Columbia offers an exciting variety of places to go and things to do, making it a city that spans the visitor needs of all generations. Shopping, dining, hiking/biking, touring, sports, enjoying the arts and history — all are here for the Columbia visitor. Throughout the 1990s, Money magazine has consistently put the mid-Missouri town on its top-20 list of the nation’s best places to live. With a low crime rate and low cost-of-living, combined with an abundance of things to do, it’s easy to see why.

For outdoor enthusiasts, you can walk, jog or ride the Katy Trail, which winds along the Missouri River from nearby Rocheport through Hartsburg to Jefferson City as part of a 200-mile hiking/biking trail. Inside Columbia, hike or ride the 4.5-mile MKT Trail which joins the Katy Trail. Entrances are located off Providence Road, and Stadium and Forum Blvd.

You could take a leisurely stroll around Shelter Insurance Gardens on Broadway near Stadium Blvd. The Gardens feature 300 varieties of trees and shrubs, 15,000 annuals and perennials and the Midwest’s largest sundial. There is also a one-room schoolhouse, a garden for the blind and a beautiful gazebo.

Swimming, canoeing, diving and off-road cycling all are available at Finger Lakes State Park which is just north of Columbia. Its small lakes and rugged terrain make a great place to catch some fish or catch some rays. It also has its own campground.

Rock Bridge State Park on the south edge of Columbia features Devil’s Icebox Cave, a natural rock bridge and numerous sinkholes. The 2,238-acre park offers miles of trails and makes a great place to have a family picnic.

Columbia has many art exhibits and historic buildings to see. Missouri’s third largest art collection is on the University of Missouri campus. You also can travel in time at the State Historical Society on Lowry Street, the Museum of Anthropology or the Museum of Art and Archaeology with its ancient to contemporary exhibits. The University is home of historic Francis Quadrangle with its six Ionic columns and 18 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic Maplewood Home, with barns, carriages and tenant houses, is an 1877 farm home of a prominent family located in Nifong Memorial Park. Also in the park is the Walters-Boone County Historical Museum with its Montminy Gallery and the Maplewood Barn Theatre, which offers outdoor plays and musicals. Numerous stage and musical productions are also scheduled at the historic Missouri Theatre, the MU Summer Repertory Theatre, Columbia Entertainment Company and nearby Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. Fun, games, rides and entertainment is available each year at the Boone County Fair. The fairgrounds are also the home of the Wake Up to Missouri U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championships each August. The event began a three-year run in Missouri this past summer.

Columbia is known for its variety of fine, unusual and popular restaurants. In warm months, outdoor dining and entertainment is available at many locations. Columbia’s nightspots offer all kinds of entertainment as well. You can go two-stepping at a country dancing bar, strut your stuff at a contemporary jazz, blues or progressive dance club or just sit and relax.

Veteran shoppers have many opportunities in Columbia. Downtown offers streets of specialty shops and boutiques, jewelry, clothing and shoe stores and sensational dining options. The Columbia Mall has four department stores, over 100 shops and a movie theatre next to the cafe food court. Crossroads West Shopping Center and the Forum Shopping Center offer additional opportunities.

A short drive west of Columbia will take you to Rocheport where you will find the Les Bourgeois Vineyards and Winery and a breathtaking view of the Missouri River. Antique and craft shops are there, as well as access to the Katy Trail. In Boonville, just a few more miles west, you’ll find the oldest professional theatre west of the Allegheny Mountains and the site of Missouri’s first Civil War battle.

Thirty minutes to the south, the State Capitol in Jefferson City has the famous Thomas Hart Benton murals and state museum. You can tour the Governor’s Mansion, Jefferson Landing and the Missouri Veterans Memorial with a terraced waterfall and reflecting pool.

Just an hour south of Columbia is Missouri’s largest outdoor playground — the Lake of the Ozarks. It is the vacation destination for thousands of people throughout the Midwest. Throughout the summer months, the Lake is Missouri’s third largest population center.

For rainy-day fun or a great day outside, the Columbia area truly is a city for all tastes and offers plenty to do for those who visit the Show-Me State.