05.23.2024

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🐘 Cheers to 50 years

Riverbanks Zoo celebrates its golden anniversary

Take our quiz for a chance to win the golden ticket. | Photo by COLAtoday

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is celebrating its golden anniversary with golden tickets throughout the Midlands, and one lucky COLAtoday reader will be a recipient. What’s the ticket good for? You’ll have to scratch it to find out.

Before we get into the details of how you can win the Golden Ticket, let’s take a quick look at the zoo through the years.

Past

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, one of the most successful mid-sized zoos in the country, attracts over one million visitors each year and is supported by more than 45,000 member households. The idea began in the early 1960s with a group of local businessmen proposing a children’s zoo.

The South Carolina General Assembly established the Rich-Lex Riverbanks Park Special Purpose District in 1969, leading to the zoo’s opening on April 25, 1974.

Zoo Planning.jpeg — Zoo director John Mertans examining plans in 1970. | Photo via Richland Library Digital Archive

Present

Today, Riverbanks continues to innovate. The new Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium & Reptile Conservation Center offers an immersive experience. Guests can explore temperate and tropical forests, trek through the desert, and wind their way from land to sea.

Future

Now the zoo is on to Phase 2 — the Bridge to the Wild project. Phase 1, initiated in 2019, brought infrastructure improvements and the new Boyd Aquarium & Reptile Conservation Center. Phase 2 plans include:

River development and a new restaurant overlooking the Saluda River
A new orangutan exhibit
A new South Carolina nature and history preserve
Aerial trams and new walkways
Habitats for black bears, red wolves, and bald eagles

d4160231-55cc-41dd-9364-5192e214ab2e — Rendering of a new restaurant that would overlook the orangutan exhibit + the Saluda River | Photo provided by Riverbanks Zoo

The golden ticket

Here’s your chance to win by taking our Golden Ticket Giveaway quiz. Answer the three questions below correctly and we’ll choose a random winner for the golden ticket that could include anything from family four-packs of general admission tickets to behind-the-scenes tours + rare opportunities — think: creating enrichment activities for meerkats.

Quiz

Happy the Tiger moved to which former Columbia car wash before moving to Riverbanks Zoo?

A) Big Dan’s
B) Rosewood Car Wash
C) Constan Car Wash
D) Time to Shine Wash

These questions are wild

Events

Thursday, May 23

Women in Philanthropy’s Power of the Purse | Thursday, May 23 | 5:30-9 p.m. | 1208 Washington Pl., Columbia | $65-$75 | The annual event benefits women and children’s causes and features one-of-a-kind auction items, designer handbags, vacation getaways, restaurant packages, and more.
Cat Takeover - Cat Adoption Event | Thursday, May 23 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Modern Companion, 508B Lexington Ave., Chapin | Free | Cats Best Friend Rescue is bringing adoptable cats and kittens to Modern Companion for a day for you to meet.

Friday, May 24

Gentle Morning Yoga on Boyd Plaza | Friday, May 24 | 7-8 a.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., Columbia | Free | The class takes place on Boyd Plaza and can be taken on a mat or sitting in a chair; both will be provided.
Live Music by Paisley Marie | Friday, May 24 | 6-9 p.m. | Gardener’s Outpost, 1211 Franklin St., Columbia | Free | Grab a cold drink from the bar and start the weekend off right.

Saturday, May 25

Lexington County Blowfish vs the Asheboro ZooKeepers | Saturday, May 25 | 7 p.m. | Lexington County Baseball Stadium, Lexington | $9.50 | The Blowfish are a summer collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League.
Brunch Trivia at The Grand | Saturday, May 25 | 12-2 p.m. | The Grand on Main, 1621 Main St., Columbia | Price of purchase | You’re reading COLAtoday, so you’ll be prepared for any local trivia.

Sunday, May 26

Abari Music Festival | Sunday, May 26 | 3-8 p.m. | West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheatre, 109 Alexander Rd., West Columbia | Free | Listen to music from several different genres including, Indian, Celtic, Latin, African, and Jazz.

Calendar events here

Click here to have your event featured.

Community

How military families can enjoy free SCSM admission this summer

A family looking at a 1922 Anderson Touring Car at the South Carolina State Museum.

