How Columbia, TN Transformed from ‘Muletown’ into a Must-Visit Arts Destination

Photo Courtesy of Maury Alliance

Columbia offers a blend of cultures that honors its reputation as Muletown while creating a home for artists of all disciplines. Today, the community upholds its agricultural past through beloved traditions like Mule Day while building an arts district on the same streets where farmers once gathered to trade livestock.

Memories of Muletown

©Journal Communications/Nick Bumgardner

The Mule Day tradition has deep roots in Columbia. With origins in the 1800s, Mule Day started as a single-day event in April where livestock traders from across the region gathered to buy and sell mules, which were essential to farmers before the advent of tractors. “Breeder’s Day” has since evolved into a multiday festival on the first weekend in April, organized by the Maury County Bridle and Saddle Club. Each year, the event draws over 100,000 people to Columbia.

“It’s a fun, entertaining experience,” says Kellye Murphy, tourism and marketing director for Visit Columbia. “But it’s also an amazing glimpse into aspects of agricultural life where visitors gain an appreciation for the land and for the animals and people that work the land.”

For Harvey Spann, who helped re-envision Mule Day in 1974, mules were part of everyday life growing up. While mules were once vital to farmers, their use has declined over the years. Mule Day aims to highlight a beloved animal that still brings joy to owners and finds use as a pack animal in rugged environments.

Today’s Mule Day celebration in Columbia encompasses a variety of events that showcase the mule’s significance. Visitors can witness pulling contests, barrel races and mule shows, culminating in the beloved Mule Day Parade through downtown Columbia.

“People find Mule Day kind of a reprieve from the fast pace of life that a lot of us live in,” says Spann, who now serves as president of the Maury County Bridle and Saddle Club. “It’s just a good way to get away from the world for a short period of time.”

For the Maury County Bridle and Saddle Club, the event is a labor of love that brings together people from all over the region, from farmers to people with limited exposure to agriculture. The club strives to honor the history of mules while creating a fun, family-friendly event that sparks nostalgia for some and creates new memories for others.

“We figured out a long time ago that Mule Day doesn’t belong to us,” Spann says. “It belongs to Columbia, Tennessee.”

A Center for the Arts

Over time, the streets of Muletown have evolved to represent the changing landscape of the city and its surroundings. Adjacent to the historic downtown district, the Columbia Arts District was established in 2016 to create a home for the arts in Columbia.

Featuring restaurants, vintage clothing stores and art galleries, the district’s heart is a repurposed historic grocery outlet near the train station known as the Columbia Arts Building (CAB).

“The arts are a growing culture in Columbia,” Murphy says. “The hub of the Arts District is the Columbia Arts Building.”

CAB co-managers Savannah Starr and Joshua James envision the building as a sanctuary for a wide range of creators, from baristas and pastry chefs to barbers and potters. With its tagline of “gather often and linger longer,” the CAB seeks to draw people from as far as Nashville to gather, explore and network.

“We do really want to pay homage to the arts community in Columbia,” James says.

To get a taste of what the district has to offer, Starr and James recommend starting the day with coffee from Hank’s Coffee Station, checking out quality leather goods from Bradley Mountain, taking a pottery class at Pottery WhatKnottery and finishing the day with a drink at Bad Idea Brewing. Don’t miss other nearby favorites like Bloomstall, B’s Salty & Sweet and Ollie & Finn’s Counter, either.

From its historic downtown to its growing arts district, Muletown continues to transform while staying true to its agricultural roots.