Cool place to go spend some time. They have a nice planetarium show which my son loved. We love to…read morelook at the Megalodon mouth and the Mastodon. They always have different shows or exhibits that come through. I was overjoyed at the Disney Costumes exhibit that came at the end of last year! We have gone to the Children's museum across the street to let the kids get some energy out, then gone to the State museum so they can be a little calmer and more focused. Great to do on rainy or super hot days so being inside is still fun.

We took advantage of the CoolPASS offered by Experience Columbia, SC getting us access to the South…read moreCarolina State Museum, EdVenture Children's Museum, and the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! Great dollar value if you're interested in all locations mentioned. The museum was easy to find and offered plenty of parking in a lot shared with the EdVenture Children's Museum. They had many exhibits that our 7 & 12 year old enjoyed but they thoroughly enjoyed the second floor galleries with the dinosaur exhibit and the habitat exhibits. Staff was very friendly and helpful when fielding our questions. They also enjoyed seeing the the history of SC through the years represented through artifacts and the changes from the colony, war, and industrialization of the city with mills and the railroad. They also have a planetarium and a 4D shows offered throughout the day. Highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you are in the Columbia area! The selection of exhibits were fun to see and educational.

Some artwork is just so anachronistic that my eye twitched when I came upon this very different…read moreartwork. The history dates back to 1989 when there was an old railroad trestle that passed through here. When the demolition crew hit this particular one, it refused to crumble and so they left it behind. And a few years later, South Carolina artist and muralist Richard Lane arrived and thought it looked like an Egyptian obelisk. And so in 1993, he decided to paint a mural on the structure depicting Ra, the Egyptian sun god, along with various symbols and hieroglyphs. Some of the symbols translate to the titles of Beatles songs "Here Comes the Sun" and "All You Need is Love." Underneath Ra's throne is a scarab, which in mythology rolled the sun across the sky. If you stand at the base of the obelisk on a sunny day, the light from the sun will create a glow above Ra's head, which means the scarab is working. In 2004, the obelisk became the centerpiece of a "pocket park" with benches around it as well as a sidewalk leading up to it. In October of 2018, artists Jeff Donovan and Georgia Lake matched colors, aligned symbols, and repainted the mural of Ra keeping true to the work of Richard Lane. There isn't much parking nearby but I found a spot to leave the car for a few while I checked it out. Enjoy! [Review 14757 overall, 258 of 2021, number 795 in South Carolina.]

I would be easy to miss this sculpture that stands at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Assembly…read moreStreet next to a McDonald's drive-through. The shape of it caught my eye as I was waiting at the traffic light, it made me smile and I had to learn more. The sculpture is from artist Eileen Blyth, a Columbia based artist who is originally from Charleston. She has a diverse body of work including paintings, sculptures and installations of found objects. From the artist's statement, "Whether one is a visitor or a local; coming or going, Hello Goodbye provides a friend greeting. Elmwood Avenue is one of South Carolina's most traveled roads. McDonald's sits on the corner of this, the busiest intersection, with traffic coming in and out of the city at a steady pace." ​The sculpture is mounted on a 3 foot base and is made of half inch steel. It is stands 8 feet high by 6 feet wide. [Review 2194 of 2024 - 1167 in South Carolina - 23212 overall]

Just passing through and noticed these beautiful murals. They are vibrant and colorful!read more

