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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!
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.
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 Today“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
Tours
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, 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!
Sunday, December 16th
1 — 4 p.m.
Dollar Sunday | Woodrow Wilson Family Home
1705 Hampton 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! This month, visit the Woodrow Wilson Family Home, the nation's only museum dedicated to interpreting the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and South Carolina's only remaining presidential site.
Tuesday, December 25th — Wednesday, December 26th
10 a.m.—5 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
In observance of the Christmas holiday, the last tour on Christmas Eve will be given at 11:30 a.m. and all house museums will be closed on Dec. 25 and 26. Offices will be closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th. Happy holidays from Historic Columbia!
Wednesday, December 26th
10 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Closed for the Day After Christmas
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
In observance of the Christmas holiday, the last tour on Christmas Eve will be given at 11:30 a.m. and all house museums will be closed on Dec. 25 and 26. Offices will be closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th. Happy holidays from Historic Columbia!
Sunday, December 30th
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Dec. 30 is the last day to visit our decorated historic houses to hear stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sunday, December 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 30th, 2018.
Tuesday, January 1st
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
In observance of the New Year’s holiday, the last tour on New Year’s Eve will be given at 11:30 a.m. and all house museums will be closed on New Year’s Day. Happy Holidays!
Friday, January 4th
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Homeschool Friday | Space Exploration and South Carolina
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
January 4 marks two important events in the history of space exploration – Sputnik 1 fell back to Earth and the Sprit rover landed on Mars. Come learn about the ways in which South Carolinians have played a role in space exploration over the years and make your very own rocket.
Thursday, January 17th
6 — 7:30 p.m.
Behind-the-Scenes Tour | Claussen's Inn
2003 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29205
Go behind the scenes with Historic Columbia and explore a historic Five Points landmark!
Sunday, January 20th
1 — 4 p.m.
Dollar Sunday | Robert Mills House
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Residents of Richland and Lexington counties are invited to take a guided tour of one of our historic house museums on Dollar Sunday! This month, visit the Robert Mills House & Gardens, one of only five National Historic Landmarks within Columbia, and explore architecture and daily life in the 1820s in Columbia.
Tuesday, January 22nd
12 — 1 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join our Cultural Resources team at the monthly Research Roundtable programs to learn more about Historic Columbia’s research initiatives. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch to this program.
Friday, January 25th
5:30 — 7 p.m.
1601 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Test your knowledge on Columbia History by joining us at our Historic Happy Hour trivia event! Drinks and light appetizers are included with admission. Prizes will be awarded to winning teams. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. There is limited space and guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
Friday, February 1st
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Homeschool Friday | Emancipation in Columbia
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
On February 1, 1865 Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment before it was sent to the states for ratification, the only amendment to ever be signed by the president. Join us to find out why it was signed and the lasting effects of the amendment, which officially ended slavery across the United States.
Sunday, February 3rd
2 — 3:30 p.m.
Kugels & Collards: An Afternoon with Joan Nathan
5827 N. Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC 29206
Join Historic Columbia and the History Center at USC for a talk by Joan Nathan, a James Beard award-winner, much-loved cookbook author, and authority on Jewish cooking across the globe.
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Latest News from HC
Gifts from Historic Holidays
Diving into the imagination, playing dress up, hosting skits and talent shows for parents and friends – children have been dreaming up different ways to play for hundreds of years. In 2018, it’s easy for a child to find entertainment. Conversely, because they did not have smartphones, video games, or...
