Pay station in level one of the P.J. Cannon Parking Deck | Photo by COLAtoday team
If you live in a city, you’re going to use parking, lots.Eh? Get it?
Ok, we may be bad at parking puns, but we are good at parking in Columbia. Here’s a quick go-to parking guide that will help you avoid tickets within city limits.
🅿️ Metered parking
Different colored meters correspond with different amounts of time allotted for parking.
Red meters, 30 minutes
Silver meters, one-hour
Green meters, two-hours
Blue meters, five-10 hours
Pro Tip: Go ahead and download the Passport Parking app. When you’re running behind, the last thing you need is to reach for a sticky quarter in your cup holder.
🅿️ Garage parking
Click here to see 10+ parking options in Columbia that are operated by the City of Columbia + mostly align with metered rules or have visitor parking on lower levels. If all else fails,check this interactive parking map before you drive to your destination.
🅿️ 5 quick tips
Metered parking is enforced within the city limits Mon.-Sat. from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Aka — you can park for free after 6 p.m. + every Sunday.
Don’t forget about side street parking, especially when you’re trying to find parking in busy districts. If you are trying to park downtown on Main Street or in the Vista, you may find better luck parking on Sumter, Assembly, Lincoln, or Lady Streets rather than Gervais or Main Streets.
If paying with cash, remember to use exact change. Pay stations do not give change + any overpayments will not be refunded.
Nature of Fall with Rudy Mancke | Tues., Sept. 20 | 12-1 p.m. | McKissick Museum on UofSC Horseshow | Free | Join naturalist Rudy Mancke on a quarterly lunch hour talk that will highlight the wonders of the natural world during the cool autumn months. 🍂
City Council Meeting | Tues., Sept. 20 | 4 p.m. | Council Chambers, 1737 Main St. | Visit the website for the meeting’s agenda + register online to share comments.
Wednesday
The Supper Club At Chayz Lounge | Wed., Sept. 21 | 6-9 p.m. | Chayz Lounge, 607 Meeting St. | $20 | Experience a symphony of flavors and artistry, lovingly prepared with flair by Chef Augusta and her talented team. 🎺
Thursday
Garden Asana | Thurs., Sept. 22 | 8:15-9 a.m. | Gardener’s Outpost, 1211 Franklin St. | $15 | Join in on breath-centric in-person yoga. 🧘♀️
Postnatal Yoga | Thurs., Sept. 22 | 9-10 a.m. | Rooted in Wellbeing, 141 S Shandon St., Suite F | $15 | Postnatal Yoga gives moms the opportunity to feel both physically and mentally supported by the community.
Friday
Steel Hands Brewing Oktoberfest | Fri., Sept. 23 | 12-11 p.m. | Steel Hands Brewing, 2350 Foreman St, Cayce | Celebrate Oktoberfest with authentic German music, contests, a menu of Oktoberfest-themed delights + its new Festbier beer on tap. 🍻
Pitchy Woman | Fri., Sept. 23 | 8:30-10 a.m. | femme x COLUMBIA, 1501 Richland St. | Practice your elevator speech, present a new concept you are testing, and get feedback.
Saturday
COLAughs Comedy @ NoMa Warehouse | Sat., Sept. 24 | 8 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St. | $15.50 | Jas Gill from Greenville, headlines COLAughs at NoMa Warehouse and features Melanie Goldey + Shaine Laine. 🎤
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
Cody Johnson — a country artist nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Video of the Year for “’Til You Can’t,” — is coming to Colonial Life Arena on Fri., Jan. 27. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. 🎟
Coming Soon
Knowledge Perk — a coffee company based in Rock Hill — is coming soon to Columbia. The new shop will be located at 1527 Gervais St., and if that address looks familiar, it’s because it’ll be inside of the historic W.B. Smith Whaley House that used to be the Dunbar Funeral Home. Construction has begun but an opening date has not been announced. ☕️ (The State)
Eat
Breakfast at Ruiz, a popular breakfast restaurant located in West Columbia (116 State St.), decided to open in the evenings as a dessert bar last week. The new dessert bar will be open on weekend nights 6-10 p.m., serving cakes, gluten-free desserts, and cocktails.🍰 (The Post and Courier)
Don’t just eat better — eat the best.Sunbasket’smeal kit service delivers delicious, healthy meals created by award-winning chefsstraight to your front door. Bonus: COLAtoday readers can get $100 off their first four deliveriesand more when they sign up.*
Sports
A’ja Wilson — a Gamecock legend, national champion, three-time All-American, three-time SEC player of the year, and gold medalist — is now a WNBA champion too. A’ja and her team, the Las Vegas Aces, defeated the Connecticut Sun 78-71 and won its first WNBA title. Congrats, A’ja! 🎉 (Cola Daily)
Number
$100,000 — the amount Johnson Controls gave Midlands Technical College to provide training for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technicians. Through its new program, students can learn trade skills and the grant will help purchase new equipment for the HVAC program. 💰 (Soda City Biz)
$15,000 — the amount The South Carolina Philharmonic received from South Carolina Arts Commission to support its Link Up Program. The grant will provide a free, year-long curriculum to over 2,000 students in Calhoun, Edgefield, Lee, Newberry, and Saluda counties. The curriculum includes classroom materials and online video + audio resources.
Edu
Richland Library is offering back-to-school educational resources for elementary, middle, and high school students. Students can have access to reading specialists, graphics for reports or presentations, virtual tutors, standardized test preps, and more. 💻
Plan Ahead
The Contemporaries — a CMA affinity group — is bringing back its Beer and Brats on Boyd Plaza event. Plan Ahead to attend this Lowcountry boil with live bluegrass music on Thurs., Sept. 29, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 1515 Main St. Your ticket includes food, one drink, and admission to the museum. 🎶
Shop
Are we the only ones with fall feels?Autumnal decor we’re eyeing: this colorful fall wreath made from 100% dried flowers, these amber glass mugs to warm up your kitchen, and these best-selling pumpkin shaped candles. Bonus: The doormatall football-loving families need to own. 🍁*
Travel
Going on vacation this fall and need to learn a new language fast? With Babbel, you could be speaking a new language in as little as three weeks. Bonus: Get 55% off your subscriptionfor a limited time. 🌎*
Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.
The Soda Cap Connector is a facet of The COMET and connects Soda Citizens to the popular downtown destinations of Columbia through loops — think Main Street, the Vista, Five Points, UofSC, Segra Park, and more. Oh, and you can ride for $1. Yes, $1.
How it works
The connector runs on a continuous loop every 30 minutes from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays + weekends.
Current Routes
Route One begins on Main Street and runs to the Vista, West Columbia, and Cayce. Find the map, infographic, and stop schedule for Route One here.
Route Two is temporarily suspended.
Route Three only runs on Firefly game days and runs from Main Street to Segra Park.
The Orbit — a downtown loop running every 30 minutes on weekdays from 7:15 a.m.–7:36 p.m — runs by Sumter, Blossom, Assembly, and Richland Streets with stops by the State House, UofSC, Prisma Health Baptist + Richland Library. Find the map, infographic, and stop schedule for The Orbit route here.
THE WRAP
Today’s issue was written by Sam.
Editor’s pick: I’ve lived here my whole life and have never paid more than $10 for a daily parking maximum. Speaking from experience, you’d rather pay to park around town than pay a towing company $250 because you were trying to find a free parking spot.
Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Read about the old WECO sign being refurbished, here.
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