Blue Star Museum admission includes access to four floors of permanent and changing exhibitions. | Photo provided by the South Carolina State Museum

Have you heard? The South Carolina State Museum is part of the Blue Star Museums initiative — a national program designed to thank military families for their service + give them easier access to America’s cultural treasures.

As part of the initiative, active military and their families can enjoy free general admission to the museum now through Monday, Sept. 2.

Guests can discover:

4,500+ works of art
65,000+ historical objects
~1 million fossils and specimens
And more

Plan your free visit

News Notes

Coming Soon

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream opened its first Midlands shop last month in Forest Acres and is planning for a second. Franchisees Kandi Bubonic + Cody Sheriff announced a new location at 252-M Harbison Blvd., set to open late summer or early fall. (The State)

Development

City and state leaders hope to develop a hotel and parking garage in Five Points, requesting $5 million in total earmarks for the project. If approved, the garage at Blossom Street + Saluda Avenue — the Wells Fargo parking lot — could support further district development. (The State)

Community

Columbia city leaders are focusing on growth with projects like a new hotel at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and neighborhood revitalization at the latest council meeting. They approved the purchase of a home on Randall Avenue, part of a larger initiative to address housing. (WLTX)

Plan Ahead

Fireworks with the SC Philharmonic returns to Segra Park for the fourth annual Orchestral Independence Day Celebration on Thursday, July 4. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., the concert starts at 8 p.m., and fireworks follow the “1812 Overture” at 9:15 p.m.

Drink

Tiki Fiesta returns to City Roots Farm on Saturday, June 15 featuring Mexican and island food, cocktail pairings, and tastings of tequila, mezcal, and rum. VIP tickets are $120, and general admission is $85.

Sports

Which three football programs are comparable to the Gamecocks in 2024? Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Gamecocks’ football team with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Eat

Get ready to order up. We’re dishing out more physician-recommended eats with another round of Doctors’ Orders. Dine with us at Travinia as colorectal surgeon Dr. Thomas Mazza of Lexington Surgery shares his pick of plates from this local slice of Italy.*

Finance

Need a new couch thanks to your dogs? Had an unexpected spring cleaning injury? Said “drinks on me” too loudly in Mr. Friendly’s? These four credit cards offer 0% intro APR for up to 18 months — aka nearly two years of no interest charges for when life piles up.*

Watch

Wondering your chances of winning the lottery? Put away your calculators, because the South Carolina Education Lottery did the math for you. See your odds.*

Health

Wild Health creates you a personalized 50-page report detailing your ideal nutrition, exercise, and recovery plan — all based off your genetics + biometrics. Get 20% off with code WH20.*

Arts

🎻 The gift of performing arts

Vista Guild announces arts donations

William Starrett leads to congo line at Live on Lincoln. | Photo provided by the Congaree Vista Guild

The Congaree Vista Guild announced $12,000 in donations will be made to local performing arts groups from the proceeds of the recent Live on Lincoln event, which served as the finale of the 32nd annual Artista Vista.

“We’re really pleased with the results of this year’s Artista Vista,” said Congaree Guild Executive Director Abby Anderson. “We hit or exceeded many of our goals for the various events and are so grateful for the community’s support.”

Event highlights included:

Over 11 galleries participated in the annual gallery crawl.
150 lanterns were created in 11 lantern-making workshops for the Lights and Lantern Parade.
56 artists and creators joined the first Live Art Mart.
$12,000 was raised for local performing arts groups.

Plan ahead — Artista Vista is scheduled for April 11-13, 2025, featuring a gallery crawl, Art Day, Live Art Mart, a light and lantern parade, and the Live on Lincoln finale.

The Buy

Drunk Girl Art Prints. Celebrate National Wine Day with a new piece of wall art for your bar cart.

The Wrap

David Stringer wearing a dark button-down shirt

Today’s edition by:
David

From the editor

Cola is heating up, and if you’re looking for a spot for the kids to cool off, the splash pad has reopened at Gills Creek Memorial Park. Plan your visit and attend the Forest Acres Farmers Market that happens on Wednesday’s from 2-6 p.m.

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