Quick answer (as of October 2026) The best things to do in Columbia, TN start on the courthouse square and run down to the Duck River. The President James K. Polk Home at 301 West 7th Street runs walk-in tours daily, with adult tickets at $14. Riverwalk Park sits directly northeast of the square, and the Columbia Farmers Market sets up there every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, year round. Maury County's Chickasaw Trace Park has 9 miles of mountain bike trails and a boat ramp. First Fridays fill the square from 5 to 8 p.m. every first Friday through December, and the 40th annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6 p.m.
You're looking at Columbia, and you want to know what a regular Saturday looks like once you live here. Here's the list, with the address, the hours and the price wherever the venue posts them, so you can go.
I own a renovated historic home near the square in Columbia, and I live up the road in Thompson's Station. I've been selling real estate since 2013 and investing in real estate since 2005. Most of what's below is free.
What are the best things to do in Columbia, TN?
The best things to do in Columbia, TN, as of October 2026, are the courthouse square, the President James K. Polk Home, the parks along the Duck River and the downtown events, and most of them cost nothing.
- Walk the Public Square. The Maury County Courthouse, built in 1904 and 1905, sits in the middle of it, and the square is ringed by shops and restaurants.
- Tour the James K. Polk Home. It's at 301 West 7th Street, about 0.2 mile west of the courthouse, with walk-in tours daily. Adult tickets are $14.
- Spend a Saturday morning at Riverwalk Park. The city park at 102 Riverside Drive has paved walkways, two pavilions, a splash pad and a basketball court, and the Columbia Farmers Market sets up there every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
- Ride Chickasaw Trace Park. Maury County's park at 1419 New Highway 7 has 9 miles of mountain bike trails, a pump and jump track and a boat ramp.
- Hike Yanahli Park. The county's 474-acre park at 922 Iron Bridge Road is bordered on three sides by the Duck River, and the Cheeks Bend Bluff View Trail runs two miles.
- Go to First Fridays. Columbia Main Street and the City of Columbia close the square to traffic every first Friday from April through December, 5 to 8 p.m.
What's in downtown Columbia, TN?
Downtown Columbia, TN is the Public Square, the Maury County Courthouse in the middle of it and the blocks of older brick buildings around it. The courthouse was built in 1904 and 1905, and the blocks around the square make up the Columbia Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
First Fridays run every first Friday from April through December, 5 to 8 p.m., with live music, food trucks, vendors, a mini cruise-in and shops open late. For the event, West 7th, South Main and the whole Public Square close to traffic. Columbia Main Street runs it with the City of Columbia.
The Mulehouse, at 812 South High Street, is Columbia's concert and event hall in a restored 1936 church. Its November calendar includes The Piano Men on Friday, November 6, Barracuda, a Heart tribute, on Saturday, November 7, and Jeff Allen's Christmas show on Saturday, November 28, as of October 2026.
My downtown Columbia, TN guide covers the older homes around the square and what the city's historic zoning means for an exterior project.
How much does it cost to tour the James K. Polk Home?
A tour of the President James K. Polk Home and Museum costs $14 for adults, and $12 for veterans, active military, college students and AAA members, per the Polk Home as of October 2026. Tickets are sold at the Visitor Center, and walk-in tours run daily.
| Ticket | Price | What it is | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult tour | $14 | Docent-led tour of the Polk Home | Visitor Center |
| Veterans, active military, college students, AAA | $12 | Same tour | Visitor Center |
| Exhibit only, adult | $5 | Polk Presidential Hall | Visitor Center |
The Polk Home is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April through October, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November through March. Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. all year. It's closed January 1, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and December 24 and 25, and it's also closed Monday, November 2, for a staff retreat. Parking is free in the lot across 7th Street.
Samuel Polk, the president's father, built the house in 1816. Not counting the White House, it's the only surviving residence of James K. Polk, the 11th president, and it's a National Historic Landmark. The Polk Sisters' House is right next door.
What parks are in Columbia, TN?
Columbia, TN has two sets of parks: City of Columbia parks like Riverwalk Park and Woodland Park, and Maury County parks like Maury County Park, Chickasaw Trace Park and Yanahli Park. The county says its six parks cover roughly 1,000 acres, as of October 2026.
| Park | Address | Run by | What's there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverwalk Park | 102 Riverside Drive | City of Columbia | Directly northeast of the square; open greenways, paved walkways, two pavilions, splash pad, basketball court; Saturday farmers market |
| Woodland Park | 821 West 9th Street | City of Columbia | 18-hole disc golf course, playgrounds, and the Hilltop R/C Raceway, a dirt track for small radio-controlled cars (no gas-powered cars), open dawn to dusk |
| Maury County Park | 1018 Maury County Park Drive | Maury County | 242 acres; 2-mile paved trail, 1-mile nature trail, eight pavilions, equestrian area with two arenas, Muletown Bark Park; home of Mule Day and the Maury County Fair |
| Chickasaw Trace Park | 1419 New Highway 7 | Maury County | 240.5 acres; 9 miles of mountain bike trails, pump and jump track, boat ramp, Derryberry Log Cabin, views of the Duck River and Knob Creek |
| Yanahli Park | 922 Iron Bridge Road | Maury County | 474 acres bordered on three sides by the Duck River; 1 2/3-mile paved loop, 2-mile Cheeks Bend Bluff View Trail, Rummage Cave |
The Columbia Farmers Market sets up at Riverwalk Park every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, rain or shine and year round, per the City of Columbia as of October 2026. May through October is the main season, so some vendors come only then. Expect local produce, meats, eggs, honey, baked goods, flowers and handmade goods.
