Things to Do in Columbia
Whether you’re looking for fun things to do with kids or romantic ways to spend a date night, Columbia has tons of options for you. The city hosts many exciting events throughout the year, but there are quite a few fun things to do in Columbia which you can enjoy almost any time of the year.
To help you find some of those activities, we’ve compiled this list below with some of the best things to do in the Capital City.
Featured Attraction
The Grand on Main
The Grand on Main sets high expectations from the moment you walk in. With a stylish interior adorned with local artwork and featuring seven bowling lanes, it provides the ultimate night out for guests of all ages. From bowling, to party games, to delectable entrees, to an expansive bar, there’s plenty of ways to “Eat, Drink, and Be Grand.” Plan your night out, stop by for brunch, or book your next big event at The Grand on Main.
Riverbanks Zoo
Image: Riverbanks Zoo Facebook
Riverbanks Zoo is one of Columbia’s best attractions. The newly renovated zoo has many areas to visit including a safari area, farm area, penguin exhibit, and more. The newly added seal exhibit is a crowd favorite. Kids can also enjoy the rock climbing wall, play area, horse back riding, and zip lining. Take a trolly ride to the beautiful botanical garden and see a variety of colorful plants in blossom. The Riverbanks Zoo has many special events throughout the year that are sure to please. Boo at the Zoo and the lights at Christmas are a few favorites.
EdVenture Museum
Image: EdVenture Museum Facebook
EdVenture Museum is easily the best thing to do in Columbia if you’re spending the day with kids. EdVenture is the largest children’s museum in the Southeast US and provides kids with the perfect combination of fun and education. The museum is over 92,000 square feet of fun interactive exhibits including Eddie, “the world’s largest child”, which kids can go inside of and learn about the inside workings of a human. You can’t really go wrong taking kids to EdVenture for the afternoon, but keep in mind it is a children’s museum, and EdVenture will not allow adults unless they are accompanied by a child or teenager under the age of 16.
Downtown Nightlife
Image: The Vista Website
Columbia is home to many bars and night clubs. The city has two main bar districts, Five Points and The Vista. Although the two areas are within a couple miles of one another, they are very different. Five Points is where many of the college bars are located, and the bars in The Vista appeal to those in their mid to late twenties and older.
University of South Carolina Athletics
Image: University of South Carolina Website
The University of South Carolina is located right in the heart of Columbia. If you’re a collegiate sports fan staying in the area during the fall, winter, or spring, you’ll want to check out a USC game. Saturdays in the fall are some of the best days of the year to be in Columbia if you’re a South Carolina fan. On game days, you can join over 80,000 screaming fans on the south side of the city in Williams Brice Stadium to cheer on the Gamecocks. Of course, you’ll want to tailgate before you go into the game. Cars line up for miles around the stadium to fire up the grill and spend the day tailgating with friends and family. If you’re visiting the city during the winter you can watch the men’s or recent national champion women’s basketball team play in Colonial Life Arena. In the spring, you can relax on the hill at Founder’s Park and watch the USC baseball team in action.
Lake Murray
Lake Murray is one of the largest lakes in South Carolina. This man-made lake is one of the best ways to spend a day in Columbia. The lake is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Columbia. Whether you’re looking to rent a boat for the day or go swimming at the public beach access (located on the Lexington end of the Lake Murray dam), you’ll surely enjoy a day spent on Lake Murray! There are plenty of fun things to do on the lake including wakeboarding, jetskiing, kayaking, swimming, and more. If you choose to go swimming at the public beach access area, there are quite a few picnic tables available to keep your belongings and enjoy your lunch. Just be sure to get there early, because these tend to get occupied quickly.
Columbia Fireflies
Image: Columbia Fireflies Facebook
The Columbia Fireflies are the city’s minor league baseball team. The Fireflies are the Class-A affiliate team of the NY Mets. The team is the only professional sports team of any kind in Columbia and have brought quite a bit of buzz to the city since they were established in 2016. The team got a lot of attention near the beginning of its founding while former football star Tim Tebow, who was making his transition into baseball, was playing for the Fireflies. The newly built Segra Park is a great place to experience a game and is one of the nicer stadiums you’ll find for a Class-A minor league team.
Congaree National Park
Just a 30-minute drive southeast of Columbia lies Congaree National Park. The park is over 25,000 acres in size and maintains one of the largest expanses of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the country. If you’re looking to get active and experience the natural landscape of central SC, there’s no better place to spend a day than Congaree National Park. Hikers most commonly hike along the 2.4 mile long Boardwalk Loop, however, there are a handful of walking trails to enjoy – some spanning over 10 miles long. And don’t worry if hiking long trails doesn’t appeal to you. Park visitors also commonly choose to take advantage of other activities offered including kayaking, canoeing, and bird watching.
Escapalogy Escape Rooms
Image: Escapalogy Columbia Facebook
Race against the clock and see if you have what it takes to escape. Escapology offers a unique escape room experience and provides a wide variety of private escape games that differ from most other escape rooms. This isn’t just one of those things you do once, and once you’ve done it, there’s no reason to go back. Escapology is constantly adding new games with new missions and new sets of tasks. Test your critical thinking and problem solving skills and see if you can complete your mission and make your escape before time runs out. Escapology is a great option if you’re looking for things to do in Columbia during a night out with a group of friends or family. Check out their website to learn more about each of the escape games they offer and reserve your time.
Saluda Shoals Park
Image: Saluda Shoals Park Facebook
Saluda Shoals is a 400 acre environmental park located on the banks of the Saluda Shoals River that provides both an educational and recreational experience for visitors. The park features a wide range of amenities and offers many different activities for visitors to do. Hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and picnicking are some of the more popular activities. The park is especially popular among children, as they have both the Saluda Splash water area and Leo’s Landing playground to enjoy.
Congaree River
The Congaree River is a 50-mile river that begins where the Broad River and Saluda river join and runs southeast to it’s end at Congaree National Park. There are many places along the river to put your tube in if you want to venture on your own, but there are also paid float trips that provide you with tubes, lifejackets, and pick-up transportation. Palmetto Outdoor offers 3-hour tubing trips during the summer months that are a fun and relaxing way to get on the water and beat the heat.