I absolutely LOVED my visit to the Columbia Museum of Art! It might not be the Louvre or the Met,…read morebut for a city the size of Columbia, I don't know if it's possible to craft and curate a better art museum. They had such a great collection, replete with amazing religious artwork, postmodernist works, artifacts from ancient China, and... a work from Claude Monet! As someone who's a huge fan of Impressionism, the fact that a piece from Claude Monet is sitting in Columbia is simply amazing. Kudos to the CMA for being able to procure this painting, and I hope that it remains at the museum in perpetuity.  In terms of the lesser-known works, they had a really cool exhibit from a local artist (well, from Spartanburg, which I'll consider "local",) which detailed the ever-increasing melding of technology and humanity. The exhibit displayed what was essentially a set of bronze busts that served as a combination of human and robot heads, with which the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI,) is as important and prescient as ever.  Finally, they had a cool section for kids called "The Cross Hatch," where kids could experiment and learn about the different art techniques in a fun and interactive environment. In addition, when I walked into the museum, they were setting up for a corporate event, and I was told by the gentleman working the front desk that the museum also serves as an event venue for all sorts of different occasions.  The only, very very *very* minor complaint that I have is that the downstairs rooms were closed, as they were busy setting up a new exhibit. Of course, I understand that the rooms have to be closed in order to set up a new exhibit, I just wish that they weren't closed when I happened to visit. Lol.  All-in-all, the Columbia Museum of Art is an amazing art museum, I'd recommend that anybody pay it a visit, and I hope that it's around for a long, long time!

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!

I've been to the SC State House several times thru out the yrs for events. It's really nice to also…read morego inside and do a tour, educational. They keep the grounds secured, and very clean. Great place to have lunch on the lawn. Outside has some historical statues as well. I attended the Peace Walk in Columbia SC at the state house. A group of 19 monks from the Huong Dao Temple walked over 2,300 miles from Ft Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. Aloka (whose name means "divine light" in Sanskrit) accompanied them every step of the way. He did have surgery for his leg during the journey. It was a beautiful day to be in SC! Thankful to witness such a great community event.

I love visiting state capitals, and South Carolina did not disappoint! They run a formal (and…read morecomplimentary) tour program, with a tour guide and a welcome video. On the day we visited, we missed the video, but were quickly welcomed to the complimentary tour. The tour guide gave a wonderful overview of the history of the State House along with South Carolina politics, and brought it to current day activities. The State House is on beautiful grounds, and it's right at the intersection where Main Street begins. After the tour, the guy gave us opportunity to take all the photos we wanted, and there's a lot to see.

Absolutely amazing artists and art in the lid wonderful collaboration of artists!!! So much to see…read moreand experience!!! My sister, Michel McNinch, is one of the founding artists here. It sits right off of the downtown area behind the One Eared Cow glass sculpting. The gallery is open for customers to drop in and browse, for artist to have their own space, shows and rental functions!! Columbia supports the arts and the art teachers and artists of the world!! Go check them out!!! MichelMcNinch.com !

I came on a dreary Monday morning, right when they opened. I felt like I had the zoo to myself for…read morethe 1st hr or so, it was lovely. This is the first time going to the zoo by myself with no kids to chase around. It was great to spend time really appreciating the exhibits. The grounds are very welled maintained. There were quite a few exhibits off line, but I guess early on a Monday is one of the best times to complete maintenance. The animals looked happy and well cared for. My favorite was the gorilla/monkeys. I also walked over the the botanical gardens. Luckily they do have a tram and sky ride options, it's kinda a long walk. They currently have a real cool dinosaur exhibit going on there.

A great zoo experience!…read more We took advantage of the CoolPASS offered by Experience Columbia, SC getting us access to the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens, EdVenture Children's Museum, and the South Carolina State Museum and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! This also covers your parking for the zoo. Easy to redeem by going to Will Call. A short 2.5hr drive from Savannah, GA was well worth it! Staff was helpful for any questions. General admissions gets you access to the Zoo, Botanical Garden, Waterfall Junction, and Saluda Skyride. They do have additional experiences at an additional costs but not necessary if you are okay with missing out of the petting zoo, animal feedings, the carousel, train, and the Sky High Safari. A couple of food options are available such as burgers, chicken fingers, pizza, sandwiches/wraps, and Kona Ice. Meals are easily $20 per person if you are purchasing drinks. No outside food and drinks are permitted into the zoo but you can bring refillable water bottles. Picnic tables are available outside of the park and same-day re-entry is possible if you show your original receipt. We easily spent 5 hours at the zoo without any of the "Explore More" options. A full day at the zoo is very possible! Plenty of shade and things to see and do! Drop-off or 15-minute parking is available if you have someone in your party who may struggle with walking from the parking lot. Bring your own stroller or they have them available for rent if you needed. We saw many families with wagons/carts.