By special request, the city that I live in. Here it goes...
Yes this is Fitz & The Tantrums at Tin Roof
O hey Marcus Lattimore, yes I will hang out with you
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Places to stay
Lets be honest, Columbia struggles on the where to stay for VRBO. In fact, I am almost positive there isnt even a house to rent if you are coming in town (someone prove me wrong). So hotels is the way to go! The Inn at USC, Hampton Inn on Gervais Street, Hilton in the vista are just a few of the hotels that I would recommend. If you are a Bed and Breakfast in Columbia, SC please let me know so I can give you some love.
Where we eat
For the best spots 365 days a year I suggest following Cola Town Foodie, they are always eating, drinking, and have their finger on the pulse on the Columbia food scene (@ColaTownFoodie on Instagram/Twitter they are also on Facebook)
I have been waiting my whole Columbia life to give shout out to my favorite places and to give some "constructive criticism" to others. Here we go, buckle your foodie seat belt
Side Note: I don't have pictures of my favorite Columbia spots that are available at this moment... sooooo my suggestion would be to go to my Instagram (Meredith Jaggard) and start there. You will be 100% annoyed (hate on haters) with the amount of food pics but it will give you an idea of what it is like to live in Columbia
- Mr. Friendly's- They are perfection and in the dictionary as so. Never had a bad meal here, never turned down an offer to go. If you want southern cuisine but on a killer level this is your place
- Oak Table- Did someone say Sunday Funday bottomless mimosas? It is a true statement that they will serve until they run out of juice, and I can say proudly that we have tested that limit and enjoyed their bottomless mimosas so much that they ran out of OJ and started serving us Passion Fruit Juice with champs. But the food is great, it is mostly locally sourced, and they are nice peoples. If you are looking for a view with your happy hour cocktails I suggest their bar
- Rosso- My most favorite pizza in Columbia lives here, their Margarita pizza is what I dream of at night (all of their pizzas for that matter). What I don't dream of is their owner. We have had a few run ins where he COULD NOT HAVE BEEN more terrible to me, and there is no question that he will never remember this because I am too low on the social pole for him to remember... but I do. So while I dream of your pizza at night I support that aspect of the restaurant and all of the other food on the menu, but not the owner (same person also owns Bourbon on Main Street, I have yet to go in there because of my feelings towards the owner but I hear the cocktails are killer and so is the food)
- Tazza- Used to be Cafe Caturra and just recently opened under a new name. The cocktails are killer (thank you blackberry mojito) and the food is good. If you want to see everyone you have ever known in your life in one night then I suggest you go here, just make sure you did your hair and are on your A game because you are going to see looooots of folks
- Good Life Cafe- Vegan heaven. Now before you go to the next because you saw the word vegan just give it a chance. The food is delicious!
- Pearlz- A good fun place to get oysters. They are not going to change your life but they are oysters and they aren't too shabby
- Cafe Strudel-Known for their Hang Over Hash browns it is worth going for brunch BUT be ready to wait and have bad service. If you know those two pieces of information before hand then you will enjoy your hash browns with a mimosa and smile
- Andy's Deli/Groucho's- This is a Columbia right of passage. Figure out which sauce you like better and stand your ground when deciding if you want extra sauce or not. Good sandys, not life changing, but Columbia establishments
- Henry's Bar- One of my favorite local hangouts with great peoples and just nothin' but a good time. The food is pretty great too
- Cellar on Greene-Always one of my favorite places to go for wine and food. It is small but relaxed and has great great great local food. Everyone other Saturday they have a GIANT WINE TASTING that will for sure bring you to your knees before noon so check out their Facebook page for details on those fun times
- Terra-good food, good times, never disappointing
- Ramen House-I am on a quest in life to find the best ramen (yes ramen noodles) everywhere we travel. And Ramen House in the vista is pretty damn good. For $9 you can get a bowl full of homemade ramen noodles in a broth that will make you second guess your life and want to be a better person. Get the spicy ramen, and thank me later
- The Gourmet Shop-ahhh one of the best places to sit outside and eat a Charcuterie board while sipping on pink bubbles. Love it here, the food is great, the service is nothing to remember but you get over that once the second bottle is popped
Shameless (but legit) work plug for the Alumni Center
Good Life Cafe tacos
What do do
- Soda City Farmers Market- I will say it for the 10435809845 time, this is my MOST FAVORITE thing to do on a Saturday (9-1) or any weekend for that matter in Columbia. I wake up, get coffee, go by myself and enjoy local vendors from around the state. Located on Main Street this has really taken off as one of Columbia's local treasures. You can eat, taste, sip, and see friends here. I cant tell you how much I support Soda City and all of the vendors there. Trust me, this place is kid friendly, dog friendly, purse friendly, and pretty much just the love of my life
- River Rat Brewery- Down by the stadium, green grass and food trucks, and local beer. Really dont need to say much more
- Craft & Draft- Located on Devine Street, two USC alumms are killing it with something Columbia has needed for YEARS
- River Walk- Take your dog/baby/husband/lover and go for a stroll down by the river
- USC Sports- So you dont know what a Gamecock is... well get on the wagon, go to the athletics site and see what sports are going on that weekend and get tickets. Even though Columbia is not thought of as a college town, it is rockin' with USC/Gamecock love
- Crescent Olive- I know this sounds crazy, but stop by this little place on Devine Street and do their free olive oil tastings. And when I say tasting I mean you get to try about 40 different olive oils PLUS you get to try their flavored balsamic vinegers with ice cream
- Sheraton Rooftop Bar- I hesitate to mention this because it has gone down hill in the past few years BUT the view on from their rooftop bar is pretty great and a fun place to sip
- Kraken Gastropub-Looking for good beers on tap, this is the place. What it is not the place for is good service and the food is hit or miss. But it is in Rosewood, local, and we do go there often
- USC Alumni Center-Even though we are still in the construction phase this will be a not to miss spot in Columbia for decades to come (plus you can say hi to me!)
- World of Beer-Beer on beer on beer and great outdoor space in the vista
- Tin Roof (Music Farm coming soon)-If you are looking for some sort of live music scene in Columbia start here and drink here too
- City Roots-How could I forget this local gem. Take the kids, take yourself, and enjoy farm life in the city. They have events there all the time (harvest dinners are my favorite) so check out their website for details on upcoming events
- Salty Nut-A Columbia establishment that is meant for porch sitting, beer drinking, and forgetting (literally) your worries
- Non(e)such-Located on Devine Street they have pretty much everything amazing that you would want in life.. China, jewlwery, artwork, etc. Love it there and love the peoples
- Drip-A fabulous local coffee shop that has a great atmosphere and real live french press coffee. Love it here
- First Citizens Cafe-Located on Main street it is a twist on the local coffee shop, so dont be fooled by the name. The coffee is locally sourced and it is a great spot to take your laptop and do business, have a meeting, or just meet a friend
- Riverbanks Zoo-one of the best zoos in the country, not be missed (I heart giraffes and they have a whole family of them)
