After contracting polio, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, visited the springs in 1924 hoping to improve his health. A few years later he established the Warm Springs Foundation for the care and treatment of fellow polio victims who could not afford such medical help. The restored 1871 Springer Opera House is just outside Columbus' 26 block historic district. The opera house, which once featured such prominent figures as Edwin Booth, Oscar Wilde, Lily Langtry and Irving Berlin, now offers productions on a seasonal basis. In addition to being the only U.S. Army training center for infantry, it also trains airborne troops.
Visitors can go to the drop zone and watch the paratroopers land.