My sisters and I had fun exploring the museum! We didn't know the second floor was up for…read morerenovations until sometime mid January so we got to explore the first floor only. It was still fun and interesting to catch out. The staff were kind and informative as well!

A great art museum in Columbia SC. We went to see the French painters exhibition…read more The exhibition was well worth the trip.

My sister and I loved our tour with Historic Columbia. We visited the Hampton-Preston house. The…read morestaff was very friendly and honored my sister's student discount even though she didn't have her ID with her. Our tour guide is a current history PhD student at USC. She was very knowledgeable and clearly had a passion for history. The tour group was small and intimate, allowing us to ask as many questions as we desired. I would love to go back sometime and do one of the three other tours. Highly recommend this group!

Perhaps I'm biased, but I love Historic Columbia and so should you. The houses are beautiful and…read morewell-loved, the tour guides are knowledgable and friendly, and the gift shop has something for everyone. They are in the process of updating and adding more landscaping which makes the surroundings of Robert Mills and Hampton Preston even lovelier. They also are out there doing good for the historical community and are very involved in helping preserve the history of Columbia. Finally, they are creative - they do historic happy hour tours, neighborhood walking tours, spooky nighttime graveyard walks, and awesome fundraising events. This is really an organization to be aware of and get involved with.

We took advantage of the CoolPASS offered by Experience Columbia, SC getting us access to the…read moreEdVenture Children's Museum, South Carolina State Museum, and the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! The EdVenture Children's Museum shares the parking lot with the State Museum but if you have a young one - the children's museum can be an all day excursion due to the vast activities, hand-on learning and fun that is available in this massive space. Clean spaces and helpful staff. A great stop to add if you are passing through or to even plan a family trip around! Highly recommend! Affordable entry prices and annual memberships available if you are a local!

1st time at this children's museum it's interactive exhibits and play areas were missing supplies…read moreneeded to use them. Majority of the play areas were disorganized and missing pieces (I get it it's a children's museum) Several hand sanitizer stands were empty and dusty so bring your own hand sanitizer There is a noticeable lack of shaded areas outside around the water table The dinosaur monitor displaying giant dinosaurs on the wall is cool. We were expecting a bit more based on the advertising.

I will start off by saying that it's very small. Just one room with two antique fire trucks and…read moreother antiques behind glass. But I do highly recommend it! We were the only ones there and Fireman Ricky (a very sweet gentleman) gave us his undivided attention. My kids are 5, 3, and 20 months and they all enjoyed it. They got a fireman badge sticker and had so many questions about the equipment. We spent just under an hour there. Admission is free. There's a fire station next door and they watch from the side as the fire trucks left and returned. I highly recommend!

THE CITY'S HEROES DESERVE BETTER…read more This museum is located at the Columbia Fire Department Headquarters. It is not so much of a museum as a collection of items and antiques that have just been tossed together. They have an original steam engine from the early 1900's and a beautifully restored 1929 fire truck on display. But here is where I almost lost my mind!!!: The fire engine had chairs and tables leaning against it and it had a flat tire. That classic steam engine is accessible, you can actually lick it and touch it. Now, I am of the belief that such precious and priceless antiques should be protected and incased in glass. The general public should be able to appreciate these items from afar so that they will endure for generations to come. I had hoped to see a hall of fame dedicated to all of the fallen heroes and while there were some plaques, there were no photos or descriptions of their time in service and death. Basically, our fire heroes deserve so much better and city officials need to find a way to gather the resources needed to create an appropriate museum to display all of those items that are gathering dust and that just need more care and appreciation shown. These items should definitely be displayed in a more dignified manner. At the very least, perhaps a group of volunteers could work to find a way to better organize the space and to display the many great items in this museum. Surely, someone has to share my concern!

Very cute small museum on the campus of University of Columbia. It's free and open to the public…read more Great way to escape some of the heat and take a break in the ac while learning some history.

Have come here the last two years and though it's about a 30 minute drive it's totally worth it!…read moreFun for the whole family. They have drinks, food, and so many fun fall activities that you can really spend a whole day here. Staff are friendly, the premises is well kept and there's so much to explore. Rain or shine, hot or cold Clinton shade farms is perfect to check out during the fall months before Halloween.

We have gone here three years in a row to visit the corn maze! The maze changes each year, so it is…read moregreat to go back and give yourself a new challenge. They have a tracking app to help you while you are in the maze and we found it super helpful! Food trucks are available as well as a snack shack, beer truck, and country store with snacks and other handcrafted items like ciders, jellies, etc. I found some of the food truck items to be a bit overpriced for the setting, but items from the actual venue were reasonably priced. There is a variety of activities available - corn maze, pumpkin patch, fire pit for s'mores, games, hayride, etc. It is kid focused, so more activities for "big" kids at heart would take my rating up a notch!

Really fun time, and a very cozy space to grab a few drinks and get creative. The guided lessons…read moreare also very approachable and a fun way to get into the art if you're not sure what to do.

We hosted a retirement party last evening at Studio Cellar, and it was a huge success. The venue is…read moreperfect - big enough for a crowd of 150 or so, and the staff was incredible accommodating. Shane, who worked the bar, was one of my favorite new people, and he did everything with a smile and a hilarious wit. Would recommend this place over and over again!

This place is AMAZING!!! There are so many fun machines to choose from and the hangout space in the…read moregame room is epic. The bartenders were so sweet and helpful, and they told us about a lot of super fun promos the lounge runs for frequent players. I took my sister here for her 21st birthday, and she said she's super stoked to bring her friends back here the next time she's looking for a night out.

Cool space with well-maintained pinball machines! We stopped in here on the eve of the Five Points…read moreSt. Patrick's day music festival. The place was packed with cool folks (mainly young) playing pinball. Most of their machines were a dollar per play. I tried the Iron Maden, the John Wick, the Game of Thrones and a couple others. All the games were in working order, from what I could tell. Even though it was a busy night, it wasn't difficult to get in on a machine. I also got the BBQ jackfruit bao buns. I was so stoked to find a tasty veg-friendly option! I ate my food so fast I didn't get a pic, but it was delish! The jackfruit was a bit saltier than average, which I liked. But just a heads up. Overall, the vibes here are great. There were TVs showing various things like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things. Definitely a welcome break from the sports bar scene! If you're a lil nerdy, like pinball, and like cool food- this is your spot!