Muletown Bark Park, inside Maury County Park, has separate areas for small and large dogs plus a shared one, and it's open every day from dawn to dusk, per the city. Yanahli's Rummage Cave is short and horizontal, with five oval rooms about 30 feet wide, per Maury County.
Can you kayak the Duck River in Columbia?
Yes. The Duck River runs through Columbia, and outfitters rent kayaks and canoes for trips on it, per Visit Columbia as of October 2026. The Nature Conservancy calls the Duck one of the most biologically rich freshwater rivers in North America, with more than 60 species of freshwater mussels and more fish species than all the rivers of Europe combined, over 269 miles through Middle Tennessee.
Higher Pursuits, a few minutes from downtown Columbia, runs a 5.5-mile Class I route on the Duck, and its rental prices include the paddles, the life jacket and the shuttle to the put-in and back from the take-out. Its posted rental season ran April 18 to October 18, so check its site for next season's dates. If you have your own boat, Chickasaw Trace Park has a boat ramp.
What events are coming up in Columbia, TN?
The next big downtown events in Columbia, TN are the Tree Lighting at First Fridays on Friday, November 6, 2026, and the 40th annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6 p.m., per Visit Columbia as of October 2026. Columbia Main Street puts on the parade with the City of Columbia.
- The Tree Lighting. It's part of First Fridays on November 6, and Visit Columbia says details are coming.
- The Merry Makers Market. It's set for First Fridays on Friday, December 4, 2026.
- The Mulehouse. Shows run through December, with the full list on the venue's calendar.
When is Mule Day 2027?
Mule Day 2027 is April 1 to 3, per the event's official site as of October 2026, and Maury County Park hosts it each year. Mule Day goes back to the 1840s, when it started as Breeder's Day, a one-day mule market on the first Monday in April. The Saturday parade is the highlight.
The full rundown, from the parade to the Skillington Draft Mule Show, is in my Mule Day guide.
What's worth a short drive from Columbia?
The Gordon House on the Natchez Trace Parkway is about 15.9 miles and 24 minutes from the Maury County Courthouse, and Henry Horton State Park is about 22.5 miles and 34 minutes, without traffic, per OpenStreetMap routing as of October 28, 2026.
- The Gordon House. It's at milepost 407.7 on the Natchez Trace Parkway, just south of Tennessee Highway 50. Captain John Gordon's brick home dates to 1818, and a ferry there carried travelers across the Duck River, per the National Park Service. You can't go inside for safety reasons, but the site has parking, a picnic shelter, restrooms and a trailhead.
- Henry Horton State Park. Tennessee State Parks lists it at 4209 Nashville Highway in Chapel Hill, 1,552 acres on the Duck River, with the Buford Ellington Golf Course, the Wilhoite Mill Trail, a trap and skeet range and kayaking on the river. The park is building a new lodge, and it says some roads, trails, campsites and river access points may close for a while during the work, as of October 2026.
- Spring Hill. The next town north has its own list in things to do in Spring Hill, with Rippa Villa's tours and the battlefield trail.
What's it like to have all of this close to home?
Columbia's best-known spots sit close to the square, and if you buy an older house near downtown, the address can come with rules. The city has five local historic overlay districts, and exterior work beyond routine maintenance on a home in one of them needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before it starts.
I own a renovated historic home near the square, so I know what that approval adds to a project. When I help someone shop Columbia, I start with the places they'd use every week, then check whether the address sits in an overlay before we write an offer. My living in Columbia, TN guide covers taxes, utilities and the commute, and my Columbia, TN page has the homes for sale. If you want a second set of eyes on a short list, DM me, text or call 615-392-1186.
Frequently asked questions about things to do in Columbia, TN
What are the best things to do in Columbia, TN?
Walk the Public Square and the Maury County Courthouse, tour the President James K. Polk Home at 301 West 7th Street, spend a Saturday morning at the farmers market in Riverwalk Park, ride the 9 miles of mountain bike trails at Chickasaw Trace Park, hike Yanahli Park above the Duck River, and go to First Fridays on the square, April through December.
What parks are in Columbia, TN?
The City of Columbia runs Riverwalk Park at 102 Riverside Drive and Woodland Park at 821 West 9th Street, among others. Maury County runs Maury County Park (242 acres), Chickasaw Trace Park (240.5 acres) and Yanahli Park (474 acres), part of roughly 1,000 acres of county parkland.
How much does it cost to tour the James K. Polk Home?
Adult tickets are $14, and veterans, active military, college students and AAA members pay $12, as of October 2026. An exhibit-only adult ticket for Polk Presidential Hall is $5. The home is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November through March, and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
When is the Columbia, TN Christmas Parade in 2026?
The 40th annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6 p.m., per Visit Columbia. The Tree Lighting comes first, at First Fridays on Friday, November 6, 2026.
When is First Fridays in Columbia, TN?
First Fridays run every first Friday of the month from April through December, 5 to 8 p.m., on the Public Square. West 7th, South Main and the whole square close to traffic for live music, food trucks, vendors and shops open late.
Is the Columbia Farmers Market open year round?
Yes. The Columbia Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at Riverwalk Park, 102 Riverside Drive, rain or shine and year round. May through October is the main season, when the most vendors come.
When is Mule Day 2027?
Mule Day 2027 is April 1 to 3, per the event's official site. Maury County Park hosts it, and the Saturday parade is the highlight.
Let's find your spot near all of it
Tell me which of these you'd use every week, and I'll show you the Columbia homes that put them close, from the blocks around the square to newer streets farther out. DM me, text or call 615-392-1186.
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