Columbus: Art, Architecture and River Landscapes

Columbus offers several distinct ways to shape your stay: downtown features permanent artworks, guided tours focus on architecture and public art, and Mill Race Park lies along the Flatrock River. This gives you a choice between urban culture and a park by the river, depending on your interests. If you’re looking for a vacation rental, you can start by considering whether art and architecture, the park landscape, or a mix of both will shape your stay.

Art and Architecture Downtown

Exhibit Columbus currently includes five permanent works in downtown Columbus. This number may change as the urban landscape develops. Gallery 506 presents changing exhibitions by local and regional artists in Storey House, the historic section of the Columbus Visitors Center. When choosing what interests you, it makes a difference whether you want to explore permanent works in the downtown landscape or changing exhibitions.

Columbus has two guided tours of downtown. They offer different perspectives on architecture, public art and the character of the downtown area. The guided architecture tour begins and ends at the Columbus Visitors Center. The Center is also a destination in its own right in central Columbus; Gallery 506 is located in its historic section, Storey House. This connects the Visitors Center both with the exhibition offerings and with the architecture tour.

A Historic Point of Reference

Miller House and Garden was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. This historical designation adds a clearly dated point of reference to the art and guided tours. If you’re weighing cultural themes for your stay, you’ll find different time perspectives here: a historic designation, permanent works, changing exhibitions and guided tours.

River Landscapes and Trails

Mill Race Park lies along the Flatrock River and features trails, a covered bridge, picnic shelters, an observation tower and an amphitheater. Its riverside setting and varied park features offer a different focus from the art and architecture in the downtown area. If you’re traveling with children, different interests may help you decide: some may be more interested in art and architecture, while others may be drawn to the range of park features listed here.

Another trail connection is the extension of the 1821 Trail. It runs along First Street from the Haw Creek Trail to Water Street. If you include this section in your plans, you can use First Street and the two endpoints as reference points.

Choosing a Focus for Your Accommodation

When looking for a vacation rental in Columbus, it helps to first sort out which experiences you’re looking for. Would you like to include architecture, public art and changing exhibitions in your stay, or should the park and river landscape be just as important? You can give these themes different weight depending on your interests, without every day having to feel the same. This way, you can choose a home base that suits the vacation you have in mind.

For an overview of the wider area: Bartholomew County.