Nature & Wildlife Areas • Zoos
Things to Do in Columbia, SC - Columbia Attractions
Things to Do in Columbia
Book these experiences for a closer look at the region.
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
What travelers are saying
- Matt SMelbourne, FL7 contributionsEasy to navigate family friendly zoo with helpful knowledgeable staff. Happy animals, and very clean throughout. While visiting the gift shop, Elizabeth was happy to give us the history of the zoo and the local area. Unfortunately the gardens were being renovated for the fall season. But still beautiful! Take the tram up! It’s steep! The Eurasian Eagle Owls were surprisingly large and gorgeous! Don’t miss themWritten October 23, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Rad Dgainesville, fl.438 contributionsAMAZING! This is an active government facility, so be prepared for a security check. After that, take it slow, look everywhere, pay attention. This is a gorgeous building, built and decorated in an age when things like that were done right and done well. Notice the detail, see things from different angles, sit and watch, lie on the floor (like I talked my wife into doing) and take a photo up into the cupola. Saturday is a great day to go if you don't want to get caught up in the working staff traffic.Written November 21, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Kathy MGeorgetown, SC141 contributionsI took my grandkids to this museum - ages 8 (almost 9) and 15. We saw EVERYTHING! I think they had a good time. We saw the "Shark" 4D movie which was awesome 9although very short) - the special effects are fun. Although the 8 year old was covering her eyes when the great white shark was hunting the seal, you never saw any blood or guts - the seal was just gone. We also went to the "Mars 101" movie in the Planetarium which was very good as well, although the 15 year old experienced a bit of motion sickness. These movie are not included in the regular admission.
The 8 year old's favorite exhibit was the Mars Rover which she played with a couple of other kids for nearly 20 minutes, while the 15 year old went to look at the military exhibits more closely.
You can leave the museum and come back in, which we did in order to have lunch. The museum's cafe was rather limited.
The only disappointing thing was there were many displays that said "under renovation" or "in progress" and one whole exhibit, the "Gallery", was closed. When you pay full price for a ticket one expects most things to be in working order.Written October 11, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Rad Dgainesville, fl.438 contributionsExcellent! I offered to buy the whole thing and have it moved to Florida. Of course they rightfully laughed and said "No".
It's a beautiful and heavily utilized park, a real gem in this city. Plenty of history, great views, and opportunities to watch birds, trains, people....and to just sit and appreciate the freedom and beauty of this country, to be able to enjoy a place like this, free of charge.Written November 21, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - CodyDCWashington DC, DC5,915 contributionsWhile visiting Columbia for first time, walked over to the university campus since it was right downtown near the capital state house. The campus along the horseshoe is pretty nice with tall oak trees on the grounds and historic 1800's college buildings. The main campus area is easy to navigate but newer buildings are spread out.Written May 24, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- CodyDCWashington DC, DC5,915 contributionsWhile visiting Columbia for first time, decided to visit the art museum during a rainy Sunday morning. The museum has a nice small collection of paintings including a few well known artist like Claude Monet, Canaletto and Sandro Botticelli, plus American artist. The museum was well worth the visit and would recommend it to anyone visiting Columbia and enjoy the arts.Written May 22, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Joseph RobbaCharlotte, NC2,198 contributionsWe came to Saluda Shoals after seeing photos of Leo's Landing and thinking this would be a great stop for the kids to come play at on our day trip to the Columbia area. It was the only area of the park that we saw, and visited, so I can't speak for the rest of the area. I'll say, I was pretty disappointed to hear that it cost $5 to get into the park. I don't think a playground should have a paywall in front of it, and also there was no information in my research that suggested to me that a fee to enter was required, so be informed now. My other issue is that we brought our 2 dogs with us on our day trip to Columbia (we went to Congaree National Park earlier in the day which is dog friendly). The day was unseasonably warm so we could not leave the dogs in the car, so we opted to bring them inside Leo's Landing, which we were told by multiple people that they weren't allowed, but frankly there wasn't anything else for us to do with them while we were there, so my wife spent most of our time there, just sitting off to the side with them.
