Walking Tours

Walking tours are available for groups with prior arrangement by contacting the tour coordinator at 803.252.1770 ext. 24 or aposner@historiccolumbia.org. Historic Columbia guides can meet your group at your downtown hotel. The Historic Heart of Columbia walking tour is also available to the general public every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. from March through November. Make reservations by contacting the tour coordinator.

Walking Tours Include

• Main Street Columbia
  From the Capitol to the Courthouse
  Ofering over one hundred and fifty years’ worth of architectural trends, Columbia’s Main Street is a physical legacy of its citizens’ aspiration and accomplishments. Come see the city’s oldest “skyscraper,” an IBM punch card inspired office building and the State Capitol. Walk through Columbia’s first indoor shopping mall and learn how an old department store became an art museum. Allow approximately 60 minutes for this tour.
• Historic Heart of Columbia
  This tour begins in the University neighborhood and travels through the University of South Carolina’s original campus, the Horseshoe, dating to the first half of the 19th century. Hear about the antics of the students in the early days of the school. Continue your walk to view Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and its historically important cemetery. Learn about the construction of the State House and view the monuments. The tour ends in the Congaree Vista. Allow approximately 75 minutes for this tour.
• Sacred Sites
  Columbia has a rich religious history with congregations dating from the early nineteenth century. Six historic Churches and one former synagogue are featured on this walking tour. Visit the burial sites of six former South Carolina governors and the parents of President Woodrow Wilson. Discover which Columbia church was based upon York Cathedral in England. Allow 90 minutes for this tour.