i haven't lived there in 10 years, so i'm a little out of practice in knowing the hot spots.
five points used to be a cool bar scene, but i hear it's gone downhill.
the vista is nice (downtown) - lots of bars/restaurants.
if you walked through the university, they you probably got plenty of downtown. the state house is nice, but there's not much to it. the state museum is cool - there's a whole floor on south carolina history.
the zoo is cute. the botanical gardens are nice.
minor league baseball? shopping? the farmer's market was recently redone. i'm trying to think of what else to do...
Just got back from Savannah on Tuesday. Leopolds ice cream! And yeah for open container laws so you can walk around with booze in your hand while in the historic district! We did daiquiris from Olympia and walked up River Street buzzin'. And do a ghost tour!
i used to live at goatfeathers and adriana's in high school/college!
it seems that people i went to HS with that still live in the area frequent art bar, but i've never been, and based on the group, still can't rec the place.
I second Hunter Gatherer if you like beer. Bar None is a good late night place in Five Points. If you like wine and good cocktails, try Speakeasy or Goatfeathers (both Five Points).
DiPrato's near Rosewood has the BEST pimento cheese. Mr. Friendly's (Five Points) has good fried green tomatoes.
I am jealous you're going to Savannah and Asheville. Those are two of my favorite cities to visit.
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
oh - h and i loved Cellar on Greene! the menu changes frequently and is reasonably priced. great food.
there's a little, tiny italian place in west columbia called DeLucca's. it's amazing! my parent's are friends with the guy that owns is (he's my age) and he's all about good, high quality food/flavors.
i used to live at goatfeathers and adriana's in high school/college!
it seems that people i went to HS with that still live in the area frequent art bar, but i've never been, and based on the group, still can't rec the place.
I just moved to Columbia, and I'm still making my way around the city. There's a wine cellar place that I think is next on our list.