FROM THE CVB BLOG

Weekend Bound in Columbus, GA!

Wow, where did this summer go? Can this truly be the last weekend of summer break before school cranks back up for lots of kids?!  Well, not to worry because we've unearthed all sorts of fun adventures for you and the family to get out and do this weekend.

It’s going to be really hot this weekend so why not cool off with Port Columbus’ Cool History program, “Inventing a Navy.” A lot of planning and innovation went into building a navy, especially during Civil War times when they didn’t have the technology we have now. This weekend, you can learn about inventions and advancements in both the North and South navies during the Civil War and they’ll take a special look at the Navy Yard right here in Columbus and the engineering practiced there by Horace King and others. At 1:30 pm it’s Inventing the Navies, at 2:30 pm it’s Columbus Navy Yard Technology and at 3:30 pm it’s Bridging Deep South Rivers, a special screening of Horace: The Bridge Builder King. Should be an interesting program and you don't even have to pay anything besides the regular admission to experience all the extras!  (706.327.9798)

Now we go from the sea to the skies… On Monday night (8.8.11), you can get lost in the galaxies at Coca-Cola Space Science Center’s Mobile Astronomy Night at Callaway Gardens. This lush, country setting is the perfect place to see the Moon, planets, star clusters and other bright sparkly objects in the night sky. And who doesn’t love bright, sparkly objects??? Telescopes are provided and experts will be on hand to show you how to use them and explain what you may see or you are welcome to bring your own from home. Solar telescope programs are also available. Of course, you can’t star gaze until after dark so the program usually starts about 9:00 pm and is subject to weather conditions and visibility. And the best part, this event is FREE!  (706.649.1470)

Speaking of the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, they're hosting the Columbus Comic Book Show this Sunday (8.7.11) beginning at 11:00am.  Check out lots of toys, comics, games and more! Admission is only $4.

A couple of weeks ago, our staff went on a mini tour of the area and some of the places we visited I haven’t been to since I was a kid and I had forgotten how much fun they could be!  We got up close and personal with some exotic animals at the Wild Animal Safari Park in Pine Mountain. In fact, some people got so close they enjoyed a drool shower from a friendly giraffe. I've never seen 10 grown people laugh so hard in my entire life!!!  We explored downtown Pine Mountain with all of it’s cute shops and restaurants. Lots of beautiful antiques and unique things you won’t find anywhere else.  A really cool place we visited was Explorations in Antiquities in LaGrange. Wow! This was quite an experience. They have a number of programs to choose from and in fact, we made bread and butter as they would have in biblical times. It was actually a pretty exhausting process. We visited FDR’s Little White House in Warm Springs and also went just down the road to the new Warm Springs Winery and took a tour and learned how many different types of muscadine wine are made. Very cool!

It just goes to show you that there is plenty to do right here in our own backyard.  So if you've got kids, or even if you don't, put a couple of gallons of gas in the car (that's all it will take because all of these things are so close to Columbus!) and head out for one more summer experience before the school bells ring.  And remember, there's a wealth of event information at your fingertips…just head to the Community Calendar and take a look.

Now, go have some fun…

shelby