Columbus Indiana Visitors Center
First Floor / Gift Shop
506 Fifth Street, Columbus, IN 47201 | 812-378-2622
HOURS – Mon – Sat 10 – 5
See special holiday hours
Read the FAQs
BEGIN YOUR VISIT AT THE VISITORS CENTER
Located at 506 Fifth Street, in the heart of downtown, the first floor staff can help you plan your time in Columbus. Park for free, then come inside for:
- Help selecting city tours
- Maps, brochures, city guides
- Free videos about Columbus, shown any time
- The Dale Chihuly Yellow Neon Chandelier and Persians
- A big, beautiful gift shop (see more photos)
The gift shop has handcrafted items by local and regional artists and Columbus-themed items.
View the Dale Chihuly Yellow Chandelier and Persians and even purchase your own Chihuly glass!
Find out what bloggers suggest for your visit to Columbus.
Artist Jeff Hagan captured the city of Columbus in his unique style, and it is available for sale in the gift shop. Jeff also created a painting that honors local native Chuck Taylor.
Visitor reviews
Everything a visitor needs...
Chihuly chandelier, friendly assistance, clean restrooms, and $3 architectural tour brochure. Everything a visitor needs in one easy-to-find (and park) location. / posted on Google Maps by Stace
WOW - This is not what you expect...
"Worth the visit"...
…we did not know that in the middle of America such a city exists with interesting architectural phenomena. Strongly recommend to take the tour. – Tripadvisor reviewer from Los Angeles, posted Nov 2019
"The best way to start your visit to Columbus"
This is a must see, must do activity in Columbus. The tour provides a great introduction to this unexpected, unforgettable town. At the very least, enjoy the 8-minute video introduction to Columbus and … its architectural significance. This is the best way to start your visit to Columbus. / Yelp reviewer from Cape Coral, Florida, posted Nov 2019
"For anyone visiting Columbus...this should be the first stop"
For anyone visiting Columbus for the architecture, this should be the first stop. / Tripadvisor reviewer from Raleigh, North Carolina
"What more could a traveler want?"...
An interesting building with world-class artwork, a helpful staff, clean bathrooms, and well-curated gift shop. What more could a traveler want? / Yelp reviewer from Louisville, KY
"I had no idea there were so many things to see and do around town"...
Coming to visit Columbus for the first time was a great experience! The visitor’s center had great staff and helped us get started on our self guided tour. They even had a great video to watch before the tour. Even their gift shop was full of wonderfully cute things from around the Columbus area. I had no idea there were so many things to see and do around town. / Google Plus reviewer
View the architecture videos
Directions
Take me to the Welcome Center
Get the movie!
“…a pleasantly eccentric film that’s the feature debut of visual artist Kogonada. Set in ‘the Athens of the Prairie,’ Columbus, Indiana, the unlikely site of a trove of modern architecture, its impeccably composed shots of stunning buildings are as much of a lure as its deliberately paced story.”
[ The LA Times ]
Pricing
Blu Ray is $42.79 total – includes tax
DVD is $37.44 total – includes tax
Shipping
Up to 2 DVDs or BluRays can be shipped to one address for $7.50
To purchase
Call the Gift Shop, 800-468-6564
GET A PUP BAG
Colorful and fun PUP bags, including:
Clutches
Executive bags
Several styles of messenger bags
ARCHITECTURE GUIDEBOOK
A Look at Architecture documents modern buildings in Columbus, Indiana, designed predominantly by nationally and internationally recognized architects, landscape architects, and interior designers from 1942-2016. Each project has been photographed in its current condition and many feature historical photos by Balthazar Korab.
Become a member!
Membership dollars are used by our organization to advance the incredible architectural heritage of Columbus, Indiana, and to educate people of all ages about the value of good design.
Member benefits include:
- 15% discount on Gift Shop purchases
- Additional discounts on Museum Store Sunday and the month of December
- Special pricing on Chihuly Studio Edition Glass and Limited-Edition Prints
- Invitations to special events and lectures
To join, visit the membership page >
RELATED PAGES
- The Columbus Area Visitors Center information page
- Check out the beautiful Instagram photos of Columbus
- Sign up for e-news updates
- See videos posted on YouTube
an architectural guide like no other
Written by by Columbus tour guide Henry Kuehn, Architects’ Gravesites is an architectural guide like no other, revealing as much about mortality as about monumentality, featuring a forward by Barry Bergdoll and afterword by Paul Goldberger.
Kuehn’s book offers an alphabetical listing, from Alvar Aalto to Minoru Yamasaki (designer of the Word Trade Center’s twin towers). Each entry includes a brief note on the architect’s career and a color photograph of the site. You will learn that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is buried in Chicago under a simple granite slab designed by his architect grandson; Louise Bethune, the first American woman to become a professional architect, is buried under a headstone inscribed only with her husband’s name (a plaque honoring her achievements was installed later); and Philip Johnson’s ashes were spread in his rose garden, with no marker, across the street from his famous Glass House.
Authored by Columbus tour guide Henry Kuehn (see photo), published 2017 by MIT Press
$19.95, 128 pages, call to order: 800-468-6564
Read the untold story of the incomparable Xenia Miller
Xenia Miller collaborated with modernist giants Eero Saarinen and Alexander Girard on not one, but two homes — Columbus, Indiana’s Miller House being one of the most important residential projects in architectural history. But that’s just the beginning. Her contributions to architecture, design, art and historic preservation in central Indiana are largely unknown.
Along with her husband, Xenia Miller brought art by international figures like Jean Tinguely, and Henry Moore to small town Indiana. She worked with major architectural figures like Edward Larrabee Barnes (and his wife) to bring inspiring design to schools, churches, and other civic buildings. She looked to design’s future, but worked to preserve the past.
Hers may be one of the great unsung voices in modernism.
More than 84 pages, this issue is illustrated with dozens of full color photos and drawings — many never before published. Offset printed in Indiana on heavy weight uncoated stock. Written by Connie Zeigler.
