State park · 50 min south
Providence Canyon State Park
Colorful eroded canyons with rim and floor trails.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- Georgia State Parks ParkPass $10 per vehicle (checked Nov 2026)
Day Trippin' › Georgia › From Columbus, Georgia
Day trips from Columbus, Georgia
From Columbus, the RiverWalk and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center are minutes away, the National Infantry Museum and Westville about 10, F.D. Roosevelt State Park and Callaway Gardens about 40, Roosevelt's Little White House under 45, and Providence Canyon about 50. The best day trips from Columbus, by drive time.
135 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Columbus, Georgia
- Callaway Gardens 41 min north
- Providence Canyon State Park 50 min south
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site 53 min west
- Jimmy Carter National Historical Park 1 hr 1 min southeast
- The Legacy Museum 1 hr 24 min west
- Georgia Aquarium 1 hr 40 min north
- Stone Mountain Park 1 hr 56 min northeast
- Edmund Pettus Bridge 2 hr 11 min west
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 2 hr 26 min northwest
- Amicalola Falls State Park 2 hr 56 min north
Within an hour from Columbus, Georgia 13 spots
Garden · 41 min north
Callaway Gardens
A big garden resort with a butterfly house, a lake beach, a chapel and a 10-mile bike trail.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- General admission (check)
Historic site · 53 min west
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Moton Field, where the first Black military pilots trained in World War II, with restored hangars and vintage planes.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Wed-Sat 9 am-4:30 pm (check)
- Free
State park · 40 min south
Lakepoint State Park
A park on 45,000-acre Lake Eufaula known for bass fishing, boating, birding and swimming.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Alabama State Parks fee (check)
Wildlife · 42 min south
Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge
An 11,000-acre refuge along the Chattahoochee River north of Eufaula with great winter waterfowl and wading birds.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; best Nov-Feb
- Free (check)
State park · 40 min north
F.D. Roosevelt State Park
A big park on Pine Mountain with the long Pine Mountain Trail, a lake and overlooks.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round
- Georgia State Parks ParkPass $10 per vehicle (checked Nov 2026)
State park · 41 min west
Chewacla State Park
A wooded park in Auburn with a small lake swim area, creeks, CCC stonework, and hiking and mountain bike trails.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- Alabama State Parks fee (check)
Museum · 42 min west
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
Auburn University's free art museum, with gardens and a lake on the grounds.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check hours)
- Free
1 to 2 hours from Columbus, Georgia 51 spots
Aquarium · 1 hr 40 min north
Georgia Aquarium
One of the largest aquariums in the world, with whale sharks, manta rays, beluga whales and a dolphin show. Easy to pair with other downtown sights.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Timed tickets; pricing varies by date (check)
Family fun · 1 hr 56 min northeast
Stone Mountain Park
A giant granite dome with a walk-up trail, lake loops and family attractions on the east side of Atlanta. The summit views reach the city skyline.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round; attractions run on a seasonal schedule
- Parking fee; attraction tickets extra (check)
Museum · 1 hr 24 min west
The Legacy Museum
A powerful museum on the history of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration in America, built on a site where enslaved people were once held.
- Half day · Easy
- Closed Tuesdays (check hours)
- Paid timed ticket covers all four Legacy Sites (check)
National park · 1 hr 1 min southeast
Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
The small-town home of the 39th president in Plains.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Springs · 1 hr 33 min southwest
Blue Springs State Park
Two sandy-bottom pools fed by a clear spring that stays at 68 degrees all year. A classic Wiregrass summer swim.
- Half day · Easy
- Mar-Sep 9 am-6 pm; Oct-Feb 8 am-4 pm
- $5 ages 12-61; $3 ages 4-11 and 62+
Bike trail · 1 hr 40 min north
Atlanta BeltLine
A paved rail trail loop project linking city parks, food halls and public art. The Eastside Trail is the busiest stretch.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 1 hr 17 min northwest
Wind Creek State Park
A big park on Lake Martin with a swim area, marina, boat rentals, trails and a zipline canopy tour.
- Full day · Easy
- Daily 7 am-dark
- Alabama State Parks fee (check)
Theme park · 1 hr 43 min north
Six Flags Over Georgia
Big roller coasters, kids' rides and seasonal events just west of Atlanta.
- Full day · Easy
- Seasonal; check the park calendar
- Tickets required (check)
2 to 3 hours from Columbus, Georgia 67 spots
Waterfall · 2 hr 56 min north
Amicalola Falls State Park
Home of one of the tallest waterfalls in the Southeast, with stair climbs, a lodge and the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round
- Georgia State Parks ParkPass $10 per vehicle (checked Nov 2026)
Historic site · 2 hr 11 min west
Edmund Pettus Bridge
The bridge in Selma where marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday in 1965. Walking across it is a moving experience.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Museum · 2 hr 26 min northwest
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
A moving museum on the Birmingham civil rights campaign, across from 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Closed some days (check hours)
- Adults $15; students, seniors and military $13; 3rd grade and below free (check)
State park · 2 hr 19 min northwest
Cheaha State Park
The highest point in Alabama at 2,407 feet, with rock overlooks, a lake, CCC history and access to the Pinhoti Trail.
- Full day · Moderate
- Year-round; admission ends 30 min before sunset
- $5 ages 12+; $2 ages 4-11 and 62+; veterans free
Small town · 2 hr 27 min northeast
Madison
A handsome small town with antebellum homes and a walkable downtown.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Zoo · 2 hr 47 min northeast
Bear Hollow Zoo
A small free zoo of native animals in Athens.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Free
Food town · 2 hr 48 min northeast
Athens
A college town with a big music scene, great restaurants and the UGA campus.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
National park · 2 hr 3 min north
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
A string of river parks inside the metro area with flat riverside trails, paddling and tubing on the cool Chattahoochee.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Standard pass $5 (checked Nov 2026)
Get a day trip idea every Friday
Three ideas for the weekend, one each for Washington, Oregon and Arizona, with a link to plan the day. Free. Unsubscribe any time.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 31901 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.