Aw, shucks

Where to find oysters in Columbia, SC

The Oyster Bar | Photo by @morihiko_naka

It’s officially oyster season in the Soda City and we’re here to shell out some tasty pearls of wisdom.

Luckily for us, Columbia is filled with some pretty tasty oysters. Here are four restaurants that are known for their oyster dishes.

🦪 The Oyster Bar Columbia, 1123 Park St. | Known as the “Pearl of the Vista,” this shucking bar and restaurant receives some of the freshest oysters weekly (and has for over 22 years.) Oh, and if you’re not eating your oysters with Mother Shucker’s homemade cocktail sauce, then what the shell are you doing?

🦪 Pearlz Oyster Bar, 936 Gervais St. | Slurp down raw or steamed oysters on the half shell, oyster sliders, fried oysters, oyster shooters + more.

🦪 Smoked, 1643 Main St. | Get chargrilled or raw oysters (on the half shell, dozen, or half dozen), or see its seasonal oyster bar offerings here.

🦪 Twisted Spur Brewing, 705 Gervais St., A | For $14, you can grub on five char grilled oysters made with butter, fresh garlic, lemon, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Psst — we recommend heading here on $1 oyster nights.

Not everyone in the group is a seafood lover — no worries. Here are five more restaurants that have oysters on the menu but serve other upscale food dishes.

Black Rooster, 201 Meeting St., West Columbia | Black Rooster offers Oysters On the Half Shell on its small plate menu and is served with seasonal mignonette.
Blue Marlin Columbia, 1200 Lincoln St. | We recommend ordering the Crispy Gulf Oysters — Apalachicola oysters served with french fries and tortilla slaw.
Cola’s, 1215 Assembly St. | Start with the Oysters Rockefeller made with oysters, cream, spinach, pernod, and parmesan.
Terra, 100 State St., West Columbia | Terra is currently offering Fried Gulf Oysters with comeback sauce + cocktail sauce.
Hall’s Chophouse, 1221 Main St | Order oysters on the half shell, dozen, or half dozen or start with the Halls Seafood Tower made with oysters, shrimp, and lobster tail.

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Tuesday, November 1

City Council Meeting | Tue., Nov. 1 | 4 p.m. | Council Chambers 1737 Main Street, Council Chambers 1737 Main Street, Columbia | Free | Have your voice heard and keep up with the happenings in your city.
Focal Points Tour: Calling All Saints | Tue., Nov. 1 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St, Columbia | Free with admission | In honor of All Saints’ Day, take a tour through European Splendors to examine these pious personas and what they represent with docent Ann Holtschlag.
Renovation Rodeo — Governor’s Hill | Tue., Nov. 1 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Flock and Rally, 1817 Gadsden Street, Columbia | Free | Gain an understanding of the renovation process and insights from those involved in this stunning transformation while also learning about the history of the building and its uses through the years.
Ribbon Cutting: The Honey Baked Ham Company | Tue., Nov. 1, Sat., Nov. 5 | 10 a.m. | The HoneyBaked Ham Company, 7451 Two Notch Road, Columbia | Free | Attend the ribbon cutting celebration at The Honey Baked Ham Company on Two Notch Road.

Wednesday, November 2

Bingo Night | Wed., Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | Molto Vino, 2822 Devine St, Columbia | Free | Enjoy six rounds of bingo and several chances to win gift cards up to $100.
Florida Man | Wed., Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St, West Columbia | Charleston-based hardcore band Florida Man bring their brand of cathartic noise punk and energetic live show to New Brookland Tavern.

Thursday, November 3

The Contemporaries present Public Art Walk | Thu., Nov. 3 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St, Columbia | $15+ | Meet CMA affinity group the Contemporaries on Boyd Plaza for a walking tour guided by the talented public art docents of One Columbia exploring the public art around the Main Street District.

Friday, November 4

The NoMa Flea | Fri., Nov. 4 | 6-9 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St, Columbia | Free | The Friday market features vintage curators, candle makers, fine artists, herbal healers, fashion designers, local jewelers, and expert collectors with beverages + foods available.

Friday, November 18

Aquarium Aglow at the South Carolina Aquarium | Fri., Nov. 18 - Sat., Dec. 31 | 5:30-9:30 p.m. | South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Whrf, Charleston | $26.95 - $29.95 | The wonder of the season comes alive at Aquarium Aglow, elegant evenings of holiday celebration in the heart of downtown Charleston.*

We have a monthly 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.

100+ MORE EVENTS

It’s gala time, COLA 🎉

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

Complimentary valet parking will be available on Hampton Street at Boyd Plaza. | Photo provided by the Columbia Museum of Art

The Columbia Museum of Art’s collection is a lot like our city — eclectic, vibrant, and worth celebrating. On Sat., December 3, Soda Citizens will have the opportunity to do just that at the CMA’s annual Gala.

