Columbus museum featured on ‘Jeopardy!’ Can you guess the right answer?

Residents were surprised to see a familiar name on “Jeopardy!” Tuesday evening.

In the Nov. 25 episode, The Columbus Collective Museums, 3218 Hamilton Rd., was featured as the $1,000 part of the question under the category “Odd Museums.”

Allen Woodall Jr., the founder of the museum, talked about the feature in a short video posted on the museum’s Facebook page. In it, Woodall encourages residents to watch the live show, which aired at 7 p.m.

“We’re putting Columbus, Georgia, on the map,” Woodall said in the video.

Woodall told the Ledger-Enquirer that being featured on the show was a proud moment for him.

“We are so proud that this happened,” Woodall said. “We have families from all over the world come and visit our museums.”

About the ‘Jeopardy!’ episode

The clue for the question was “Columbus, GA. has a museum devoted to this childhood artifact, including tobacco and lard tins that were its precursors.”

One of the contestants, Lyman Howard, guessed “Pez,” a brand of candy dispensers introduced in Austria in 1927. It was the incorrect answer. The other contestants, Harrison Whitaker and Emma Passariello, did not answer the question.

The correct answer was “lunch box.”

Ryn Welch, manager of the Columbus Collective Museums and grandson of Allen Woodall, told the Ledger-Enquirer that even though the contestants couldn’t pick the correct answer, the exposure was meaningful.

“We’re still proud to have one million people see that last night,” Welch said. “Facebook was blowing up about it. We really put Columbus, Georgia, on the map with us being featured.”

About the Columbus Collective Museums

Woodall founded the Columbus Collective Museums in 1990. The Lunch Box Museum is one of eight museums housed in the 15,000-square-foot space at Hamilton Road. The other museums are the Hatcher Family Cola Museum, which are three museums in one, the Tom Huston Peanut Museum, the Georgia Radio Museum, and the Car Museum, according to their website.

Woodall, 91, runs the eight museums with Welch and his granddaughter, Kaitlynn Etheridge.

“It’s a family business, and the museums are a nonprofit,” Welch said.

This is not the museum’s first time being nationally recognized. Welch told the Ledger-Enquirer that the museum has been featured on “Jeopardy!” previously. Neither Woodall nor Welch remembers the exact question.

“The feeling is the same,” Welch said.

Also, the Smithsonian magazine, a news organization partnered with the Smithsonian museums, wrote about the Columbus Collective Museums in 2023. Welch told the Ledger-Enquirer that the recognition from the Smithsonian was another big opportunity for the museum.

“Words can’t describe how honored we are,” Welch said.

The Columbus Collective Museums is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $12, according to their website.

This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM.