Immerse yourself in Columbia’s colonial and modern history on this walking tour from the State House to Main Street and back. I’ll show you the scars the building sustained from Union troops’ cannon fire in the 1860s, and the few rare pre-Civil War homes that weren’t destroyed in battle. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to take in impressive stately gardens, like the one at the Hampton Preston House.

You’ll hear about the church that survived the burning of Columbia when General William T. Sherman mistook it for a Catholic rather than an Episcopal church. I’ll also show you the First Baptist Church where the Civil War officially began, and tell you how it, too, was spared from destruction when Sherman’s troops were led to the wrong place by the city’s first black Baptist sexton. But this tour isn’t just about churches and the Civil War. You’ll see plenty of Soft drink City’s modern history too.

You’ll encounter a massive fire hydrant, a large Looney Tunes style art mural, and a gigantic steel chain that links two office buildings on Main Street. You’ll also see one of downtown’s only film houses, the Art-Deco style Nickelodeon Theatre, and the Richland Library which has become an open canvas for local artists.