Walking Tours
Walking tours offer insight into the historically significant areas in Columbia and Richland County. You can experience our walking tours four ways:
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Guided Walking Tours
You can attend our monthly walking tours and explore different residential neighborhoods or commercial districts around Columbia.
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Self-Guided Tours
You can explore our web-based tours of local residential and commercial neighborhoods. Tours can be done on your computer or turned into a walking tour on your mobile device.
Available Walking Tours for Private Groups
Interested in booking a private group walking tour? Email us to learn more!
Main Street Columbia
Offering more than 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.
BullStreet District
This tour delves into the rich history of the former main campus of the South Carolina State Hospital, highlighting the experiences of men, women, and children affected by mental illness—whether as patients, caregivers, or family members—from the early 19th century to the late 20th century. Their stories and the retention of historically significant buildings have driven Historic Columbia’s preservation advocacy efforts throughout the site’s redevelopment as The BullStreet District, which began in 2015. Attendees will view the exterior of some of the remaining historic buildings in The BullStreet District during this walking tour.
Allow approximately 90 minutes for this tour.
Columbia's Jewish Sites
Rising to prominence during the antebellum era, Jewish citizens held important leadership roles in Columbia’s governance, economy and cultural development. Having rebuilt during post-war Reconstruction and thereafter, Columbia’s established Jewish population grew during the 1880s through 1920s as Eastern Europeans relocated to the United States for greater freedom and opportunities. In the wake of World War II, the city’s Jewish community welcomed displaced Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Columbia for new lives. While many generations-old families assimilated into the broader community, others forged culturally distinct lives. Many left a lasting imprint on the city’s character.