The Columbus Museum

Beyond what I had anticipated. I am an art major and I enjoyed this museum. I also am a mama. My kids loved learning and creating art in their kids exploring area. The kids area is well thought out and interactively helping kids engage with art. Highly recommend this place.

The Columbus Museum is a really pleasant surprise, offering a calm and thoughtful mix of art and history that’s easy to enjoy at your own pace. The exhibits are well-curated, with plenty of interesting pieces and local stories that keep things engaging. The space itself is clean, welcoming, and bigger than you expect, making it a great spot to spend an afternoon exploring without feeling rushed.

This beautiful Mediterranean Revival building displays the finest in local and regional art, and has exhibits depicting the development of Columbus on permanent display, with temporary exhibits changing periodically. Before he died in 1947, W C Bradley, a Columbus business leader and philanthropist, donated his 9-acre estate to be used as a center of culture and education. Admission is free, but they appreciate donations. For reviews and photos of other museums, click on 'Steve Potts' and select 'Museums" in Topics.

Visted from out of town and this museum was a pleasant surprise! Its free admission and has 3 levels of art work you can view. They even have interactive art, a section for kids and a gift shop. Friendly staff and a nice for a weekend get away. Give this place a try!

Absolutely lovely place! A great little visit and free too! We really enjoyed the "Design Your Visit" station! I wish more museums would do that! The exhibits were super neat and we even bought some things from the gift shops. Overall, we spent about 2 hours looking around and very much enjoyed the time!

First time I've visited since the reno. The kids area was very interactive and educational for my 4-yr-old grandson and me. The family restroom was much appreciated for its cleanliness and size.

The museum's exhibits were exceptionally well-curated, offering a fascinating glimpse into the past. Each display was thoughtfully arranged, providing ample information without feeling overwhelming. The lighting and ambiance enhanced the overall experience, creating a truly immersive environment for the visitor. I particularly appreciated the museum's commitment to accessibility, ensuring everyone could enjoy its treasures. Overall, it was a remarkable visit, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in history. P.S IT'S FREE!!!!! THank You Columbus,GA

The Columbus Museum is a true gem in our community. The exhibits are thoughtfully curated, blending regional history, American art, and engaging cultural storytelling in a way that feels both educational and inspiring. The museum is beautifully maintained, easy to navigate, and welcoming for all ages. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, it’s a wonderful place to spend a few hours learning, reflecting, and enjoying high-quality exhibitions. Highly recommended.

Free to get in, donations accepted. Photos, paintings and all kinds of other art. Three floors loaded so you find what interests you or see it all. Would say it's about 2-3 hour visit to see everything if you take your time. Very nice and clean building. Some things will make you stop and think, others you can just enjoy. Highly recommended.

Was very impressed with the contents of this beautiful museum, which features works by Chihuly, Warhol, Alma Thomas, Amy Sherald. To visit is to learn the city itself, and discover the many famous and talented artists that claim a connection to Columbus. Highly recommend! Addendum: apparently the museum recently went through extensive renovations and is bigger and better than in its previous iteration. My first (of hopefully many) visits was in 2024, post renovation, so my review is reflective of the new changes.

This is one of the best regional collections of American art I've ever seen. It's a surprise in a relatively small city like Columbus, Georgia. For sure it's worth a visit of at least two or three hours.

This museum is located about a mile from the downtown district. They have ample on-site parking. This was our first stop as we drove into town. The museum is multi-faceted - their two focuses are history (of the area) and art. There is a 10-minute introductory film that provides a good basis for the history section. You then make a circuit of exhibits starting with the native settlements prior to the European arrival, and then moving forward through colonization, etc. They provided a good background on each period, up through the final exhibit which was about the Civil Rights movement. The rooms exhibiting art are further back in the museum. They have one room devoted to modern art, and then several joined rooms with portraits and landscapes from the past couple of centuries. There is also a smattering of furniture and decorative arts as well. The top floor (which appeared to have more paintings) was closed off for some reason. There was also a small gallery with local art-photography. I think there was also a children's area as well, but we did not check it out. This museum does well for what it sets out to accomplish - showcasing mostly local art and history. It would be a good resource for locals or travelers with kids, especially as a rainy-day activity. It is worth a stop if you are in the Columbus area and are interested in their subjects.

