Planning a Trip

Getting There

I-20 reaches Columbia from the northeast (connecting with I-95 running north and south) and southwest, I-26 from the southeast from Charleston (crossing I-95) and northwest, and I-77 from the north.

If you're flying, the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (tel. 803/822-5000; www.columbiaairport.com) is served by Continental Airlines (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usair.com), Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), and United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com).

For Amtrak service, call tel. 800/USA-RAIL (872-7245) or visit www.amtrak.com.

Greyhound (tel. 800/231-2222; www.greyhound.com) and Southeastern Stages (tel. 404/591-2750; www.southeasternstages.com) run service to the Columbia Greyhound Station, 220 W. Broad St. (tel. 706/549-2255) and the bus station (tel. 803/256-6465) at 2015 Gervais St., respectively.

Visitor Information

The Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau is at 1101 Lincoln St., Columbia, SC 29201 (tel. 800/264-4884 or 803/545-0001; www.columbiacvb.com). Its visitor center is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

An excellent Web resource for information about South Carolina cities, including Columbia and surrounding points of interest, is www.sciway.net. It is the largest and most comprehensive site documenting South Carolina information on the Web. The site includes thousands of links to other South Carolina websites, as well as maps and other resources.

Special Events

One of the country's best state fairs, the South Carolina State Fair, is held annually in early October on the fairgrounds at 1200 Rosewood Dr. (tel. 888/444-3247 or 803/799-3387; www.scstatefair.org), with shows, a carnival, food stalls, and entertainment, along with crafts, agricultural, and livestock exhibits.