Free parking, air conditioning, restrooms, free water, interesting art, and a huuuuge gift shop. But more importantly, the two tours we took were excellent. The walking tour starts at the Visitor's center and is an easy neighborhood stroll that includes an explanation of how Columbus became a center of modern architecture and includes entrance to the church that started the ball rolling. The tour of the Miller house also starts at the Visitor's Center, takes you to the Miller house in a van, and shows you this outstanding example of midcentury modern architecture, left just as it was by the family that built it and lived there. The Miller house is otherwise inaccessible - you can't even see it from the street. Both tours were lead by excellent guides and both tours were well worth the ticket price. You don't need a background in architecture to appreciate these tours. Plan ahead and book your tours early. read more

The visitors Center is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning about Columbus and it's incredible architecture and history. I only stopped by to get a map, but instead spent several hours watching films about Irwin Miller, his home and the architecture of Columbus. The building itself is lovely with modern artistic areas and a fabulous Chihuly glass sculpture. The staff is super friendly, helpful and knowledgable. One staff member played a film for us (alone) to learn about the local architecture. They offer guided tours of the city and the Miller house. Reservations are required for the tours, which fill up quickly. They have information on their website about the tours so you can book in advance. Their gift shop is filled with art and books about architecture. There is plenty of parking in their private lot. Restrooms are available. read more

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Very interesting tour of a very interesting home. We had a Finish architect on our tour that drove very far out of his way to see the Miller Home and he was also very pleased. read more

Extraordinarily friendly folks work here. Anything you want to know about Columbus, you can find out here. I highly recommend the tours they offer. I took the tour because I have heard so much about the architecture in this small town. I was not disappointed. I loved hearing the back ground stories on all the buildings as well as the facts about each. Very interesting and a must if you love architecture. I do have one big gripe , which is that the air conditioning wasn't working on the shuttle we took, which was rough since it was quite a hot and humid day. Once back at the visitor center, I did a little shopping. Love the merchandise from local artists. Also picked up a few more brochures about Columbus specifically and some about the region in general. If you are new to the area, you should stop here first so you can plan your visit and not miss anything. Pick out your favorites and take it from there. Enjoy this little town with lots to offer. read more

Columbus Area Visitors Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

My spouse and I drove over to Columbus Indiana to tour the architecture of Columbus. Purchasing tickets was simple enough. I called ahead to ensure handicapped accessibility. The staff was extremely helpful. The visitor center shares a parking lot with the library. They have plenty of handicapped accessible parking spots and a handicapped bus. The building itself has a great entrance ramp and an elevator. The bathroom is also accessible. Everyone is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The architecture is wonderful to see. Make the trip to Columbus. read more

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We had a great experience at the Columbus Visitors Center! The folks working were so nice and helpful, sharing tidbits about local offerings and they even played a short video about the Miller House for us since it was closed for tours during our visit. The center itself is clean and there are restrooms downstairs if you need them. They have a gift shop too with some cute items and art - plus a few Chihuly pieces on display. Our visit started when we arrived to take the architectural highlights tour. Our tour guide was great and greeted us when we arrived. The tour started and ended on foot, but most of the duration was on a bus as we drove through town hearing about the different architecture in the city. So interesting and amazing to see. During the walking portions we were able to go inside the church and library which was very cool. Overall if you're visiting the area I recommend you stop here at the very least to get a map and information, but the tour is worth it too if you want high level details on some of the buildings! read more

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This is the fourth time we have taken these tours. Our guide, Henry Kuehn, never looks at a note, but recites from memory the history and details of every place we visit. His passion for architectural history is obvious from the first minute. We have learned something with each visit. We're so enthralled, we've joined the Indiana Landmarks Commission. No state in our country does a better job of saving the historic places than Indiana. We invited 8 friends to join us for the morning tour and the Miller House tour in the afternoon. We drove up from Louisville and had a wonderful day. We had a two hour break from the morning tour so we had lunch at the Upland Pump House. It was excellent...I recommend the Wheat beer. The Miller House is so integral to Columbus. Be sure to take this tour. We will be back again, and hopefully, Henry will be our guide! read more

