Kids' activities in Columbus: museums, playgrounds, story times

Kids' activities in Columbus, Georgia: the free Children's Gallery, Space Science Center, library story times, playgrounds, splash pads and rainy-day picks.

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Hours, addresses and phone numbers come from each attraction’s own site or its Visit Columbus listing, linked below. Hours change on holidays; check before you go.

Columbus’ two biggest free days out for children are The Columbus Museum’s Children’s Gallery on Wynnton Road and the National Infantry Museum on Legacy Way. Uptown adds the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and the river, and every library branch runs a weekly story time.

Place	Address	Hours	Cost
Columbus Museum Children’s Gallery	1251 Wynnton Road	Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thu. to 8 p.m.); Sun. 1 to 5 p.m.	Free
Coca-Cola Space Science Center	701 Front Ave.	Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Admission
National Infantry Museum	1775 Legacy Way	Tue.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Free
Oxbow Meadows	3535 S. Lumpkin Road	Tue.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.	Free; donation suggested
Historic Westville	3557 S. Lumpkin Road	Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.	Admission
Columbus Botanical Garden	3603 Weems Road	Tue.-Sun. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Admission

Who to call

The Columbus Museum: 706-748-2562

Coca-Cola Space Science Center: 706-649-1477

National Infantry Museum: 706-685-5800

Oxbow Meadows: 706-507-8550

Columbus Public Library: 706-243-2669

Columbus Ice Rink: 706-225-4500

Museums and science

The Columbus Museum Children’s Gallery, 1251 Wynnton Road. Children explore with their senses, build their own exhibition, climb and slide in a treehouse and “jump into life-size art,” and the outdoor Woodruff Children’s Garden is next to it. Always free; closed Mondays and holidays (Visit Columbus listing).
Coca-Cola Space Science Center, 701 Front Ave., run by Columbus State University: open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. Children under 3 get in free with a paid adult (center site).
National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, 1775 Legacy Way: free, with a Giant Screen Theater and virtual reality combat simulators (museum site).
Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, 3535 S. Lumpkin Road: two walking trails past ponds, and indoor exhibits with live reptiles, insects, amphibians and fish. Free, with a suggested donation, except at special events (Visit Columbus listing).
Historic Westville, 3557 S. Lumpkin Road: a living history village with interpreters in period clothing, trade shops and homesteads, open Friday and Saturday (Visit Columbus listing).

Story times and library programs

The Chattahoochee Valley Libraries run free Simple Steps Storytime sessions each week, according to the library events calendar:

Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road (Aflac Children’s Department): babies and toddlers at 10 a.m. Monday, families at 10 a.m. Thursday, Rhythm and Rhyme at 10 a.m. Friday, and LEGOs in the Library at 4 p.m. Thursday.
North Columbus Public Library, 5689 Armour Road: 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Mildred L. Terry Public Library, 640 Veterans Parkway: 11 a.m. Wednesday.
South Columbus Public Library, 2034 S. Lumpkin Road: families at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Playgrounds and splash pads

Columbus Parks and Recreation’s park map lists playgrounds at more than two dozen city parks, including Lakebottom and Weracoba Park, Cooper Creek Park, Flat Rock Park, Britt David Park, Woodruff Park, Northside Park and Shirley Winston Park (city park map).

Free splash pads, open daily in summer from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.: City Services Center, 3111 Citizens Way, and Carver Park, 6665 Hunter Road (city pools and splash pads). Uptown’s free splash pad and playground by the river opens Memorial Day weekend and closes after Labor Day (Uptown Columbus). Pools are on our summer camps and pools page.

Theater for kids

The Springer Opera House, 103 10th St., runs a children’s series and Theatre for the Very Young, hands-on shows for ages 0 to 3, in the Dorothy McClure Theatre. Its holiday show this year is Disney’s Frozen, Nov. 28 to Dec. 20 (Visit Columbus listing).

Rainy-day picks

Columbus Museum Children’s Gallery (free, closed Monday)
Coca-Cola Space Science Center (closed Sunday)
National Infantry Museum (free, closed Monday)
Columbus Ice Rink, 400 Fourth St.: public skating, with spectators free; call 706-225-4500 for public skate hours (Visit Columbus listing)
Columbus Collective Museums, a group of eight small museums, including a lunch box museum and soft drink museums, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 706-653-6240 (Visit Columbus listing)
Any library branch story time

Frequently asked questions

Is The Columbus Museum free for kids? Yes. The Columbus Museum and its Children’s Gallery are always free. They are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m., until 8 p.m. on Thursday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday.

When is story time at the Columbus Public Library? The Columbus Public Library at 3000 Macon Road holds Simple Steps Storytime at 10 a.m. on Mondays for babies and toddlers, Thursdays for families and Fridays for Rhythm and Rhyme. Branches hold their own weekly sessions.

What can kids do in Columbus on a rainy day? Indoor options include the free Columbus Museum Children’s Gallery, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center (closed Sundays), the free National Infantry Museum (closed Mondays), the Columbus Ice Rink and the library.

Are there free splash pads in Columbus? Yes. The City Services Center and Carver Park splash pads are free and open daily in summer, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Uptown’s splash pad is free from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.

What this means for you

Mondays are tricky: the Columbus Museum, the Infantry Museum and Oxbow are closed, but the Space Science Center and the library are open.
Westville opens only Fridays and Saturdays outside special events.