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Columbia is a college city of about 130,000 people in central Missouri, halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City. Founded in 1821 on the Boone's Lick Trail, it soon became home to the University of Missouri, the first public university west of the Mississippi, founded in 1839. Mizzou's columns, the remains of the original Academic Hall, still stand on Francis Quadrangle as the symbol of the campus.
Along with Mizzou, Columbia is home to Stephens College and Columbia College, giving the city a young, creative feel. The Missouri School of Journalism, the world's first, is here, and the True/False Film Fest each March draws documentary fans from across the country. Downtown, known as the District, packs local restaurants, coffee shops and venues like The Blue Note and the Ragtag Cinema into walkable streets.
Columbia is also known for its trails and green space. The MKT Trail follows an old railroad bed out of downtown to connect with the Katy Trail, one of the longest rail-trails in the country, and Rock Bridge Memorial State Park has a natural rock bridge, caves and the Devil's Icebox. The Columbia Farmers Market is one of the largest in the state.
The six stone Ionic columns on Francis Quadrangle are all that remain of Mizzou's first Academic Hall, which burned in 1892, and they frame the domed Jesse Hall. The quad is the heart of the campus. Walk it in the evening when the columns are lit, or at graduation time.
Home of the Missouri Tigers football team, this bowl stadium south of campus is known for the large whitewashed rock M on the hillside of the north end zone. Fall game days fill the city with tailgates. Buy tickets early for SEC games and plan for heavy traffic.
Columbia's walkable downtown between the university and Broadway is packed with independent shops, bookstores, coffee houses, bars and restaurants in brick buildings. It hosts festivals and the True/False Film Fest each spring. Street parking is metered, so use one of the city garages.
A long-running concert hall on Ninth Street in a former vaudeville and movie theater that books touring rock, indie, country and hip-hop acts in an intimate standing-room space. Shows often sell out, so buy tickets in advance and check the age limit for each event.
A nonprofit art-house cinema in downtown Columbia showing independent, foreign and documentary films, with a cafe and bar inside. It is closely linked to the True/False Film Fest. Members get discounts, and the snack bar serves local beer and fresh popcorn.
A producers-only market at the MKT Park pavilion off Ash Street where regional farmers sell vegetables, meat, eggs, baked goods and flowers. It runs Saturday mornings most of the year with additional weekday markets in season. Go early for the best selection and bring cash.
A crushed-limestone rail trail that runs about nine miles from downtown Columbia through wooded creek valleys to connect with the Katy Trail. It is popular for running, walking and cycling. Start at Flat Branch Park downtown and bring water, as there are few services along the way.
A large city park east of downtown built around a spring-fed lake with a sandy swimming beach in summer, fishing, walking trails, an amphitheater for summer concerts and a sledding hill in winter. Parking is free; the beach has a small fee and lifeguards on set hours.
A free landscaped garden on the grounds of Shelter Insurance on West Broadway with more than 300 kinds of trees and shrubs, a rose garden, a pond with a waterfall and a replica one-room schoolhouse. Summer evening concerts are held on the lawn. It is quiet and good for photos.
Missouri's long rail trail follows the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas line along the Missouri River bluffs, and the stretch near McBaine and Rocheport, a short drive from Columbia, is one of its most scenic. Rent a bike in Rocheport and ride under the limestone bluffs.
A state park just south of Columbia with a natural rock bridge you can walk under, sinkholes, springs and the Devil's Icebox cave entrance, plus wooded hiking and biking trails. The boardwalk to the rock bridge is short and easy. Shoes may get wet near the cave stream.
The University of Missouri's art and archaeology museum at Mizzou North holds collections ranging from ancient Mediterranean and Egyptian artifacts to European and American paintings and prints. Admission is free; check hours, as it may close on university holidays.
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