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Frogtown Crawfish Festival: Western Georgia's Top Spring Family Festival

On the picturesque banks of the Chattahoochee River, Columbus, Georgia, is one of the top tourist destinations you’ll find in the region. Created by the Georgia Legislature in 1828, Columbus spent its early years as a cotton trading center. As more residents learned about the cotton trade, the city began to swell in size. Due to its location on one of the state’s major rivers, the city also became a hub for mills and soon grew into the largest milltown in the state. The early 20th century brought on the construction of Camp Benning, and soon after the city was just as well know for its military base as it was the milling industry. The 1960’s brought change to this Georgia town. The city shifted its image away from the mills and military, and focused on creating a much more diverse economy. New businesses came to town along with a diverse grouping of new residents. The influx of people helped Columbus establish a artisan and creative community that continues to thrive to this day.

 

Currently, Columbus is the third largest city in Georgia, with a population of roughly 190,000. From the scenic natural surroundings to an impressive selection of fun things to do, this is a great location for your next getaway. Outdoor enthusiasts will love kayaking on the local rivers and streams, nature viewing or geocaching, and exploring the large network of great local trails, which are ideal for biking and hiking. If you want to experience the downtown area, make the Downtown Riverwalk your first stop. Here you’ll find unique shops, restaurants, attractions and picturesque views of the river. To get the full Columbus experience, try to schedule your trip during one of the big local events like the Frogtown Crawfish Festival.

 

For nearly a decade, The Frogtown Crawfish Festival has been bringing thousands of people into the Columbus community. This is a family-friendly event that is chock-full of fun activities, delicious crawfish, and great live music. Your kids will love the wide selection of fun games and activities including bouncy houses and face painting. Crawfish is the main dish at the festival but you’ll also find plenty of festival fare if the crawfish doesn't suit your fancy. There will also be a marketplace with artisans selling unique arts and crafts. For scenic surroundings, friendly faces, and an experience you won't forget, head to Columbus for the Frogtown Crawfish Festival. ResortsandLodges.com got the opportunity to interview Jon Saunders of Skybar Entertainment to talk about the event.

 

RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.

JS: This is the ninth year for the Frogtown Crawfish Festival. This year we estimate that the  crowd will be over 5,000 people. We see a lot of children, families, and couples, but everyone is encouraged to attend. We also offer a beer and wine garden for anyone of age with proper identification.

 

RAL: What makes the festival unique?

JS: We are unique because we offer a live Louisiana crawfish boil in the state of Georgia. In addition to the crawfish, we also offer live music from local and national acts, activities for kids, arts and crafts vendors, adult beverages, a variety of food and drink, and more.

 

RAL: What can attendees expect during a typical day at the event.

JS: As an attendee at Frogtown, you can expect inflatables, face painters and stilt walkers, seemingly at every turn. The food, our fresh Louisiana crawfish boil along with the festival fare, is certainly a big draw for travelers as well. Friday night offers the opportunity to sit on a hay bale and enjoy live music from local artists and our headliner, Mo Pitney. Saturday offers a full day of music, dance performances, activities for kids, raffles, and giveaways. This is an outdoor event in the early spring of April, and the temperature are usually close to perfect!

 

RAL: Tell me about the local lodging situation.

JS: There are many many local hotels. We have had a surge of hotels built in the last several years and several are close to the event. However, not a lot of mom and pop accommodations for those travelers in search of something unique.  The downtown area, which is just a block up from the event, offers many restaurants and shops for festival goers to visit before and/or after the event, all within walking distance.

 

RAL: What does this event mean to the community?

JS: This event is all about bringing the community out for a great time with family. This is an affordable event where parents can bring their kids and not break the bank.  We advertise the event to outlying cities and see visitors from out of town thanks to these efforts. We do drive business to the economy because a lot of vendors come from out of town and utilize the local hotels and restaurants, as well as the out of town festival goers.  Some of the hotels close to the event have reached capacity during this event. We are having raffles with proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network.  

 

RAL: Why should people come?

JS: We have a little bit of everything at the Frogtown Crawfish Festival. Live music of all genres, games and inflatables for kids, and a fresh crawfish boil for those who love the mudbugs. We have a variety of vendors selling some of the finest products around and food vendors selling all kinds of yummy treats. Families can come out, play, eat, pull up a hay bale and just relax. Dogs are welcome too, so bring Fido along to join in the fun!


For more information about the Frogtown Crawfish Festival, please visit their website.