About When In Columbia

Welcome to When In Columbia– a blog by locals about everything we love about South Carolina’s capital city!

Born and raised in Columbia, we grew up on Hooligan’s chicken fingers (RIP) and the Carolina/Clemson rivalry.

We now have kids and love taking them on our Columbia adventures. Whether it’s a stroll around Shandon, a day at Riverbanks Zoo, a playground outing, a Saturday morning at Soda City or a perfect fall day at a Carolina game, there’s always something fun going on in the city.

Cover to the Columbia, SC first time visitor's guide

Columbia is home to some amazing restaurants, awesome shopping districts, cute neighborhoods and fun attractions like Riverbanks Zoo, the State Museum and EdVenture Children’s Museum.

Columbia also hosts the State Fair each October, when the leaves are changing and the weather is just perfect. Speaking of, weekends when the fair is in town, fall is in the air and there’s a Carolina game at Williams-Brice stadium can’t be topped!

Not only is Columbia itself a great city, but it’s also in such a great location within South Carolina! You can take day trips to so many fun cities in every different direction. Some of our favorite day trips from Columbia include Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, Augusta and Asheville!

Cover to our favorite coffee shops in Columbia, SC post
The SC State House with text "guide to downtown Columbia, SC"

We love everything about Columbia and are so excited to share it with you!

Whether you are visiting Columbia for the weekend, thinking about a move to the area or just looking for a new adventure, we hope you’ll be inspired!

As a jumping-off point, we suggest you take a look at our top things to do in Columbia, SC list. We have dedicated posts on everything to know about Riverbanks Zoo, the SC State Museum, Soda City Market and the State House. All are on our top things to do in Cola list!

You can also peruse our various neighborhood guides: Five Points, The Vista, Devine Street, downtown Columbia and the Main Street District.

And if you are looking for more info on food, we are working on ‘best of’ posts for that as well. So if you love pizza, check out our list of the best pizza joints in Columbia. We also have a best breweries in Columbia list if that’s your style. Is coffee more your thing? We’ve got a list for that! And best delis in Columbia, too, of course!

All thoughts shared on the blog are our own. We aren’t sponsored and do not exchange posts or reviews for money. You’ll only find the things we have tried and liked in Columbia 🙂


Disclaimer: Hours, pricing, menus, etc. may have changed since we last updated this post, so make sure to confirm all of this directly prior to visiting any business or attraction listed on our site. When In Columbia does not accept sponsored posts. All opinions are our own. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.