Quick Facts
I-26 at Mile Marker 68
Columbus, NC
Travelers coming from South Carolina on Interstate 26 receive a warm welcome at this NC Welcome Center. Learn about the many natural and cultural attractions within easy driving distance, especially the sites along the Blue Ridge Heritage Trail.
The nearby town of Saluda offers shops, galleries, and a remarkable railroad history. Also in Saluda, the quiet botanical gardens of Pearson’s Falls host an amazing variety of native plant species.
Not far from this Welcome Center, in Rutherfordton, you can learn about the first gold rush in America and visit where the first gold $1 coin was minted. And close by is the Bostic Lincoln Center which presents the premise that Abraham Lincoln was not born in Kentucky, but rather on a farm near this site.
Visit Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park for astounding views and Lake Lure for an unexpected mountain beach. Both are within nearby Hickory Nut Gorge.
Asheville is but a short drive to the north, where you can visit “America’s Largest Home,” Biltmore, as well as the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Pack Square Park, and the NC Arboretum.
The Blue Ridge Heritage Trail is a program of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership.
More Information
Phone:
828-894-2120
Physical Address:
I-26 at Mile Marker 68
Columbus, NC 28722
Mailing Address:
PO Box 249
Columbus, NC 28722
