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Bluegrass, Bidding & BBQ
Join us on March 21 for Palladium's 15th annual Bluegrass, Bidding & BBQ silent auction presented by Jaguar Land Rover Columbia. Enjoy live music, local BBQ, specialty drinks and a variety of exciting auction items on the grounds of the Robert Mills House. All proceeds will benefit the educational programs and initiatives of Historic Columbia.
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, March 22nd — Sunday, March 24th
9 a.m.—3 p.m.
Main Street & Vista Walking Tours
1120 Lincoln St., Columbia, SC 29201
Get to know South Carolina’s capital city during the NCAA March Madness weekend and take a guided walking tour of Columbia’s Main Street and Vista! Main Street tours begin at 9 a.m. at the State House; Vista tours begin at 11 a.m. at the Columbia Visitor's Center.
Saturday, March 23rd
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Family Gardening Workshop | Bulbs
1615 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join HC's horticulturists as they lead a family gardening workshop! Attendees will get to plant naturalistic sweeps of several types of summer flowering heirloom bulbs, such as Gladiolus, Iris, and Lycoris, throughout the newest two acre addition to the gardens at the Hampton-Preston Mansion. Afterward, parents and kids will head over to the Robert Mills House to take part in a planting story time, learning about the wonder of plants and how they grow.
Tuesday, March 26th
12 — 1 p.m.
Research Roundtable | Women's History
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Since Columbia’s founding in 1786, public history efforts, including the naming of streets and buildings, have been primarily framed around the accomplishments of white men. Join Katharine Allen, research and archives manager, as she discusses new research discoveries at two well-known properties in the Robert Mills District and how public historians might include women's stories in the future.
Friday, March 29th
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Throughout the seven rooms of the Robert Mills House, guests will discover April Fool’s Day inspired visual puns and anachronisms along with weird history from the 19th century. Did Victorians think long toenails summoned the Devil? Or did they go to parties and watch mummies decompose? Don’t be April fooled!
Saturday, March 30th
6:30 — 8 p.m.
'Hip Tags: A Columbia Symphony' Screening at Indie Grits
1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
'Hip Tags: A Columbia Symphony' follows a long tradition of city symphony films by combining historic Columbia cityscapes from an old film reel at the Moving Image Resource Collection to give viewers a poetic look at the capital city nearly 50 years ago.
Sunday, March 31st
6 — 8 p.m.
1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join us as we introduce the City of Women and celebrate the strong, courageous, and driven women who have made our city better. Attendees will enjoy tasty treats from Spotted Salamander, a signature cocktail created by Bourbon's Kat Hunter, and live entertainment.
Tuesday, April 2nd
6 — 7:30 p.m.
Behind-the-Scenes Tour | DeBruhl-Marshall House
1401 Laurel Street, Columbia, SC 29201
This historic property has recently been renovated into an elite, environmentally friendly events venue. See for yourself by registering for our next behind-the-scenes tour! Tickets are currently on sale for members only. Non-members will be able to register starting March 18.
Friday, April 5th
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Homeschool Friday | Great Depression in Columbia
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of the New Deal on April 5, 1933. The Great Depression and the New Deal changed much about life in Columbia and South Carolina, including creating sixteen state parks. Join us to learn about how the Great Depression altered the state.
Thursday, April 11th
7:30 — 9:30 p.m.
Moonlight Cemetery & Secrets from the Grave Tours
501 Elmwood Avenue, Columbia, SC 29201
One hundred and sixty years of history will come to life during our popular Cemetery Tours! Grab your flashlight as we tour one of Columbia's oldest cemeteries and acres of carefully planned grounds.
Saturday, April 13th
2 — 3:30 p.m.
Saturday Stroll | Jewish Merchants of Main Street
1620 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Explore important local Jewish sites on Main Street with Historic Columbia on Saturday, April 13 during our Weekend Strolls and Rolls program presented by Seed Architecture. This guided walking tour will highlight Columbia’s Jewish heritage and explore how Jewish merchants have shaped this downtown district.
Sunday, April 14th
2 — 3:30 p.m.
Second Sunday Stroll | Hollywood-Rose Hill
300 South Gregg Street, Columbia, SC 29205
Explore Hollywood-Rose Hill with Historic Columbia on Sunday, April 14 during our Weekend Strolls and Rolls program presented by Seed Architecture. Rose Hill is known for its bungalow-lined streets and abundance of mail-ordered kit homes, while many of Hollywood’s homes were designed by important local architect J. Carroll Johnson.
Thursday, April 18th
3:30 — 4:30 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia and Richland County Public Library for a special outdoor Storytime in the Gardens! Enjoy stories and songs at the Gardens of the Robert Mills House. In addition, participate in old fashioned historic games in gardens. This event is free and open to children of all ages.
Friday, April 19th
5:30 — 7 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join us for a very special hoppy hour at on Friday, April 19! Attendees will get to participate in a happy hour themed Easter egg hunt while enjoying the beautiful gardens at Seibels House . More details to come.
Sunday, April 21st
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Historic Columbia will be closed for Easter. Tours will continue on Tuesday, April 23.
Tuesday, April 23rd
12 — 1 p.m.
Research Roundtable | Discovering Columbia's Remarkable Women
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Women in Columbia have always played an integral role in the city’s commercial and cultural heritage but finding them in the historical record can be difficult. Join Katharine Allen, Research and Archives Manager, as she shares research tips and techniques. Allen invites participants to share a Columbian they’d like to see featured in this special workshop.
History is alive at our
Public Gardens
Our 14 acres of historically-inspired landscapes in the heart of Robert Mills Historic District feature heirloom plantings popular with gardeners over the past two centuries.
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Restore, Don't Replace Your Old Windows
Historic windows are both lenses and frames. These vital architectural features can define the character of whole neighborhoods and help us see our community in a whole new light. Newly restored window at the Kensington Mansion Often, damage to historic windows is superficial—someone painted them shut, the sash sags, they’re...
