If you think Albany is just for quail hunters, golfers and fishermen, think again. The city by the river also appeals to nature and art lovers, and arena football fans.

The Parks at Chehaw is one of Albany’s most popular attractions. The park has a BMX bike track, campgrounds, Southwest Georgia’s largest play park for kids, and Wild Animal Park, an American Zoo and Aquarium Association-accredited zoo. Flint RiverQuarium is a 175,000-gallon, 22-ft. deep aquarium is one of only a few outdoor aquariums in the world and the only one in Georgia. It is home to alligators, 40-pound catfish, gar, and a 98-pound snapping turtle named Buster.

Art lovers will enjoy the Albany Museum of Art, Southwest Georgia’s only fully accredited art museum. Six galleries showcase national traveling exhibits, local artists and the largest collection of African art objects in the Southeast. The Albany Civil Rights Museum, located Downtown in the historic Freedom District, chronicles Albany’s story and its role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Albany is also home to the South Georgia Wildcats, an arena football team whose season runs April 8 through July 29, and the Thronateeska Heritage Center, with history museums, a planetarium, a model train exhibit and a hands-on science center.

In the evening, catch a play at Theatre Albany or a performance by the Albany Symphony, Albany Chorale, Albany Concert Association or Ballet Theatre South – Teresa Mariano