What an incredible collection of history, art & multi-media presentations and it's FREE! In town for a reunion and trained at Ft Benning almost 40 years ago. Made the best use of our free time by visiting this wonderful museum. This is a "must see" for anyone visiting the region.

Awesome FREE museum. We are from out of town, visiting our soldier and wanted something entertaining to do for a variety of ages. This hit the mark! The museum hit a broad scope of topics from history to art with a little science too. A section of fine arts in varying media, a review of the Columbus, GA area from pre-historical times to current day with replicas you can see, feel and touch. FT. Benning Display also in site. Downstairs there is a fun spot for youngsters to explore with several stations that offers hands-on interaction to explore art, architecture, etc. The museum was practically empty when we arrived at 1130am. We breezed through in about 2 hours, so you can make a morning or afternoon of it for sure. And did I mention it is FREE! Cute little gift shop, with reasonably priced momentos to boot. Would not pass this little gem up.

Just visited quickly this morning. I really wish I had had more time but need to get back to work. Great place to bring the kids as they get older and it's free. The small amount time I spent today I actually went through section that focused on the Chattahoochee Valley lots and lots of history here obviously. I would suggest this to everybody and anyone especially with school-age children.

Overall my daughter and I loved it! It was our first time going. She is 18 months and loved the kid play area. It's downstairs in the front of the building. It's free to get in! It's a bit tight for double strollers so if you have more than one kiddo I would personally leave the double strollers in the car. They ask for no food or drinks throughout the museum, even the kids area. I personally had no issues the the staff but I'd seen the staff getting onto smaller kids. Which is just a sticky situation all around with yelling at other people's kids without their parents permission. Also considering the child was only a little over 2. But even in the kids area they have touch screens which isint for smaller babies and they will yell at your children if they are being misused. Other than that I had no issues with the workers and my daughter enjoyed the children's area very much!

Not a bad collection however the staff was very rude. I will never go back after the way my group was treated.

Really nice museum. My Family and I had a nice time learning some of the history of our local area, and looking at some of the beautiful artwork on display. Very educational, do recommend. :)

A decent little museum to show the history and art of Columbus, Georgia. I remember coming here as a kid in Elementary School and not too much has changed. About 1/4 is a side that goes through the years of the city such as slavery, wars, and modernization. The old school and the mini house displays were always my favorite to look at. The next 3/4 of the museum is really just art. Lots of old paintings that range from presidents or important people, to the scenery of Columbus. There is also a display of more modern and abstract paintings. On this occasion i came here the temporary exhibit was adults only, featuring many nude photos. Overall it is a museum worth visiting but do not expect too much. The good thing is that it's free so you can't complain.

This "museum" is about 95% art, and not even good art at that. There's only a little tunnel off to the side about the history of the area, considering how much history is in this region I expected much more than what I got.

Very nice museum. Seems to be well organized and staff helpful. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't very crowded. Nice gardens around the buildings. Plenty of parking.

Kind of boring. Not much has changed since since you were a kid taking field trips there. They are trying to bring more people in by having puppet shows and little activities for the kids. So thats cool. But overall. There's nothing I haven't seen multiple times already.

Overall the museum is just ok. But the Chihuly glass boat exhibit makes it worth going. Plus it's free. Check their web site to see what if any special exhibits are going on. Their everyday stuff is a little boring. There's a kids' activity area downstairs. I don't have kids so can't say much else about it. Closed on Mondays.

I love the Columbus Museum. I spent all day and enjoyed all of the various exhibits. I love the Chihuly Glass Boat. The history of the area galleries are of great interest to me, I find them interesting, informative, and fun. There are numerous galleries which showcase local regional art of various genres. Some of the art is tradional, while other galleries have more modern pieces. There is quite a variety and something of interest for everyone. I particularly enjoyed the exhibit on regional athletics. It was fun to see the history of sports in the Columbus/Muscogee County area. I liked looking at all of the sports memorabilia from all the different area high schools from over the decades. This exhibit brought back a lot of fun, happy memories. I highly recommend that you visit if you graduated from a local high school.

Had not been in awhile. What a great experience. A lot of very positive changes. Went by to see the Story Quilting exhibit while I was in town and toured the rest of the collection. Easily could become one of my favorite museums in the South. Thanks for a great experience....plus it's FREE!