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Attractions & Museums
Bonham House
James Butler Bonham's House (c.1780) is located in Saluda and is the only existing birthplace of an Alamo hero. Directions to this house may be obtained at the Saluda County Museum located on Town Square.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 10am-4pm.
Phone: (864) 445-8550
Carter & Holmes Orchid Nursery
629 Mendenhall E. Road, Newberry. Tour 18 greenhouses and enjoy 93,000 sq. ft. of tropical beauty in one of the largest orchid nurseries in the world.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 9am-5pm
Phone: (803) 276-0579
Visit: carterandholmes.com
Cayce Historical Museum
Cayce City Hall Complex, 1800 12th Street, Cayce. The town of Cayce encompasses the site of Ft. Granby, one of the earliest inland villages and the scene of two Revolutionary battles. The museum is a replica of the old Cayce House, a trading post of the 1700's with an authentic kitchen and smokehouse.
Open: Tuesday- Friday, 9am-4pm
Saturday & Sunday, 2pm-5pm
Phone: (803) 796-9020
Visit: historysc.com
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Columbia Museum of Art
Main at Hampton Streets, Columbia. The museum has a wide variety of European and American fine and decorative art, including one of the largest collections of Baroque and Renaissance art in the southeast.
Open: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, 10am-5pm
Friday: 10am-5pm (Open until 8pm the first Friday of each month)
Sunday: 1-5pm (Free admission on Sundays)
Phone: (803) 799-2810
Visit: columbiamuseum.org
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EdVenture Children's Museum
211 Gervais St. EdVenture is a 67,000 square foot hands-on museum for children 12 and younger. The museum features eight galleries, two resource centers, a library, a theater and Eddie - the world's largest child!
Hours: Tuesday- Saturday, 9am-5pm
Sunday, Noon to 5pm
Open Memorial Day through Labor Day on Mondays and Holidays.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Phone: (803) 779-3100
Visit: edventure.org
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First Baptist Church
(c.1859) 1306 Hampton Street, Columbia. The first Secession Convention was held here in 1860 before it was moved to Charleston. Open daily and visitors welcome for services.
Phone: (803) 256-4251
Visit: fbccola.com
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Fort Jackson Museum
Bldg. 4442 Fort Jackson Boulevard, Columbia. Exhibits the history of training the American soldier.
Open: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am-4pm
Sat. 1-4pm. Closed holidays. Free.
Phone: (803) 751-7419
Visit: jackson.army.mil/museum/index.htm
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Ghost Tours of Columbia
Join the Ghosts and Legends of Carolina walking tours for a 90 minute narrated encounter with the region's spirits. Tours depart from the north steps of the state house. Reservations required.
Phone: (803) 765-1837
Visit: theghostsofcarolina.com
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Governor's Mansion
(c.1855) 800 block of Richland Street, Columbia. One of three historic houses on Governor's Green. The Governor's Mansion has been the home of the state's governors since 1868. Tours by appointment only.
Phone: (803) 737-1710
Visit: scgovernorsmansion.org
Hampton-Preston Mansion
(c.1818) 1615 Blanding Street, Columbia. This antebellum home of General Wade Hampton was occupied by Union officers in 1865.
Visit: historiccolumbia.org
Historic Columbia Foundation
Historic houses offering guided tours from Tues.-Sat. 10am-3pm, Sun. 1-4pm. Tickets for tours available at the Robert Mills House Gift Shop, 1616 Blanding Street, Columbia.
Phone: (803) 252-1770, Ext. 25
Visit: historiccolumbia.org
Kensington Mansion
(c. 1854) U.S. 601 in Eastover. This 29-room, 12,000 square foot mansion is magnificent with its skylighted dome and elaborate cornices and moldings. The home reflects the life of pre-war southern aristocracy. Not Handicapped accessible.
Tours: Friday & Saturday, 9:30am, 11am, 1pm, & 2:30pm.
Phone: (803) 353-0456
Visit: kensington.sumtercountymuseum.org
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Lexington County Museum
231 Fox Street at U.S. 378, Lexington. Costumed guides lead tours of the complex which includes three 18th century cabins, two antebellum homes, an 1870 post house and the 1832 John Fox House, complete with nine rooms of authentic furnishings.
Open: Tuesday- Saturday, 10am-4pm; Sunday, 1-4.
Last tour begins at 3pm.
Phone: (803) 359-8369
Visit:
lex-co.com/museum.html
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McKissick Museum
Head of the USC Horseshoe, Sumter Street, Columbia. Features changing exhibits, along with Bernard Baruch's silver collection, geology and gemstone exhibits.
