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Historic Holidays
Celebrate the season with Historic Columbia and enjoy a variety of holiday decorations, traditions of the past, special events and visits with Santa!
Mark your calendars!
“At its most basic, preservation is about protecting places that matter to each of us. We want our children to know these places. We want them to stand as beacons for us and for those who come after us—to tell our stories, and the stories of our communities and our lives.”
— Stephanie K. Meeks
Why Join?
If you look around, you’ll see Historic Columbia’s advocacy work everywhere—from the Bull Street development to the new Palmetto Compress building…and we’ve got big plans to save even more historic properties from demolition, but we need the help of people like you to make it happen.
Join TodayWhy Join?
Your membership helps us create entertaining historical programming that brings people from diverse age groups and backgrounds together. Our educational programs help explain the connections between our past and present, using history as a prism for a deeper understanding.
Join TodayWhy Join?
As a member, you’ll get discounted admission and early access to our most popular events. Joining Historic Columbia is a great way to “plug in” to the city’s professional network and get involved in your community.
Join TodayTours
Connect with History
We offer historic house tours six days a week, garden tours for groups, off-site walking and bus tours and self-guided neighborhood web-based tours.
Take a TourRentals
Historically Ever After
Let your special day be one for the history books at any of our beautiful rental properties.
Rent a VenueUpcoming Events
Friday, November 16th
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Guests are invited to see a variety of holiday decorations and experience traditions in both historic homes between Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Dec. 30! Tour guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Saturday, November 17th
10 a.m. — 2 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
This free, family-friendly event is the perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit, visit with Santa, enjoy holiday activities and begin checking off your shopping list! During the event, guests are invited to explore the cooking spaces and kitchen inside the Robert Mills House and see how holiday meals were prepared and served in the past.
Sunday, November 18th
11 a.m. — 6 p.m.
South Carolina Oyster Festival
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
The 22nd annual South Carolina Oyster Festival will take place on the grounds of Robert Mills and Hampton-Preston on Sunday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bring your chairs, your blankets, your oyster knives, and your appetite!
Sunday, November 18th
1 — 4 p.m.
Dollar Sunday | Mann-Simons Site
1403 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Every third Sunday of the month, residents of Richland and Lexington counties are invited to tour of one of Historic Columbia’s house museums for just $1 on Dollar Sunday! On Sunday, Nov. 18, visit the exhibits at the Mann-Simons Site, the home to the same African-American family for nearly 130 years.
Thursday, November 22nd
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Historic Columbia and all our properties will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 22, for Thanksgiving. The last tour will be given at 11:30 on Wednesday, Nov. 21. Tours will resume at regular hours on Friday, Nov. 23.
Tuesday, November 27th
12 — 1 p.m.
Research Roundtable | Historic Holidays
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join John Sherrer, Director of Cultural Resources, as he investigates 19th-century holiday culinary traditions, gift giving and decorations in Columbia and Richland County. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch to this program.
Friday, November 30th
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month Exhibit Closes
1705 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29201
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Historic Columbia’s Woodrow Wilson Family Home is exhibiting 11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month. This temporary exhibit will be incorporated into the guided house museum tours from November 1st until December 3rd, 2018.
Friday, November 30th
5:30 — 7 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Kickoff the holiday season with a festive happy hour where participants can partake in games, trivia, and activities that connect with past holiday customs. Enjoy eggnog, wassail, and other popular beverages consumed as far back as the 1800’s. Every 20 minutes, new holiday songs, activities, and beverages are unveiled to represent a new decade of seasonal celebrations.
Saturday, December 1st
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Family Gardening Workshop | Bulbs
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia for a seasonal family gardening workshop in the Robert Mills Gardens . Fun activities engage adults and children through to see the joys and benefits of gardening. December’s bulb workshop will include straightforward but interesting gardening activities, along with games, storying, and sensory activities.
Monday, December 3rd
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month Exhibit Closes
1705 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29201
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Historic Columbia’s Woodrow Wilson Family Home is exhibiting 11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month. This temporary exhibit will be incorporated into the guided house museum tours from November 1st until December 3rd, 2018.
Thursday, December 6th
6 — 7:30 p.m.
TBA, Columbia, SC 29201
Presented by The Moore Company, the Renovation Rodeo series takes guests on tours of old homes and buildings in the Columbia area that have been refurbished and renovated while staying true to the roots and history of the house.
Friday, December 7th
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Homeschool Friday | World War II in Columbia
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy," saw the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and pushed the United States to enter World War II. Join us to explore the role of Columbia, and South Carolina, in World War II.
Sunday, December 9th
2 — 3 p.m.
Second Sunday Stroll | Main Street
1100 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Explore Main Street with Historic Columbia on Sunday, December 9 during our Weekend Strolls and Rolls program presented by Seed Architecture.
Friday, December 14th
6 — 9 p.m.
Candlelight Tours & Carriage Rides
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Enjoy live music entertainment and children’s activities while celebrating the holidays with Historic Columbia! Before or after your house tour, take a carriage ride through the Robert Mills Historic District. Stop by the Gift Shop’s holiday open house throughout the evening for a last minute storewide sale as well as refreshments, holiday tunes and giveaways.
Saturday, December 15th
8 — 11 a.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Enjoy a continental breakfast in the cozy Robert Mills Carriage House while listening to seasonal music. After your meal, guests can view the decorated halls of the Hampton-Preston Mansion, see a Victorian Christmas tree, make holiday crafts to take home, and take a picture with Santa!
Holiday
House Tours
Guests are invited to see a variety of holiday decorations and experience traditions in the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Robert Mills House between Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Dec. 30. Tour guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Latest News from HC
The 11th Hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month
And, oh my, we had to pass the wounded. And some of them were on stretchers going back to the dressing stations, and some of them were lying around, moaning and twitching. And the dead were all along the road. — Alvin York, United States Army, Medal of Honor Anniversaries...