The playground itself was super cool. The hobbit houses, along with all of the other features make this particular playground really unique and one you could spend a good bit of time at. We were there for almost 2 hours and the kids were not ready to leave when it was time. It was very crowded on the President's Day holiday, just FYI.
Overall, enjoyed the playground, in the end I think it was worth $5, I just wish that it was more explicitly advertised, and I also don't know that it should cost that just to use the playground.Written February 24, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - DogDoggieWorldWide662 contributionsInteresting museum with plenty of relics. Worth a visit. Authentic guns and equipment from the Civil War and Viet Nam.Written November 30, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- dldorsetMount Vernon, NY32 contributionsGreat for kids. Would love a few more stem options for kids. Maybe add some video for kids to learn about the body and aviation. Flight simulator is great. And of course EddieWritten November 27, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Dave TNewcastle upon Tyne, UK465 contributionsLocated on the military base it is easy to find with free car parking. The museum is free to enter and across 2 large buildings displays lots of artefacts and military hardware spanning 200 years. Outdoor exhibits include tanks and helicoptersWritten February 10, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- StarstrucknutAlbany, GA53 contributionsJust visited this arena the weekend of March 10th for the Reba McEntire Concert. She was phenomenal. The acoustics were great! Extremely clean bathrooms, concessions are good,just an overall nice place. The reception on your phone was really good also. The lines moved fast. Security was great throughout the concert. The staff was friendly. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because of no flirt entrance and exit. I’m am older and having to walk down the steps to my floor seat was a pain and even worse on the way back up. There were bathrooms and one concession for the floor folks. One staff member said there was no elevator nor a way out from the floor. Maybe she didn’t know or just didn’t want to take the time to tell us but she made us go up the steps … I’ve had 5 knee surgeries through the years so it was tough. I can’t imagine a place as nice as this not having some kind of handicapped entrance or exits. Other than that the place was great.Written March 14, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Bill CJacksonville, FL272 contributionsImproved over last visit four years ago
RV parking had approx 10 sites with full hookup
Some of the pedestrian bridges have been upgraded
The bike/pedestrian trails have better maintenance
I even saw one staff member cleaning the entrance rails to the campground,
We visited friends in the Columbia area as we lived there until 2011. With the RV, it was a pleasant stay. We biked and hiked almost every morningWritten August 18, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - 2babesandabrewPensacola, FL279 contributionsThis was a amazing stop. Very nice people and the cathedral was beautiful. Lovely stained glass and a interesting cemeteryWritten May 24, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Michael FMyrtle Beach, SC1,375 contributionsWe attended a game this past weekend and really enjoyed our experience. Tickets and parking are easy to get online. All the attendants were so helpful and that was especially needed since it was a nasty rainy n cool day until almost the end of the game. A great stadium for college football. GO COCKS!!!Written November 13, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- pejene82@gmail.comHeilbronn, Germany50 contributionsWhat a wonderful market. It's not only a "farmer's market" (what we've expected), no, it's like kind of a festival. Live music, crafted goods, food - even vegan food, finally - flowers, lemonade, musicians, happy people, it was wonderful.Written August 28, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia
- The top attractions to visit in Columbia are:
- Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park
- South Carolina State Museum
- South Carolina State House
- Saluda Shoals Park
- The best outdoor activities in Columbia according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park
- Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Saluda Shoals Park
- Sesquicentennial State Park
- Harbison State Forest
- The most popular things to do in Columbia with kids according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- University of South Carolina
- South Carolina State House
- Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park
- Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Saluda Shoals Park
Columbia Attractions Information
Attractions | 216 |
|---|---|
Attraction Reviews | 15,570 |
Attraction Photos | 7,053 |
Local Time | Tuesday 11:53 PM |