Capital City Lake Murray Country

Historic Places

Big Apple
1000 Hampton Street, Columbia. Originally built to be a synagogue and later transformed into a dance club where the Big Apple dance craze was born, this unique building's history and architecture make for an unforgettable special occasion. Today, the building retains many of its original architectural features such as the synagogue's domed ceiling and the neon moon and stars from its days as a nightclub. A massive mirror reflects the natural light that it beams in from two-story windows and the view from the balcony is splendid.
Phone: (803) 252-7742
Visit: historiccolumbia.org

Bonham House

James Butler Bonham's House (c.1780) is located in Saluda and is the only existing birthplace of an Alamo hero. Directions to this house may be obtained at the Saluda County Museum located on Town Square.

Open: Monday- Saturday, 10am-4pm.

Phone: (864) 445-8550

Booker T. Washington Complex
Blossom, Wheat and Marion on the USC Campus, Columbia. Opened in 1916 as the second public school for African Americans, this building was a cultural and social center. The property is now part of the University of South Carolina.
Phone: (803) 777-0169

Visit: sc.edu/uscmap/bldg/btw.html

Cayce Historical Museum
Cayce City Hall Complex, 1800 12th Street, Cayce. The town of Cayce encompasses the site of Ft. Granby, one of the earliest inland villages and the scene of two Revolutionary battles. The museum is a replica of the old Cayce House, a trading post of the 1700's with an authentic kitchen and smokehouse.
Open: Tuesday- Friday, 9am-4pm
Saturday & Sunday, 2pm-5pm
Phone: (803) 796-9020
Visit: historysc.com

First Baptist Church
(c.1859) 1306 Hampton Street, Columbia. The first Secession Convention was held here in 1860 before it was moved to Charleston. Open daily and visitors welcome for services.
Phone: (803) 256-4251

Fort Jackson Museum
Bldg. 4442 Fort Jackson Boulevard, Columbia. Exhibits the history of training the American soldier.
Open: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am-4pm
Saturday, 1-4pm
Closed holidays. Free.
Phone: (803) 751-7419

Visit: jackson.army.mil/museum/index.htm

Governor's Mansion
(c.1855) 800 block of Richland Street, Columbia. One of three historic houses on Governor's Green. The Governor's Mansion has been the home of the state's governors since 1868. Tours by appointment only.
Phone: (803) 737-1710

Visit: scgovernorsmansion.org

Hampton-Preston Mansion
(c.1818) 1615 Blanding Street, Columbia. This antebellum home of General Wade Hampton was occupied by Union officers in 1865.

Kensington Mansion
(c. 1854) U.S. 601 in Eastover. This 29-room, 12,000 square foot mansion is magnificent with its skylighted dome and elaborate cornices and moldings. The home reflects the life of pre-war southern aristocracy. Not Handicapped accessible.
Tours: Friday & Saturday, 9:30am, 11am, 1pm, & 2:30pm.
Phone: (803) 353-0456

Visit: kensington.sumtercountymuseum.org

Lexington County Museum
231 Fox Street at U.S. 378, Lexington. Costumed guides lead tours of the complex which includes three 18th century cabins, two antebellum homes, an 1870 post house and the 1832 John Fox House, complete with nine rooms of authentic furnishings.
Open: Tuesday- Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, 1-4pm.
Last tour begins at 3pm.
Phone: (803) 359-8369
Visit: teachingushistory.org/qt-lex/

Lorick Plantation House
Located at Lake Murray, on the north side of the Lake Murray Dam on North Lake Drive (SC 6), Irmo. The historic Lorick Plantation House (1840) offers exhibits and an aquarium with various species of fish from Lake Murray.
Monday- Friday, 9am-5pm
Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, 1-5pm
Phone: (803) 781-5940
Visit: scjewel.com

Mann-Simons Cottage
1403 Richland Street, Columbia. Celia Mann, an enslaed Charleston midwife who acquired her freedom and walked to Columbia, lived her from the 1840s until 1867.
Visit: historiccolumbia.org

Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
2025 Marion Street, Columbia. Home of a founding member and secretary for the SC conference of NAACP chapters. The home served as a meeting place for dignitaries.
Phone: (803) 748-8644

Visit: cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/sc3.htm

Newberry Opera House

The beautiful Newberry Opera House (c. 1882) is located in the center of town just off Main Street and has been restored to its full splendor. Professional touring companies perform regularly.

Phone: (803) 276-6264

Visit: newberryoperahouse.com

Robert Mills Historic House and Park
(c.1823) 1616 Blanding Street, Columbia. Designed by Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument. Lavish gardens surround the home.
Visit: historiccolumbia.org

Saluda County Historical Museum and Theatre
(c. 1936) Town Square, Saluda. The museum, which is being restored, houses historic artifacts and genealogical information. Be sure to visit the courthouse (c. 1917) on the square and the Saluda Theatre. The theatre built in 1936 is one of the last of those standing built in the Art Deco style. Also on the square is the Saluda County Museum with information on Travis and Bonham, as well as records for tracing family ancestries. The museum gives directions to the historic Bonham House (c.1780), the only existing birthplace of an Alamo hero and to the monument marking Travis' birthplace.
Open: Monday- Saturday, 10am-4pm
Phone: (864) 445-8550

Visit: saludaschistorical.org

SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
301 Gervais St., Columbia. Inside the Columbia Mills Building, with the SC State Museum. Collections from the colonial period to modern times.
Phone: (803) 737-8095

Visit: state.sc.us/crr

SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame
5400 Broad River Road, Columbia. Exhibits tell the history of law enforcement.
Open: Monday- Friday, 8:30am-5pm
Closed weekends and state holidays.
Phone: (803) 896-8199

Visit: sccja.org/Hall%20of%20fame.htm

SC State Museum
301 Gervais Street, Columbia. There are four floors of exhibits, many of them hands-on, focusing on the arts, history and technology. The museum itself is located inside its largest artifact, the world's first totally electric textile mill which opened in 1894.
Open: Tuesday- Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 1-5pm
Phone: (803) 898-4921

Visit: museum.state.sc.us

Seibels House & Garden
1601 Richland Street, Columbia. The house dates from approximately 1796. Due to a succession of owners throughout the centuries, the Seibels House today is a pleasing blend of several architectural styles. A sun porch, added in the 1920s, offers grand views of the garden.

Phone: (803) 772-2242
Visit: historiccolumbia.org/rentals/seibels.html

The State House
(c. 1855) Main and Gervais Streets, Columbia. Look for bronze stars on the building, marking hits made by General Sherman's cannonballs during the Civil War. The State House is the seat of SC's government, housing both the Governor's Office and the General Assembly.
Monday- Friday, 9am-5pm
Saturday, 10am-5pm & the 1st Sunday of the month 1-5pm.
Tours available. Free.
Phone: (803) 734-2430

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
(c. 1846) 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia. It is one of the 20 largest Episcopal churches in the nation and has six governors buried in its churchyard.
Tours: Monday- Friday, 10am-2pm
March- May & September- November
Phone: (803) 771-7300
Visit: trinityepiscopalcathedral.org

Woodrow Wilson Family Home
2025 Marion Street, Columbia. Home of a founding member and secretary for the SC conference of NAACP chapters. The home served as a meeting place for dignitaries.
Phone: (803) 748-8644

Visit: historiccolumbia.org