Columbia

With less than 1,000 residents, Columbia is truly a small town. But since the 1950s, it has gotten a lot bigger each fall when it becomes home to the Louisiana Art and Folk Festival. Held in downtown Columbia, the festival showcases one of Louisiana’s Main Street communities. Visitors discover a beautifully preserved and aggressively maintained old town. A focal point is the Schepis Museum. With its trademark statues of Christopher Columbus and George Washington, the circa 1916 Schepis building highlights the town’s heritage as a settlement for entrepreneurial Italian immigrants. Situated on the Ouachita River in Louisiana’s cotton country, Columbia developed as a bustling riverboat town. Today, there are spectacular views from the Riverwalk. Nearby, the Boeuf Wildlife Management Area offers a wide array of game for hunters to pursue, including deer, rabbit, quail and turkey. Those who prefer wild hog, will find ample hunting opportunities in the area’s vicinity.