Every town has a story … Come stroll through ours.
Welcome to historic downtown Columbus, Mississippi. Columbus is known as the “Friendly City”, rich in history and beauty. As you roam through our charming downtown, please note that there are over 200 second-floor apartments in the downtown business district. Much of downtown Columbus was destroyed by two devastating fires in 1854, thus you will find that most buildings were built between the mid-1850s and 1910. The downtown historic district has held a Central Commercial Historic District designations since April 23, 1980, thus all buildings on this tour are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On April 25, 1866, four Columbus ladies decorated the graves of both the Union and Confederate soldiers in the City’s Friendship Cemetery with flowers. While many cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, President Obama in his 2010 Memorial Day address, stated that the first official Memorial Day was at Waterloo, New York, but it had been inspired by the act of the ladies in Columbus. During your downtown tour, be sure to enjoy a meal at one of our excellent restaurants after shopping in some of our spectacular specialty shops. We hope you enjoy this self-guided walking tour through Columbus’ celebrated past. We appreciate the time you have taken to explore historic downtown Columbus. Please invite your family and friends to do the same.