Top Attractions in Columbia:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g54184-Activities-Columbia_South_Carolina.html

Entertainment Districts

Five Points

Five Points is an area with many restaurants, shops, and clubs. It is only about a ten-minute walk from the USC campus. Five Points is a favorite entertainment area for USC students. There are often free outdoor concerts at the fountain. Check “EPI News” on the EPI email for announcements. http://fivepointscolumbia.com/

The Vista

The Vista is an area near the river with many nice restaurants. It is only about a ten-minute walk from the USC campus. The Vista is a favorite entertainment area for young professionals in the Columbia area. The State Museum is also located in the Vista area. http://www.vistacolumbia.com/

Main Street

Main Street offers many restaurants, bars, and stores. The Columbia Museum of Art is located at the corner of Main and Hampton Streets. Additionally there is the Tapp’s Art Center that offers art shows by different artists. There are also movies shown at the Nickolodeon Theater located at 1607 Main St in the heart of downtown Columbia. Every Saturday morning Main Street hosts the Soda City Market, offering food, handcrafts, and other interesting items for sale. Main Street also offers First Thursdays on Main, a monthly street festival which features music, food, and street exhibits.

Shopping

Whether you are buying groceries, items for your apartment, or a new outfit, there are many different stores near campus and around Columbia where students can shop.

Convenient stores close to Campus:

• Bi-Lo - This is a large grocery store/supermarket. There is one located in a large shopping center called Parkland Plaza in Cayce (over the Blossom Street bridge). There is another located at 4464 Divine Street.
• Publix - This is a large grocery store/supermarket. There are two located near campus. One is located on Rosewood Drive. The other is located in the Vista at 501 Gervais Street.
• CVS – This is a pharmacy located at the corner of College St. and Assembly St.  It is two blocks from the Horseshoe. You can buy many other items that you need in addition to medicine.
• Walgreens – This is a pharmacy located at the corner of Blossom St. and Devine St.  It is located in Five Points.
• Family Dollar - This is a discount store, which has many household items. It is located near the intersection of Pickens Street and Rosewood Drive.
• Food Lion - This is a grocery store near Five Points on Harden Street that is about four or five blocks to the right of Greene Street. This is a good place to buy food if you don’t have a car and can’t wait until the EPI shopping trips.=

There are five shopping malls in the Columbia area.

• Columbia Place is located on Two Notch Rd. This mall is on a bus route. http://columbiaplacemall.com/
• Richland Mall is located on the corner of Forest Dr. and Beltline Blvd. This mall is also on a bus route. http://www.richlandmallsc.com/
• Columbiana Mall is located on Harbison Blvd. off of Interstate I-26. This mall is NOT on a bus route. http://www.columbianacentre.com/en.html
• Dutch Square Mall has a very nice movie theater and a nice department store. It is located on Bush River Road at I-26. This mall is also on a bus route. http://www.dutchsquare.com/
• Village at Sandhill is Columbia’s newest mall which with a variety of stores and a movie theater.  The mall is on a bus route. http://www.villageatsandhill.com/ 

For an extensive list of stores, boutiques, and galleries, please visit the following website: http://www.columbiacvb.com/things-to-do/shopping/

Eating

There are hundreds of restaurants, diners, bars, fast food joints, and coffee shops across Columbia. You will find Indian, Thai, Chinese, Tex Mex, Ethiopian, and many more options from which to choose. Many restaurants are located within walking distance of the USC campus.

The Columbia Visitors Bureau has a searchable website listing hundreds of local restaurants:
http://www.columbiacvb.com/restaurants/

The Free Times weekly newspaper has the Bites and Sights publication listing many restaurant options. It can be found online at http://issuu.com/free_times/docs/bites_winter_2015-16_f751fa73cd4cc1?e=2149876/32122249

Eating on campus

Go to http://www.sc.edu/dining/ to read about the many dining options on campus. There is something for almost every taste.

Supermarkets and International Grocery Stores

Many students want to prepare meals from their home countries. Below are a few local grocery stores that offer international food items:

Entertainment

Columbia has numerous annual festivals and events throughout the year. To learn more about these events, visit the Columbia Visitors Bureau website.

There is also searchable calendar for local events at the CVB website.

The Free Times newspaper has a list of events and activities happening each week.

Free Times also lists music shows around the city.