a backpacking trail and 6 backcountry campsites.
A couple of things I learned during my time in Columbus, GA was Synovus Bank is headquartered there. America’s second symphony, the Columbus Symphony Orchersta was formed in 1855 by Mendelssohn’s student, Herman S. Saroni. Local lore also says, “the mother of blues” Ma Rainey is a native. I don’t think I noticed a single closed businesses on Broadway. Many small cities and towns across America have boarded up storefronts from another era, it really left a mark on me to see such a robust Uptown. I was really impressed to see what looked like generational family-owned businesses thriving.
The city also seems to have a vibrant cultural and arts community that includes The Springer Opera House, The Bo Barlett Center and so much more. I can’t wait to visit it again or make it a regular thing to spend the night in Columbus on the drive down to the Panhandle.
Tough Honey 