3 Best Landmarks in Columbia, SC

“The Robert Mills House and Gardens was built in the 1820s in Columbia, South Carolina, and features period rooms and focused galleries highlighting the late 18th through mid-19th centuries. The museum showcases naval aviation and World War II history exhibits, aiming to establish and maintain a museum of national and international significance. Robert Mills House and Gardens features period rooms and focused galleries highlighting the late 18th through mid-19th centuries. The museum seeks to gain national and international recognition while educating individuals of all ages. During World War II, the museum served as one of the 257 air stations that trained specialists in TBM and TBF Avenger aircraft. Robert Mills House and Gardens grounds include a self-sufficient butterfly garden and a Flight 19 memorial. Here, Gardens are free for the public.”

Read more

“Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens offers insight into the lives of enslaved workers and their affluent planter-class owners. The mansion was constructed by a wealthy Columbia merchant named Ainsley Hall and his wife, Sarah, who briefly lived there until Ainsley sold it to Wade Hampton, one of the wealthiest planters in the South, in 1823. Over the next half-century, the estate expanded to become the grandest residence of the Hampton and Preston families, who owned and enslaved numerous individuals. The mansion operates as a historic house museum where visitors learn about the experiences of all the people who lived and worked at the site during its 200-year history. In the century following the Civil War, the mansion and its famous gardens served many different owners, including colleges and a tourist home. The four-acre grounds surrounding the Mansion were designed to signal the extensive wealth and influence of the Hampton and Preston families.”

Read more

“The Mann-Simons Site is an award-winning museum that tells the story of the city's African American community from enslavement to urban renewal through the lens of a single entrepreneurial family. The site consists of a collection of commercial and domestic spaces that were owned and operated by the same African American family from 1843 to 1970. The Mann-Simons House reflects the family's entrepreneurial spirit from the late 1890s through the 1920s. In 2016, Historic Columbia renovated and reopened the Mann-Simons Site, featuring newly installed exhibits, interactive touchscreens, recorded audio, and various visuals that enhance the overall experience for each visitor.”

Read more