• Getting there

PHIL GAST/Staff (ENLARGE)

There are several bridges to cross along the 15-mile-long pedestrian and bike path at the Columbus RiverWalk.

PHIL GAST/Staff (ENLARGE)

Weapons are featured prominently both inside and outside of the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.

National Civil War Naval Museum (ENLARGE)

The wreckage of the CSS Jackson is on display at the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus. Mock-ups of other vessels and restored flags also are on display.

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee a ribbon of pavement carries a visitor back where the mighty Creek Indian nation thrived and by the site of a Confederate ironclad shipyard.

The Columbus RiverWalk also is very much about today. It's a prominent fixture of a revived downtown. It meanders to Fort Benning, an important Army post since World War I that recently gained new forces in the base realignment.

RiverWalk is a delightful and generally flat pedestrian and bike path traversing about 15 miles, most within sight or sound of the Chattahoochee River. The route includes views of river bends, a rusty shipwreck and birds swooping into the waters for a meal.

It's also educational. We did a lot of reading and riding, passing by three museums and a nature center. This trip we read up on Civil War history and the environmental wonders of the river, which widens below Columbus as it meanders toward the Gulf of Mexico.

THINGS TO SEE

National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus 1002 Victory Drive, 706-327-9798
Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Christmas Day.
Adults, $6.50; students, $5; active military, $5.50; seniors (65 and older), $5.50; 6 and under, free.

This impressive museum on a grassy knoll above RiverWalk relates the little-known story of the ships, sailors and blockade that were an important part of the Civil War. It houses the wreckage of two Confederate vessels, including the CSS Jackson, an ironclad built on the Chattahoochee. Also displayed are mock-ups of other vessels and restored flags belonging to the blue and gray. www.portcolumbus.org.

Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center
3535 S. Lumpkin Road, 706-687-4090
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays. $1.

Nestled in a bend of the Chattahoochee River and right next to RiverWalk, the learning center features trails, birds of prey, an alligator (its hiss gave one of us a jump) and other live animals. Sure to get "oohs" and "aahs" is the Treetop Trail, a walk literally through the forest canopy. The 35-foot-high walkway stretches almost 200 feet. You must make a reservation to enjoy the canopy walk. http://oxbow.colstate.edu.

National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning

Baltzell Avenue, Building 396, 706-545-2958
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.; 12:30-4:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Free admission.

We huffed and puffed our way uphill to reach the RiverWalk's end at the museum. Three floors are loaded with weapons, photos, uniforms and the Davy Crockett, the nation's smallest atomic weapon. The venue is moving in late 2008 to another site next to the trail. One new feature will be a re-created 1940s World War II post complex, including Gen. George S. Patton's headquarters. www.benning.army.mil/museum.

Coca-Cola Space Science Center
701 Front Ave., 706-649-1470
Open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays; 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays.

Adults, $6; military/seniors, $5; children 4-12, $4.

A short stroll from the RiverWalk, the center features flight simulators, a weather station and "astronomy nights." The star attraction, so to speak, is the omnisphere theater. Narrated shows on the universe, comets and "Stars of the Pharaohs" dazzle visitors in the 360-degree dome. www.ccssc.org

OVERNIGHT?

www.visitcolumbusga.com lists a range of accommodations. The Quality Inn at 1325 Veterans Parkway ($79.99 plus tax) is within walking distance of RiverWalk. You can almost hear the ripple of the river from the Columbus Marriott ($174 plus tax Sunday-Thursdays and $129 plus tax Fridays-Saturdays) on Front Avenue near the Iron Works.

WHEEL FOOD

After pedaling several hours, how about a guilty pleasure? Country's on Broad (1329 Broadway, 706-596-8910) serves up a rib platter ($8.79), Cue Stew ($5.79) and sweet potato chips ($3.99) from a converted bus station. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

IF YOU GO

Columbus is about 2 hours from Gwinnett. Take I-85 south, exiting on I-185 near LaGrange. Travel south to Columbus. RiverWalk can be accessed at several points, including 11th Street and Bay Avenue. Info at www.columbusga.org/parks/park_sites/riverwalk.htm.