One day visit to Columbus, IN. to do the architecture tour and the Miller House tour. The visitor center is well located near the center of downtown with free parking. Both tours were excellent; the staff was great, the videos were informative. The van architecture tour is very well done, getting to see a nice overview of the different sites, and with getting in to see the insides of two different churches. About 2 hours split between the van and on your feet. Great introduction to Columbus, its history and how it became a center of architectural excellence. The Miller House tour was exceptional, what a great property. If you are into Midmodern Architecture this is a must see. The tour was informative, fun and more thorough then I expected. Get to see all of the inside and a good amount of the outside. Photos are allowed outside and in one main location inside. House is larger then I expected and incredibly impressive. I also used the Columbus, IN app to do some additional touring of the architecture and the Exhibit Columbus 2021 art installations. I highly recommend this if you want to explore on your own. The visitor center itself is nice, check in for the tours was easy, the meeting area for the videos was spacious and well appointed. Check out the art exhibits and don't miss the Chihuly Glass Pieces. About the only minor nitpick would be to have a bit more discussion of what Midmodern Architecture is about and its qualities. Overall an outstanding day. Great architecture, great public art and the downtown and Mill Run Park are well worth the time and energy to visit. read more

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It's #ThankYouThursday and I'm thankful for the folks here who provide all the info you need to have a wonderful day in Columbus. You can stop in the Visitors Center on a whim to score brochures and info about the city, to shop the beautiful gift shop, or to meet your tour group. You can sign up for the Architecture Tour, Miller House and Garden Tour, or a Downtown Walking Tour. I'd recommend signing up for any of those in advance, and all three are fascinating, as this city is extremely rich in architecture. Before each tour, the Visitors Center shows a video so you can better understand what you're about to witness. The folks here are nice, helpful, and do a wonderful job at displaying this Indiana gem of a city! PS: Don't miss the huge, yellow, Chihuly glass chandelier hanging in the stairwell here! read more

Visitors Center is nice. Movie about Irwin Miller home informative. Home is more of a museum. There are no flowering gardens but many arborvitae and trees. Columbus library next door was what attracted me. Library pi read more

I did the Miller House tour and had a great time! It starts with a video at the visitor's center and then we take a bus to the property. Jan Forbes was our tour guide and she was great and told us cool little stories about the property and the history of different points of interests in and around the house. I also appreciated the tour didn't feel too short at all (could always spend a little longer). Note that there are some photo restrictions on the tour (so you can't take photos everywhere in the house). read more

The Center is great. Location central. Good parking. Really nice shop. Video before tour very helpful in providing context. The shuttle over and back -- very nice additional information from the docent/tour guide. The house itself, and the grounds -- an amazing experience. Such an amazing integrated effort on the part of Saarinen, Girard and Kiley. Being there offered an appreciation of the light, the materials, and the details that photos just don't provide. So glad we did it. It may take 10 years, but we're going to do it again. read more

Friendly staff, clean bathrooms, and Chihuly. Oh my! Ok, to expound slightly. We made a short visit to Columbus on the way to Indy. We intended to spend more time in town, but the tour we wanted to do was either cancelled or full or...something...so we were a little disappointed. But we decided to walk around the downtown area to check some stuff out and try and find a place to grab a bite to eat. Turns out, downtown doesn't have a lot of food-type places. But it does have a lot of interesting, cool, and historical buildings. And the visitors center is sort of in the middle of it all. We stopped in at the visitors center for several reasons. Yeah...the most immediate reason was to use a restroom. And hey! They have those! The second reason to stop in is to see their Chihuly installation. I love Chihuly. Do you love Chihuly? Of course you do. (Sh...don't argue. Chihuly is cool and pretty.) They also have maps of downtown with notable things to see and tourist information. And of course, because Capitalism, it also functions as a gift shop for the cute little town! There are some really cool architectural and historical things in town that I wanted to see and was unable to because of the weather. So I can guarantee that I will be back to Columbus for another visit...and I know I will start my visit at the Visitors Center next time! If nothing else, to pay the glass art another visit! read more

