Specialty Educational Tours

• Main Street Tour
  Grade Level: K-12
  This is a walking tour that begins at the South Carolina State House and ends at Columbia’s City Hall. The buildings on Main Street all date from after 1865 and exhibit varying stylistic and design influences. During the tour, these buildings will be used to demonstrate aesthetic and architectural principles, as well as to provide a context for historical developments in the city, state and nation. In addition, lesson plans relating to this tour can help students develop critical reading, writing and speaking skills.
• Homeplaces, Workplaces, Resting Places: African-American Heritage Sites Tour
  Grade Level: K-12
  This is a bus tour of 25 sites significant to the African-American community in Columbia, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This tour is designed to highlight important events and little known facts about African-American contributions made from 1786 go the present.

  Length of Tour: 12.25 miles
  Time: 1 hour – 1 hour and a half

  Please note the tour can be altered by giving students the opportunity to step off the bus and take a more detailed tour of some of the highlighted sites. Sites available for tours include: Hampton-Preston Mansion, Mann-Simons Cottage, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Randolph Cemetery, South Carolina State House, University of South Carolina, Allen University and Benedict College. For more information regarding this tour option please contact Historic Columbia’s visitor coordinator.

• History by Design: A survey of Columbia’s built culture
  Grade Level: K-12
  This tour examines the different architectural styles that exist in Columbia. The tour brings students to the Robert Mills House, the University of South Carolina Horseshoe and Main Street including the Palmetto Building, the Arcade and the Sylvan’s Jewelers building. Students will learn about the architectural style and design, as well as the historical developments that contributed to the buildings’ construction. Please note the tour involves significant walking for the Main Street and University of South Carolina portions.

  Time: Two hours and a half – Three hours