​Growing up watching older movies I was always jealous of the small, cute, adorable, little towns the characters got to live in. All of which were (of course) full of LOTS of dark secrets and drama. I knew it was a little unrealistic but I’ve always had this perfect picture in my head of what my dream town would look like. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I have something better. I have a REAL nearby small town, Columbia, Tennessee. Without a doubt downtown Columbia is one of my favorite places in the world. Unfortunately most people that live in the surrounding cities don’t come to Columbia because of the bad reputation it’s gotten over the years. Hopefully this will help those people change thier minds.
This hidden gem has accumulated an amazing variety of people. From a local coffee roaster, to a brewery, to a new and used bookstore we’ve got it all. Oh! and the amazing people! There’ are entrepreneurs, singers, song writers, authors, and more. I only just recently started working on the square, so I am still a bit of an outsider but I still feel lucky to have the chance to become a part of this growing community. For now, I’m just a spectator.
Muletown Roasted Coffee is at the top of my list of things you need to go to if you come and visit. The coffee is amazing. I’m actually sitting in muletown right now. I don’t even go here because of the coffee anymore, but for the environment, the music, and the people. But I also love the coffee. The people that walk in and out of their doors are the people that help mold Columbia to the sort of place it is today. It’s my favorite place to write. Occasionaly I get distracted, but it’s totally worth it and I hope it never changes.
Another favorite of mine that you must visit is Duck River Books. When you walk in the first thing to catch your eye will most likely be the front desk. Not just because of the nice employee welcoming you in but also because the desk is made up completely of old books. It even has a little sign politley asking you not to remove any since doing so would probably end in disaster. The childrens books are all in this little gazibo with a roof made of christmas lights. That is probably my favrite part of this little shop. If you continue to the back you’ll find some small couches next to my favorite section, murder mysteries. A little further back you’ll see the small spiral staircase that leads up to the young adult section filled with comic books, action novels, and some classics. No matter how hard I try if I walk in that store I’m sure to walk out with one or two books.
If coffee or books don’t interest you i’m sure something on the square will catch your eye. My personal favorite place to eat in Columbia is called The Dotted Lime. Its only about a five minute drive from the square. Because of all my allergies (I will talkmore about that in another blog) it can be difficult for me to go out to eat. This restaurant however is entirely gluten free, peanut free, and tree nut free. They have vegan, vegitarian, and carnivorous options; all of which are amazing. Unfortunantly they are only open for breakfast and lunch. Hopefully they will eventually be open for dinner as well. As is normal for most of Columbia the emplyees and owners are all nice. This place however, is owned by a large homeschool family and that makes it even better. Even if you don’t have any allergies I still highly suggest you check them out.
Once a year Columbia has a week long festival called Mule Day. Yes, I am fully aware that it is called Mule Day and lasts a whole week. All I can say is that I have asked several Columbia inhabitants and nobody has been able to explain why it’s like that. If you happen to know why or have an idea of why its named that please feel free to comment below! The reason that we have a whole week celebrating mules is because Columbia is the mule capital of the world. A long time ago people used to come here from all over just to buy, sell, and trade mules. Because of that we have several events and businesses with mule in the name, as well as put stickers on our cars that have the sillouet of a mule head. With all its wierd quirks and cool history, Columbia is for sure a place you need to visit if you haven’t already. It’s a nearby small town feel.