Columbus, Georgia is located in Muscogeee County, Georgia & is about 15 minutes from Ft. Benning. There are many attractions in the area & surrounding areas, such as Pine Mountian, Callaway Gardens, the historic Downtown Columbus area, & the three local sports teams. Columbus is home to many exciting cultural, artistic, & athletic venues. The Springer Opera House (the official State Theatre of Georgia), the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, the Columbus Museum, the Coca-Cola Challenger Space Science Center & the Columbus Civic Center. There are a few campgrounds & RV parks in the area, but the most notable is Lake Pines. Transportation to Columbus is made easy by the Columbus, Georgia Metropolitan Airport, the Chattahoochee River, U.S. Route 80, or Interstate 185. Columbus is also home to a few major companies, such as Carmike Cinemas, AFLAC, TSYS, & Synovus, & has a few colleges such as Columbus Technical College & Columbus State University. The 1996 Olympic softball competition was held in Columbus at the softball complex the city built. Columbus is the third largest city in Georgia & the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state. Columbus was the second largest city in Georgia in 1996, when Augusta & Richmond County consolidated, making it the second largest city in Georgia. Columbus, Georgia also has two malls, Peachtree Mall & Columbus Park Crossing. In its June-July 2008 issue, Best Life magazine ranked Columbus #4 among US metropolitan areas as one of the best cities in the country to raise a family.