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What a treat! My family and I have lived in Columbus our entire lives, and enjoyed this tour immensely. We're all over 40 now, we're home visiting the parents, and I bought us 6 tickets. We learned and experienced many new things, and really felt steeped in the beauty and history of Columbus. Our tour guide was key. His humor, love of the town, and presentation made the tour. I don't recall his name - he was thinner with white hair and mustache. Thank you! Don't miss this tour, esp if you are an architecture or public art aficionado. And don't miss the gift shop! read more

This building has several amazing Chihuli art pieces and a wonderful gift shop. It has items by local artists and lots of architectural books. There are several tours of Columbus architecture from here, most notably the Miller House (lots of photos included in this review, outside only as interior photos are forbidden. ) Take a brief walk outside to see an amazing church then walk inside the library next door. And that's just for starters. read more

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Columbus - a surprising mecca for architecture in southern Indiana. Luckily enough, the Columbus Area Visitor Center offers amazing tours so that you can experience Columbus's stunning and important architecture! From the Columbus Area Visitors Center, you can book the Architecture Bus Tour and the Miller House and Garden Tour, as well as some seasonal tours! (You also have the option of a self-guided smartphone tour!) I've done the Architecture Bus Tour twice (it changes depending on the weather, the day, and the guide), and it's a wonderful, very comprehensive tour. Depending on the day you take the tour, you might see a library designed by I.M. Pei, the large arch by Henry Moore, First Christian Church designed by Eliel Saarinen, North Christian Church designed by Eero Saarinen, and more! Columbus is a fun, surprising town. And you if you visit, you must take a tour to experience as much of the architecture as you can with knowledgeable guides to answer any questions you might have! These tours are great. (If you're interested in architecture or Columbus architecture, you should check out the movie "Columbus," too!) (Full disclosure: My grandma is one of the tour guide volunteers at the Columbus Area Visitors Center. But I've been on her tour once and another guide's tour once as well. All the tours are great!) read more

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The Columbus Area Visitor's Center is a fantastic starting point when visiting Columbus! First off, if you are taking a formalized walking tour or going to the Miller House, you'll start at the visitor's center to check in. Chihuly glass is displayed and available for purchase. There's a room with a rotating mini exhibit spotlighting Columbus architecture or design. The gift shop is lovely and carries a wide ranging selection of items. Bathrooms are nice as well. I've enjoyed every tour that I've taken as a part of the visitor's center and highly encourage other's to do so! read more

Gayle and I were in town to see darling granddaughter play her cello as part of a regional school orchestra competition. We drove with her Mother, while the girl took the school bus with her friends. After cheering her on as the next Yo Yo Ma, the kids headed to Culver's while we adults decided to check out why some call Columbus Indiana "The Athens of the Prairie". Mike Pence was born and raised here too, but we decided the leave that subject to a different time. The architecture was pretty impressive, especially for such a relatively small city. We started our visit at the Columbus Area Visitors Center in downtown Columbus and near. The building itself is pleasing in itself, starting with Dale Chihuly's 900-piece glass Chandelier. The gift shop was stellar as were the friendly folks full of useful tour information. Many of the key architectural wonders are within a couple blocks of the visitors center, and you can spend minutes or hours. It's your choice, but I would first make it a point to stop by and see what you could have missed. read more

If you happen to find yourself in Columbus, IN, this is the place to stop to get filled on all of the touristy happenings of the town and surrounding areas. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. This place is stocked with brochures that provide a variety of suggested activities. The Visitor's Center is part information hub, part gift shop (reminiscent to the IMA in Indianapolis), and part tour hub central. This is the starting point for the tours of Columbus, which includes as an Architecture Tour, Miller House and Garden Tour that has varying options, and a Downtown Walking Tour. They can also provide a map of a self guide architecture tour that you can take at your own leisure. They do show different films prior to each tour. The videos focus are geared towards the tour that is about to depart. They did happen to show my friend a video even though there wasn't a tour occurring at that time. If you wish to take any guided tour, I seriously recommend booking the tour in advance. In some cases, 4+ weeks as most of the tours have extremely limited capacity, especially the Miller House Tour. The prices on the tours vary, but are extremely reasonable. It cost $20 a piece , $22 after taxes and fees, for the Architecture Tour and Miller House and Garden Tour. There is free parking in their lot and on the weekend, there was street parking if the lot was full, and there was no time limits. Also, if you are a Dale Chihuly fan, you can check out his Yellow Chandelier and Persians piece near the stair case of the visitors center. read more

