Columbus, on the far western side of Georgia, isn't near an ocean, a sea or even the Gulf of Mexico. So, then, you might think it odd to see a tanned surfer dude _ or maybe a surfer chick _ strolling around downtown with a surfboard under one arm and a wetsuit under the other.
That's because Columbus, the second largest city in Georgia after Atlanta, is anchored by the Chattahoochee River, the dividing line between the Peach State and Alabama. Columbus is so close to Alabama that you can literally throw a rock across the river and hit a Crimson Tide or Auburn fan.
On the river you can actually go whitewater rafting and surfing right past downtown and all of its historic buildings. Yes, surfing, as in surf's up. River surfing, it's called. The Chattahoochee has the longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world _ you can shoot the 'Hooch for about 2.5 miles _ with a pocket of the rapids providing the perfect opportunity for pretty decent surfing.
While river surfing on the 'Hooch may not quite be the caliber of, say, Oahu or Malibu, at least you don't have to worry about a great white making you its ichthyological entree.
And if you dare, you can even zipline across the Chattahoochee from Georgia to Alabama and back again on the Blue Heron Zip Line, named for one of the river's most famous denizens that congregate among its rocks and shallows, the stately blue heron.
"It's the only place in the U.S. where you can zipline from state to state," pointed out Shelby Guest of the very modern, very snazzy Visit Columbus Welcome Center, where I stopped to load up on brochures.
Here's the thing about Columbus and its downtown, especially if you've explored Atlanta and Savannah but still want to see a different facet of Georgia. Columbus may well be the coolest cat in Georgia at the moment. The core of Columbus is history and can best be described as having all the architecture, museums, attractions and captivating array of restaurants of its Peach State cousins, but without Atlanta's notorious traffic and Savannah's even more notorious gnats and humidity.
"Columbus has one of the largest contiguous historic districts in the U.S.," Guest said as she pointed on a map several places to see. "It goes on for 28 blocks and has lots of antebellum architecture."
