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Columbia
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olumbia was recently one of 30 communities named one of “America’s Most Livable Communities.” The award was given by the Washington-based non profit, Partners for Livable Communities, and honors communities that are developing themselves in the creative economy.
Poke around the city one weekend and you’ll find surprising restaurants in alleys and offbeat entertainment in restored warehouses. The town can be decidedly cool, despite its reputation for hot summers!
Take Trustus. This avant-garde, professional theater has been bringing off-Broadway to South Carolina’s capital city for 18 years. Buy a drink at the bar, settle into a comfy swivel chair, and munch on the free popcorn, while waiting for the show. It could be a musical, a comedy, or a provocative drama. Whatever’s playing, it will be an experience.
The EdVenture children’s museum, across from the State Museum, offers hands-on exhibits and special programs, including such
after-school programs as “Sound, Music and Movement,” “What’s Inside of Me?” and “Break-a-Leg” theatre camp.”
Columbia Museum of Art offers a “window to the world” to its visitors not only through the display of its permanent collection, but with a series of public programs.
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he popular “Just for Kids” series is offered once each month in the Jack Craft Education Wing. This studio/classroom is designed especially for young people, with furnishings that provide for their comfort as well as their safety.
Also in downtown Columbia, the Vista includes a lively 600 acres of restored warehouses, shops, galleries and city streets.
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Made famous by the pop/rock group Hootie and the Blowfish,
Five Points is a village of boutiques, restaurants and bars with a strong college
flavor.
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Meanwhile, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, one of the top ten zoos in the country, has recently completed a $19 million expansion including a gorilla exhibit inhabited by three males, Chaka, Kimya and Mike. The koala exhibit, a new and improved elephant exhibit and a bird pavilion with a hands-on feeding area add to the fun.
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a 36-block area with bike and foot patrols. Public assistance and directions are available seven days a week. The overall initiatives of the organization include retaining and recruiting businesses, expanding the downtown residential base, removing debris and graffiti, acting as aides to the police department, and improving landscaping by planting seasonal flowers. It’s all designed to make the downtown area cleaner and safer.
Columbia has a new 18,000-seat basketball/entertainment arena, and a 142,500 sq. ft. convention center.
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Columbia's rivers now are recreational. Some of
the country's best fly-fishing is on the Saluda River.
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Another outstanding attraction that’s close is Lake Murray, with over 600 miles of shoreline, in adjoining Lexington County. Boaters gather on the summer evenings on Lake Murray to view the over 700,000 purple martins that make their nightly pilgrimage to roost in the trees of Lunch Island. Professional fishermen from across the country troll its waters for largemouth bass; others sail, ski, dive and camp on the islands.
Dan and Susan Spencer, who recently relocated to the Columbia area from Syracuse, N.Y., like the relaxed atmosphere of the Columbia-Lake Murray area and the fact that it is close to desirable cultural and social activities, such as those generally provided by a “university town,” since both had previously worked for universities. They also like the mild seasonal changes and “even prefer the occasional 100-degree temperatures to the snow and cold winters!”
Columbia’s fortuitous location, two hours from the mountains and the ocean, is an oft-cited plus, but there are copious reasons to stay in town, including a dozen theater groups, the South Carolina Philharmonic, a handful of dance companies, festivals galore, historic mansions and shady neighborhoods. And there’s still more. You can hike the boardwalk at the Congaree Swamp National Park, one of the last old-growth forests in the country; spend Saturday nights in the summertime listening to free music in Finlay Park; or rollerblade, walk or bike by the water at Canal Park.
more about columbia
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Aida Rogers has
worked in newspapers, magazines, legal newsletters and television.
The USC graduate and Lexington, SC, native currently is managing
editor of Sandlapper, The Magazine of South Carolina, for
which she writes a column about the most popular restaurants in
The Palmetto State. Call her with your favorites at (803) 808-1664.
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Pamela Henkel Steude spent twelve years as
editor of an award-winning monthly publication for the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South
Carolina. She also is a professional freelance photographer. She holds a BA in English
and Journalism from the University of Kentucky, and a Master of Mass Communications
from the University of South Carolina.
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