Smarter Car Renting

Here are car rental tips from the road trip-seasoned editors of RoadsideAmerica.com:

•  Damaged: Always carefully eyeball your vehicle before leaving the rental agency, whether you're in Columbia or East Podunkville. The last renter may have pulled in after a meteor shower! Prior scratches, dents, and other vehicle damage can cause extra headaches and costs if not noted before you leave the rental car lot. If you see any damage on the car's exterior and interior before you leave, make sure it's noted on the rental car papers, and point it out to an agency employee. This will resolve any questions that could arise when you return. And avoid meteor showers.

•  Leave Nothing Behind: At a road trip's end, we find we've accumulated souvenirs, kitschy mementoes, and piles of brochures from tourist attractions. These treasures prove you really traveled -- that it wasn't just some wacky delusion. When dropping off your rental car, carefully check every door pocket, drink holder and storage bin for these keepsakes. The rental car company sure doesn't have any use for them.

•  Many States, One Car: If renting a car for a longer road trip, check with the car rental companies in Columbia, Tennessee to see if they have policies about crossing state lines that affect the final rate you pay. May be no effect, but don't assume you can crisscross the globe with unlimited mileage impunity. There may be a GPS tracker in the car!

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Columbia TN Area Attractions

• Columbia State Community College
• James K Polk Ancestral Home
• Maury Regional Hospital
• Southern Athletic Fields
• Carnton Plantation (22.23 miles)
• Tennessee Antebellum Trail (22.23 miles)
• Franklin Civil War Museum (22.94 miles)
• Carter House (23.22 miles)
• Williamson Medical Center (24.18 miles)
• Nashville Express Tours (25.52 miles)
• Martin Methodist College (28.64 miles)
• David Crockett State Park (31.43 miles)
• Warner Parks Nature Center (31.65 miles)
• Fastframes (31.77 miles)
• Great Southern Trucking Co Inc (32.13 miles)
• Glengary Gallery (32.15 miles)
• Community Health Systems (32.33 miles)
• Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art (34.23 miles)

Columbia rental guide