Columbus Area Visitors Center - Part of Dale Chihuly's Yellow Chandelier and Persians - Visitor Centers Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

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The tour of the Miller House and Garden was just lovely. Nancy did such a nice job. She really brought the family and that time period to life. It was really fun to see the Miller family's Christmas decorations on display. The tour takes you through every room of the house except for the guest rooms, which are now offices. The tour lasted the perfect amount of time. It wasn't rushed but also didn't go too long. I highly recommend this tour and will likely come back in the summer so I can really enjoy the outdoor landscaping. read more

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Excellent Tour! Very Informative and a lot of fun. Beautiful City with World Class Architecture.

An interesting building with world-class artwork, a helpful staff, clean bathrooms, and well-curated gift shop. What more could a traveler want? Park for free in their lot while you use the facilities, watch an informative video, and browse interesting items on art and architecture. The Visitors Center staff can show you all the town's highlights on maps available for purchase or the free one they give out. They are also very knowledgeable about nearby shops and restaurants. The Center is centrally located next to the I.M.Pei library and across the street from a Saarinen church. On a nice day, you can set off from here and spend a fun day walking around this sweet town seeing some fantastic buildings, parks, and sampling their local businesses. On a not so great day, you can take one of the paid, guided tours offered through the Visitors Center. I've done the paid tours and their worthwhile. I now just spend time exploring on my own. Whatever your plans for your time here, you should make this your first stop in Columbus. read more

Beautiful little city. The Miller House Tour was lovely. Our tour guide was informative and entertaining.

We just experienced our first tour of the Miller House and what a fantastic experience it was! This hidden gem within the unique city that Columbus Indiana is a must experience event if you are visiting the city or if you live in Columbus and haven't already taken the tour. The guides are incredibly knowledgable and the site itself, both inside and outside, is spectacular. Definitely make time for this very unique event! read more

Bus tour is excellent, tour guide very knowledgeable. Don't forget to visit the gift shop. It has beautiful offerings.

This building is tidy and clean! Nice to have a central hub for activity for the city of Columbus. Gift shop has a good variety of gifts: different age ranges as well as price points. Art sprinkled throughout the center, too. Cool extra: women's restroom had feminine products available. Thanks for thinking of the ladies! read more

Columbus Area Visitors Center - Woohoo, ladies! - Visitor Centers Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

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Great visitors center with friendly employees. The gift shop area is nicely stocked with a variety of items and the prices are in line with most museum (or similar) shops. The tour that we took started and ended here, which was a nice meeting point with an easy parking situation. The building and grounds are nicely kept and add to the charm of Columbus. There is also a discount when you check in on their Yelp page (though it cannot be used for the Miller House and Garden Tour)! read more

Columbus, Indiana is worth a visit mainly due to the efforts of the Miller family. The tour of the family home is not only interesting because of it's architecture (Eero Saarinen was the architect-think TWA terminal at La Guardia Airport) but also because it affords the visitor a view into the public service of this remarkable family. Because of Mr. Miller, Columbus is a treasure trove of significant architecture; a living architectural museum, as it were read more

I've stopped here twice in the last six months and have received very helpful service from the staff. On my first visit, they provided information about a number of the art pieces inside the center as well as advice about things to see around town. On my most recent visit, I had arranged for a tour of the Inn at Irwin Gardens and the center provided clarification about where to go. I also inquired about additional tours, like the architectural tour to understand how much walking would be involved. I mentioned public art and they provided information about a website with the information. They also gave me a brochure about a future exhibition that would have the winners of a national competition where the top five installations would be set up in downtown Columbus! Overall, I would highly recommend stopping in this centrally located visitors center. Oh, they also have free parking in a lot on the north side of the building which can be used when you go on any of the tours. Review #239 read more

