Columbus destinations come to life

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Discover Columbus creates audio walking tour

COLUMBUS — Coming soon, people can walk through Columbus and hear audio on 14 different downtown attractions.

The walking tour is set to be unveiled in the next several weeks and will initially feature the Civil War Trails Marker, Cole Lumbus wood carving, Columbus First Baptist Church, the Doughboy Statue, the Flower Cottage, the historic Courthouse, the House of Flags Museum, the Howard Monument, Columbus Mills Monument, the Polk County Historical Museum, the Sears Catalog House, Stearns School, Veteran’s Park and the Old Bill Williams marker.

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“We are excited about the walking tour for Columbus with audio at each location,” Discover Columbus spokesperson Jimmi Buell said. “One of our committee’s objectives is to show people the special spots throughout our town. The plan is to have a (Quick Response) Code at each location so you can use your smartphones to access the recordings.”

Discover Columbus got the help of 13 local volunteers to read scripts about each location.

The Sears Catalog House (Submitted photo)

Columbus Councilman Richard Hall served as audio technician and Discover Columbus Committee member John Vining coordinated the project.

A QR code can be scanned from a smartphone to play the recording. Each recording gives facts about the individual location.

Voices for the walking tour include Jim Attwooll, Anna Pack Conner, Craig Culbreth, Michael Ford, Dawn Forward, Aaron Greene, Susie Kocher, Alan Leonard, Frances McCain, Ambrose Mills, Lindsey Moore, David Smith and Robert Williamson.

The audios include information about each site, including historical information.

The Flower Cottage, for example, was built in 1892 and is one of the oldest buildings in Columbus. Originally known as the “Institute,” it served as both a kindergarten and a community reading room.

The Polk County Courthouse is one of only 14 pre-Civil War courthouses to exist in North Carolina. Polk County’s courthouse, completed in 1859, is the 8th oldest actively used courthouse in the state.

To hear all the audios people can go to discovercolumbusnc.com/walking-tour/ on the Discover Columbus website.

Discover Columbus plans to have the walking tour available by the end of September.