Support Us Button Widget

Capital City/Lake Murray Country Tourism celebrates successful year

CCLMC highlighted a successful year in tourism, with major events and expansions planned, including the Great Race in 2025.

Ground Breaking.JPG

Local leaders break ground on the new Lake Murray Country Visitor Center in Irmo.

Photo by CCLMC

The Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board (CCLMC) held its annual meeting, highlighting a strong year for tourism and economic development in the region.

2023-24 Successes

  • Bassmaster Elite Series: Hosted at Dreher Island State Park, the event brought over $1 million in direct economic impact through 3,800 room nights and reached 958,000 viewers on Fox Sports.
  • Southeastern BBQ Showdown: This new event attracted chef teams from across the U.S. and Japan, and will be featured on Bally Sports TV.

Looking Ahead

Lake Murray was also recognized as the second-best lake for water sports by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.

More from COLAtoday
Work is underway at the Shepherd Hotel in the Vista, transforming Columbia’s historic fire station into a boutique hotel set to open in 2025.
Columbia plans to modernize parking with higher rates, extended enforcement, and upgraded kiosks.
Nominate your neighborhoods, share your holiday light-seeing traditions, or even brag about your own house if you decorate at level 10. We’re looking for reader recommendations on where the best holiday light displays are in the Midlands.
This spring, Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) will add two new nonstop routes to Florida thanks to one of the largest service expansions in Allegiant Air’s history.
The 17-acre Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary campus on North Main Street is relocating, offering a unique redevelopment opportunity.
Richland County is transitioning to a public-private partnership (P3) model to boost job growth, attract businesses, and mirror successes like Greenville’s Fluor Field revitalization.
Check out winter and holiday-themed events happening in and around Columbia in this seasonal guide.
Following the success of hundreds of submissions in 2024, we are getting a jump on our 2025 contest.
From cottages to treehouses, our area is full of unique places to stay that offer guests a break from traditional motels and hotels.
The Boyd Foundation gifted the City of Cayce $2.1 million for the building of a new visitor’s center outside of the 12,000 Year History Park.