Open: Monday- Friday, 8:30am-5pm
Sat. 11am-3pm Free.
Phone: (803) 777-7251
Visit: cas.sc.edu/mcks/
Newberry Opera House
The beautiful Newberry Opera House (c. 1882) is located in the center of town just off Main Street and has been restored to its full splendor. Professional touring companies perform regularly.
Phone: (803) 276-6264
Visit: newberryoperahouse.com
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Purple Martin Sanctuary on Bomb Island (in Lake Murray)
You can view the natural phenomenon, the thousands of Purple Martins roosting on
Bomb Island in Lake Murray. To see this sanctuary, board the Southern Patriot Tour Boat or another guided tour boat for an evening cruise
during July and August. This sanctuary is the largest, natural roosting sanctuary in North America.
Phone: (803) 794-8594
Visit: lakemurraytours.com
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia. More than 2,000 fascinating animals reside in this lush 170-acre site with natural habitat exhibits, historic landmarks and a botanical garden.
Open: Daily 9am-5pm; summer weekends 9am-6pm
Phone: (803) 779-8717
Visit: riverbanks.org
Click here to view Riverbanks' Brochure & Map
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Robert Mills Historic House and Park
(c.1823) 1616 Blanding Street, Columbia. Designed by Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument. Lavish gardens surround the home.
Visit: historiccolumbia.org
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Saluda County Historical Museum and Theatre
(c. 1936) Town Square, Saluda. The museum, which is being restored, houses historic artifacts and genealogical information. Be sure to visit the courthouse (c. 1917) on the square and the Saluda Theatre. The theatre built in 1936 is one of the last of those standing built in the Art Deco style. Also on the square is the Saluda County Museum with information on Travis and Bonham, as well as records for tracing family ancestries. The museum gives directions to the historic Bonham House (c.1780), the only existing birthplace of an Alamo hero and to the monument marking Travis' birthplace.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 10am-4pm
Phone: (864) 445-8550
Visit: saludaschistorical.org
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SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
301 Gervais Street, Columbia. Inside the Columbia Mills Building, with the SC State Museum. Collections from the colonial period to modern times.
Phone: (803) 737-8095
Visit: state.sc.us/crr
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SC Dept. of Archives & History Center
8301 Parklane Road, Columbia. Preserves official state and county records from the colonial era to modern times. Quarterly exhibits.
Open: Monday- Friday, 8:45am-4:45pm; Free.
Phone: (803) 896-6100
Visit: state.sc.us/scdah
SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame
5400 Broad River Road, Columbia. Exhibits tell the history of law enforcement.
Open: Monday- Friday, 8:30am-5pm
Closed weekends and state holidays.
Phone: (803) 896-8199
Visit: carolinacops.org/scleohalloffame.htm
SC State Museum
301 Gervais Street, Columbia. There are four floors of exhibits, many of them hands-on, focusing on the arts, history and technology. The museum itself is located inside its largest artifact, the world's first totally electric textile mill which opened in 1894.
Open: Tuesday- Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday 1-5pm
Phone: (803) 898-4921
Visit: museum.state.sc.us
South Caroliniana Library
On the University Horseshoe, Sumter Street, Columbia. Contains published material on the history of SC.
Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:30am-5pm
Tuesday, Thursday, 8:30am-8pm; Saturday, 9am-1pm
Phone: (803) 777-3131
Visit: sc.edu/library/socar/
State Farmers Market
1001 Bluff Road, Columbia. A variety of fresh produce arrives daily by truck in season at this 50-acre market. Perennial and annual flowers and plants are also sold.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 6am-9pm; Sunday, 1pm-6pm
Phone: (803) 737-4664
Visit: scda.state.sc.us
The State House
(c. 1855) Main and Gervais Streets, Columbia. Look for bronze stars on the building, marking hits made by General Sherman's cannonballs during the Civil War. The State House is the seat of SC's government, housing both the Governor's Office and the General Assembly.
Monday- Fri. 9am-5pm
Saturday 10am-5pm & the 1st Sunday of the month 1-5pm
Tours available. Free.
Phone: (803) 734-2430
Visit: scstatehouse.net
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
(c. 1846) 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia. It is one of the 20 largest Episcopal churches in the nation and has six governors buried in its churchyard.
Tours Monday- Friday, 10am-2pm, March- May & September- November
Phone: (803) 771-7300