As I was planning a visit to Columbus, I found the tour of the Miller House & Gardens (put on by the Visitors' Center). Here's how it breaks down: Parking & sign in -- there is ample parking in the visitor center / library parking lot, you check in right next to the center. After the tour begins, you watch a very informative video inside of the visitor center, and by the time the video is over, your trolley has arrived...time to head to the house! Exterior of the house & gardens -- our tour guide was extremely informative, kind, funny, and had a wealth of information to share. She pointed out all sorts of neat things about the grounds (which I won't spoil, go on the tour) and you can take as many pictures as you'd like of the exterior of the house & gardens. Interior of the house -- the space itself is magnificent. I'd highly recommend asking as many questions as you can because there aren't very many homes like this. There are pictures allowed from one area of the main room, which, frankly, is enough. Highly recommend this tour, easily worth the $25. I'll definitely be back and will probably take the tour again! read more

We think Columbus is amazing -- our third visit. Both our architecture and Miller House tours were vowed special both in terms of the excellence of the tour guides and the subjects. Videos were informative and excellent to set the stage. Wee will return. read more

Stop in to see unique artwork, specifically the silkscreen work of local artist Laurie Wright who after making phone contact from the Visitors Center, we were welcomed to her studio where we made a purchase. Work from local artists are always changing as we admired a bench made by George Pennington. Enjoy a variety of fun gift items mostly about architecture and local history. We planned ahead and scheduled through the visitor center a shuttle tour of architectural site as well as a tour of the Miller House. We were guided by Henry, who was very informed and shared his experiences as a local and as one who appreciates the nuances of architecture. read more

Great centrally located visitors center in downtown Columbus. It is walking distance to many bars, eateries, shops, and all the downtown activities. Very well kept, clean, organized, and fill with all types of artwork from the huge glass chandelier hanging in the stairwell to paintings on many of the walls. They have lots of souvenirs of all types you can purchase. There is a large theater meeting room where they can play a short video history of the city and its architecture. They offer 2 hour bus tours of downtown the across the city that show the beautiful architecture. Usually on Sat at 10am and 2pm, and maybe other times. They also have info on other tours, areas to visit while in town, and what to see. Many places are waling distance of the visitors center. The staff is very helpful in pointing you in the right direction to see the many sites this small town has to offer. This is a great place to stop in first if new to the town to learn about the hidden gems around the city. read more

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My friend and I were here on Saturday, 11/27/21. We didn't have tour tickets; they were sold out for the day. There was a woman seated at a desk near a meeting room. We didn't know what her role was and there was no signage saying she was there to give information. We asked for a map of a walking tour but she said there were none. Fortunately, another guest told us about an app, which we used. Although the gift shop is nice and the clerk that day was very friendly, it was clear that unless we were tour customers, we didn't matter to the staff. This visitors center could improve its staff training to make it feel welcoming. read more

amazing tour with charismatic guide. everybody was nice and professional from the front desk to the bus driver.

Amazing tour! I've lived in Columbus for 15 years and finally did this, and I am so glad I did. If you like HGTV, architecture or his, this is a must see. read more

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Very friendly, organized, beautiful furniture and art, and the gift shop is really fantastic. I've never seen so many Girard, Harper, Eames, and MCM design items in one spot, as well as Columbus related gifts. The shuttle that took us on our tour was clean, safe, prompt, and easy to board. Highly recommended!!! We enjoyed the Miller House & Garden Tour immensely! We'll be back! In the meantime, we've told a lot of friends about our wonderful experience. read more

Miller house tour was wonderful. Guide and driver very knowledgeable and fun. Chihuly glass is beautiful. read more

What a gem of Mid-Century Modern architecture, hidden in Southern Indiana. We took the walking tour, highlighting the downtown architecture. And added the Miller House, a MUST. Linda was our delightful walking tour guide and was so engaging and knowledgeable. Mary was our Miller House tour guide and she regaled us with great insights about how the Miller family lived in their home. If you are a fan of MCM, THIS has to be on your "to-see" list! read more

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We took two tours. Both were extremely informative with great guides. The architecture tours were amazing. The only issue we had was that on the second tour, where we were in the shuttle bus for a good hour, the guide did not enforce the masking policy. The first tour guide did -- ironically, we were only on that bus about ten min, each way to and from the Miller House. Which is amazing!!! Good and professionally produced films before each tour as well. Definitely worth it! read more