Columbia SC Attractions

A major attraction, the South Carolina State Museum features four large floors filled with fascinating exhibits, many of them hands-on, telling the story of South Carolina through the disciplines of art, history, natural history and science/technology. Thrill to the life-size 43-foot replica of the prehistoric giant white shark and its fearsome jaws! Board the Best Friend of Charleston model and imagine riding the first American-built locomotive! Discover many South

From gorillas and koalas to penguins and sharks, formal gardens to natural woodlands, Riverbanks
Zoo & Garden promises new discoveries around every corner! Feed a giraffe--ride a pony--watch a hawk fly at eye-level--train with the elephants on a new Adventure Tour--participate in a gardening demonstration--experience the all-new
3-D Action Theater! www.riverbanks.org

The Barusch Silver Collection is on permanent display in the Barusch Silver Gallery at the McKissick Museum. This British silver collection, of the 18th and early 19th century is numbered in excess of 450 pieces, and was assembled in the early 20th century by Bernard Mannes Barusch's wife, Annie Griffen Barusch. A large assortment of silverware, tea caddies, milk jugs, kettles and teapots are on display in the Barusch exhibit.
www.cas.sc.edu/mcks/

Finlay Park offers couples secluded walking paths, flowing fountains, beautiful waterfalls and quiet ponds. Located at 930 Laurel Street in downtown Columbia. The garden at Riverbanks Zoo provides 70-acres of unparalleled beauty. Enjoy formal gardens where something blooms each day of the year, or enjoy a riverside woodlands walk, hand in hand.

Cutting through the heart of the Columbia Riverbanks region, the Saluda and the Broad Rivers meet in a rush of rapids churning over giant boulders, then mellowing out to form the tranquil Congaree River. One can get a true appreciation of the beauty of this area by walking along the riverbanks using the Three Rivers Greenway. Observe herons and egrets, leaping fish or grazing deer. The Greenway is currently comprised of 3 riverwalks, with lighted and paved trails, boardwalks and overlooks. Granby Park is a 24 acre stretch located at the end of Catawba Street off Huger Street on the City of Columbia side of the Congaree. The West Columbia Riverwalk is accessed by a parking lot on the west side of the Gervais Street Bridge in West Columbia, off Meeting Street. The Cayce Riverwalk connects to the West Columbia Rivewalk and its parking lot is located off Axtell Drive in Cayce. The Three Rivers Greenway is open for walking, running or bicycling. Baby carriages and wheelchair accessible. Lake Murray is a 50,000 acre man-made lake in the Midlands of South Carolina. It is operated by SCE & G and is known for striped bass fishing and summer water sports. Catch bream, crappie, largemouth bass and shellcracker! Fishing, picnic tables and boat launch on east side of dam. Hwy 6. www.discoversouthcarolina.com/products

The Columbia Museum of Art is established on the triad of preservation, truth and access. The purpose is to collect and preserve objects. Located in downtown Columbia on the corner of Main and Hampton streets, Columbia Museum of Art showcases the permanent collection galleries of arts which reflect the mission of the museum - European and American fine and decorative arts and design from the late Middle Ages to the present.
www.columbiamuseum.org

Sesquicentennial State Park is a 1,440 acre park that features a 30-acre lake, perfect for boating! This lake is surrounded by picnic areas and walking trails. Located on US 1, 13 miles northeast of Columbia, 3 miles from I-20, and 1.5 miles from I-77.
Check out Dreher Island State Park located on Lake Murray, a 50,000 acre boaters' paradise, is 348 acres of camp sites, lakeside villas, picnic areas, playgrounds, boat ramps and nature trails. 30 miles northwest of Columbia in Prosperity. Or, visit the Congaree National Park where national and state champion trees are protected within its 22,700 acres! Activities within the park include hiking, canoeing, backpacking, camping, birding and nature study. Located off of South Carolina Highway 48, (Bluff Road) approximately 20 miles southeast of Columbia, South Carolina.www.discoversouthcarolina.com/parks/local_parks

Carolina firsts, such as the Museum's historic building itself, which opened in 1893 as the world's first totally-electric textile mill! The large, well-stocked museum store, the Cotton Mill Exchange, features South Carolina and exhibits-related toys, books, clothing, jewelry and gifts of all kinds. The Southeast's largest, most comprehensive museum, the South Carolina State Museum IS "South Carolina Under One Roof"! Come see it today!
www.museum.state.sc.us/

Frankie's Fun Park in Columbia serves up great rides, great food and great times! Go-Karts, Miniature Golf, Bumper Boats, Amusement Rides, Laser Tag, Batting Cages and an awesome Arcade are part of our mega mix of fun! It's pedal to the metal fun on our Indy style Road Courst! Super straight-a-ways and hairpin curves await you! Located at 140 Parkridge Drive. Take the Harbison Boulevard exit-Exit 103 off I-26. Turn left onto Harbison Blvd. Turn left onto Parkridge Drive. Open Monday-Saturday from 10am-midnight and Sunday from noon until midnight. Open year-round, but call for specific hours of operation as attractions and times vary. 803.781.2342. www.frankiesfunpark.com/columbia

Take a trip back in time at the Cayce Historical Museum! The museum chronicles the history of the first European settlement (in the early 1700's) in the South Carolina Midlands, known then as "the back country". Exhibits emphasize periods of Colonial trade, agricultural development and transportation from the 18th century to the present. www.caycesc.net/museum

Columbia Metropolitan Airport Experiences the excitement of planes taking off to the sky and the most beautiful award-wiining architectural design in the United States!The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) is much like a 2600-acre city with more than 50 agencies and businesses located on the airport property. Air passenger and cargo service is provided by scheduled airlines, jet freight carriers, two fixed base operators, and various charter flights. LOCATED AT: 3000 Aviation Way West Columbia, SC.
www.columbiaairport.com

comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence. www.trustus.org

Better Angels
August 15 – 23, 2008. See a side of Abraham Lincoln that you have never seen before. www.trustus.org