Casa Lago

• Sleeps 16+, 6 bedrooms, 11 beds, 6 baths
• ~$810/night
• Slide into summer with this recently remodeled lake house and bring your friends along.

Family Ties Lakeside Retreat

• 16+ guests, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths
• ~$710/night
• This luxurious lake house has big lake views and is ideal for group retreats.

Lakefront home with private dock

• 10 guests, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• ~355/night
• Four kayaks and a paddle boat are provided with this lake front rental.

Lake Murray Paradise

• 5 guests, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath
• ~$255/night
• Located on ~one acre on Lake Murray near the dam, be sure to ask about a boat tour.

Cottage on the lake

• 4 guests, 1 bedroom, 1 bath
• ~150/night
• New, stylish cottage on Lake Murray, offering serenity in the quiet cove near Buffalo Creek with private dock access.

• Chessa Rich at Central Energy | Monday, Jan. 22 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Central Energy, 2030 Gregg St., Columbia | $18 | Chessa Rich is a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Durham, NC.
• Audition for Something Rotten | Monday, Jan. 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St., Columbia | Free | Prepare 16-32 bars of a musical theatre song you love to sing and an accompanist will be provided for those who bring sheet music.

• USC Men’s Basketball vs. Kentucky Wildcats Men’s Basketball | Tuesday, Jan. 23 | 7 p.m. | Colonial Life Arena, 801 Lincoln St., Columbia | $30-$65 | The Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Wildcats.

• South Carolina Green Industry Association Conference & Trade Show | Wednesday, Jan. 24-Thursday, Jan. 25 | Times vary | Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St., Columbia | $25+ | The South Carolina Green Industry Association will bring together over 100 exhibitors and 17 industry speakers.

• Exploring the Quilts of Peggie Hartwell Opening reception and artist talk | Thursday, Jan. 25 | 5:30-7 p.m. | 2nd floor, McKissick Museum, 816 Bull St., Columbia | Free | Hartwell will discuss her work and her experiences teaching children to make story quilts.

• Moon Over Buffalo at Town Theatre | Friday, Jan. 26-Saturday, Jan. 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St., Columbia | $15-$25 | It’s 1953 in Buffalo where actors, George and Charlotte Hay, are fading faster than a New York minute.

• NBA Hall of Famer and DJ Shaquille O’Neal, aka Diesel, will headline Columbia’s Hidden City Music Festival this spring. Set for Saturday, March 30 at the Historic Columbia Speedway, the EDM festival features a blend of electronic dance music and local talents.

• The Black History Ball, on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Columbia Museum of Art, will spotlight “living history” this year. Featuring Civil Rights figure Rev. Benjamin Chavis Jr. and hip-hop elements, the event celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and supports the Gullah Roots Foundation’s scholarships. (The Post and Courier)

• The Cayce Historical Museum debuts its “African American Legends of Cayce Exhibit” on Thursday, Feb. 8. This first-ever permanent exhibit celebrates local African American achievers, featuring contributions from Cayce families. The opening event includes refreshments and speakers sharing the museum’s historical narrative.

• Dr. Bill Jones will return as the president of Columbia International University (CIU), effective Thursday, Feb. 1. A former CIU chancellor and president (2007-2017), Jones is known for his strategic vision, including launching CIU’s first online degree program and the Kepha Institute. (Cola Daily)

• Dr. Germon Moriniere-Bey, a trailblazer in Afrikan Martial Sciences, is set to receive the Diamond Lifetime Achievement Trophy in Atlantic City. At 70, she has amassed over 4,900 trophies, six world titles, 10 Hall of Fame honors, and was honored in 2023 by the SC State House of Representatives.

• Over 450 Eastover residents can access free energy-saving services through Dominion Energy’s Neighborhood Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP.) Launched recently, NEEP offers home assessments and energy-efficient products to income-qualified households.

• Looking to upgrade apartment living? Take a photo tour of these two stunning (and unique) apartment units in historic Gadsden Place in the heart of Columbia’s Vista District. Bonus: They’re move-in ready and pet friendly.*

• 1,284. That’s how many toasters Kenneth Huggins has in the world’s largest collection which he stores in his home and a special-built storage house. Soda Citizens hold several world records in the Guinness Book of World Records, including the greatest distance catching a grape in the mouth.
• Charles F. Bolden — former astronaut and 12th Administrator of NASA — graduated from C. A. Johnson High School in 1964. Charles spent four missions in orbit on the space shuttle, and orbited the Earth 444 times, logging over 680 hours in space.