Phenix City sits on the Chattahoochee River in eastern Alabama, directly across the water from Columbus, Georgia. For most of the 20th century it had a notorious reputation as "Sin City" — a wide-open town of gambling, prostitution, and political corruption that culminated in the assassination of a newly elected attorney general in 1954. The cleanup that followed transformed it into the quiet, suburban city it is today, though the history still makes for fascinating reading.
Modern Phenix City is primarily a gateway to the Columbus metropolitan area. Cross one of the bridges — the historic Dillingham Street Bridge is now a pedestrian crossing — and you have easy access to Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), the National Infantry Museum, and the Chattahoochee RiverWalk, a pleasant 22-mile paved path along the river. The whitewater course on the Chattahoochee, one of the longest urban whitewater runs in the world, is a genuine surprise — you can raft Class III and IV rapids with the Columbus skyline in view.
Callaway Gardens, about an hour's drive east into Georgia, is a popular family destination with gardens, lakes, a butterfly conservatory, and a beach. Closer to home, Idle Hour Park on the riverbank is a nice spot for a picnic and the Brownville-Summerville Historic District preserves the late-19th-century neighbourhoods north of downtown. Phenix City has a growing food scene with several good barbecue joints and Southern restaurants, though for a wider selection of dining and nightlife you will want to cross into Columbus.