Here’s what to look forward to:

Cocktails + dancing
Creative black-tie attire
Mingling with fellow art lovers and museum staff

This is the CMA’s largest fundraiser of the year. Tickets are $175 ($150 for members) and proceeds will support the museum’s award-winning arts education + community enrichment programs. 🎨 *

SERVE LOOKS, COCKTAILS + COMMUNITY

Weather

76º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain ⛅️

Announced

For King + Country — a Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning group — is coming to Colonial Life Arena during their upcoming tour “What Are We Waiting For? The Tour Part II” on Sat., April 8. Preorder tickets go on sale Nov.1-3 with general public tickets on sale Fri., Nov. 4. 🎟

Sports

The Gamecocks will travel to the Sunshine State on Sat., Nov. 12 to play against the Florida Gators in the Swamp. The kick-off time is set at 4 p.m. + can be viewed on the SEC Network. 🏈 (Gamecocks Online)

Number

2.5. That’s the magnitude of Cola’s latest earthquake that shook the Midlands over the weekend. Since January, there have been ~100 earthquakes in SC, which usually sees ~10 earthquakes a year. 📈 (The State)
$20,000. That’s the amount First Citizens Bank + First Citizens Wealth Management donated to SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. The funds will be used to support students, fund professional development, and bring guest artists to the school for master classes. 💰

Edu

Satchel Ford Elementary School raised $598.45 for Transitions Homeless Center via a lemonade stand. A 3rd-grade class was inspired by a book read to them about a family who raised money for a local animal shelter. Read more here. 🍋 (Cola Daily)
Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School competed in a first-time Chopped-style competition hosted by Lexington County School District 3. Four teams, each made up of three students, were given 45 min. to create a dish using three mystery ingredients. See how it ended here. (Lexington Chronicle)

Community

It’s that time again. First Sunday is happening this weekend (Nov. 6) at the SC State Museum. General admission is $1 for all guests. Enjoy 4-D movies + planetarium shows for $5 each.

Read

Richland Library Friends and Foundation is hosting an annual fall book sale this Fri., Nov. 4-Sat., Nov. 5. Head to the Richland Library Operations Center (130 Lancewood Rd.) to browse 30,000 gently-used items like books, CDs, and DVDs. Prices start at $1. 📚

Health

Eat too much Halloween candy last night? This cordless water flosser can help clean up those pearly whites. It is more effective than traditional dental floss and includes two flossing tips and two pressure settings. Bonus: This battery operated + cordless flosser is travel-friendly. 🦷 *

Wellness

Interested in providing flu shots + vaccinations for your employees? Hawthorne Pharmacy offers on-site vaccines at any of its eight locations in the Midlands — and will also partner local businesses to set up a worksite clinic. Learn more.*

Eat

The days are getting shorter, but that doesn’t mean your mealtimes have to. Hampton Street Vineyard is extending its hours: Soda Citizen’s can now enjoy lunch or dinner any day of the week as well as brunch, lunch + dinner every weekend. 🍽️ *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Oyster happenings 🦪

Oyster events happening in Columbia, SC.

Grab a seat at the oyster bar to watch the shuckers do their thing | Photo via Smoked

Since oysters are a topic of discussion this morning, we did a little digging to see when you and your family could attend the next oyster roast or festival around town.

Plan ahead to attend these three oyster events with family members who may be in town around the holidays.

The South Carolina Oyster Festival | Sun., Nov. 27 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Hampton-Preston Mansion, 1615 Blanding St. | $5 | This is Cola’s largest outdoor oyster roast of the year. Enjoy all things oysters — consuming them fried, steamed, in shooters + gumbo.

December Oyster Roast | Thurs., Dec. 15 | 6-9 p.m. | $75+ | Attend this all-you-can-eat oyster roast to celebrate oyster season and pair your oysters with house-made microbrews from Peak Drift Brewing.

10th Annual Pig and Oyster Roast | Sat., Jan. 28 | City Roots Farm, 1005 Airport Blvd. | 12-5 p.m. | $65+ | F2T Productions is cooking whole pigs while Chef Kristian Niemi roasts clusters of SC coastal oysters from Folly River Shellfish.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Sam.

Editor’s pick: Last night, I went trick-or-treating around town with my nieces and nephews for Halloween. It was so fun seeing all the Halloween decor + creative costumes. Check out some other spine-chilling scenes around Columbia yesterday.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Read about a few of Cola’s cryptids, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Lindsey Rhinesmith| Advertise with us.

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