A Columbia Tour...

Sweet Carolina Bride asked me "What are some of your favorite things to do in Columbia?"

What a great question! Forgive me that most of my answers are going to involve sports and food!
To me, Columbia doesn't have as much to do as Charleston or other larger cities, but there are some good eating places and some other fun things to do!

I guess, hands down, my favorite thing to do in Columbia is attend a University of South Carolina baseball game in the Spring. There's something about the camaraderie among Gamecock fans out at the ballpark- and it doesn't hurt that we're usually pretty good in baseball. Besides baseball, though, I like to go to football games and tailgate- if you've never tailgated at an SEC school, you have to do it. It's something amazing!! Besides that, this year has been a good one to take in a basketball game at the Colonial Life Arena- shame on me that I have not done this yet this year, but tonight I will be there.

Besides sports, Columbia has some great museums. The State Museum always has good exhibits, The Columbia Museum of Art is a nice place, and EdVenture is a fun children's museum. And, there's always Riverbanks Zoo which is one of the best zoos in the Southeast.

In the summer, I like to go out to Lake Murray and enjoy the warm weather on the water. We also are known as the "Riverbanks Region" because of the rivers that flow through Columbia, and you can enjoy these by tubing down them or running or walking on the Riverwalk.

Now- on to the food. I love to eat and we have some unique, good restaurants. My very favorite restaurant is Mr. Friendly's, which I have mentioned before. They have the best filet with French Quarter Pimento Cheese, and all of their other dishes are innovative and southern- it's so good!! If you're ever in Columbia, you have to check out Mr. Friendly's. Then, after Mr. Friendly's stop in next door at Cellar on Greene, a wine and tapas bar that is owned by the same person as Mr. Friendly's- it's got a neat atmosphere and some good wines. Even better is to catch them on a wine tasting night...mmm! Some other local places I like to eat are Rockaways for pimento cheese fries and burgers (not diet-friendly, but very good), Village Idiot or Za's for pizza, Blue Marlin for seafood, Gourmet Shop for chicken salad sandwiches, and DiPrato's for salads and the best pimento cheese you'll ever taste! Other good restaurants to check out are Garibaldi's, Saluda's, Dianne's on Devine, MoMo's Bistro, Terra, Gervais and Vine, and Solstice. If I have left something out, please forgive me. And if you're up for a good dessert, try Nonnah's.

So, there's a little sample of things to enjoy in Columbia! Let me know when you're coming to visit ;-)