Very nice collection of paintings from well known artists and interesting touring exhibitions displayed in a spacious, attractive museum. And they only ask for a voluntary donation for admission. It was surprisingly fine for a city this size, illustrating the support offered by the local community. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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! read more

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

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. :) read more

The Columbus Museum - Museums Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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! read more