Have you ever looked at a local spot and thought, “This place deserves to be commemorated?” Our city is full of legendary locations – many of which are indicated by historical markers. Historical markers reveal significant places, streets, neighborhoods, buildings, businesses, and cultural events from the past or present. Think: The Big Apple, USC’s Historic Horseshoe, or the South Carolina State House.
But not all significant areas get the attention they deserve.
What about the Hootie & the Blowfish Monument in Five Points that pays homage to USC’s own pop rock band formed in the 1980s when guitarist Mark Bryan met singer-songwriter Darius Rucker?
What about the iconic State Fair Rocket where moms have been meeting their kids when they’ve wandered off since 1969?
We want to put these places on the map — literally.
We’re putting your unofficial historical locations on the map. | Map via Proxi
Rules + details
Submit your historic place for a chance to be featured nationwide on our historical marker map. Our favorite submissions will then be featured in our newsletter, where we’ll put it to a vote. Who knows? Maybe it will receive an official historical marker.
Submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Finalists will be selected by our team and announced in our newsletter. These finalists will then go head-to-head in a vote for our readers’ favorite. The winner will be announced later in December. No promises that it will get an actual historical marker, but it will be one in our hearts.
Want to know more about official historical markers around town? Check out Historic Columbia’s offerings + local information.
Historic Columbia’s Holiday House Tours | Times vary | Robert Mills House | Free | Tour guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th century.
Student Night at The CMA | 4:30-7:30 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art | Free | Enjoy the collection and current exhibition French Moderns, plus art activities, scavenger hunts, and the chance to win some CMA swag.
Philosophy of Five Points | 5:30-9 p.m. | Five Points | Free | Visit 10 unique Cola Love activations nestled within Five Points shops, where art, philosophy, and local culture merge in surprising and delightful ways.
Mission Lexington Oyster Roast for a Reason 2024 | 6-9 p.m. | Icehouse Amphitheater, Lexington | $50 | Get ready to shuck some oysters and raise money for a great cause at Mission Lexington’s Oyster Roast for a Reason.
Saturday, Nov. 16
Goat yoga | 10 a.m. | Steel Hands Brewing, Cayce | $30 | Enjoy a one-hour yoga class, snuggles with goats, and one free pint of Steel Hands beer of choice.
Sunday, Nov. 17
Free Sundays at the Museum of the Reconstruction Era | 1 p.m. | Woodrow Wilson Family Home | Free | The third Sunday of the month, residents of Richland and Lexington counties are invited to tour of one of Historic Columbia’s house museums.
Presented By Central Carolina Community Foundation
Thinking about your year-end giving? Let Central Carolina Community Foundation guide you through the process. |Photo provided by Central Carolina Community Foundation
Pine Island — SC’s newest + smallest state park — will delay its fall opening due to damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The Post and Courier shares updates on amenities (like the clubhouse) but an opening date and admission prices have not been set.
Open
Two local businesses — Blossom Shop + EQ Fitness & Physical Therapy — hosted grand reopenings last week on Gervais Street. Both the fitness studio and flower shop occupy parts of 1815 Gervais St., just down the street from Knowledge Perk Coffee Company. (The State)
Number
$35 million — that’s the amount USC’s College of Education received in grant money from the US Department of Education to improve college + career readiness in SC students. USC is one of 18 schools that received funding and the grant amount is among one of the largest awarded in university history.
Ranked
No. 21 — that’s the ranking of the Gamecock football team in the College Football Playoff rankings, based on games played through Saturday, Nov. 9. USC will face Missouri this weekend in front of a sold-out Williams-Brice.
Seasonal
Get ready for the Making Spirits Bright Holiday Pop-Up Experience at Williams-Brice Stadium, taking place over five nights across two weekends in the Traditions Club from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Guests can expect light shows, holiday decorations, additional activities for kids, a full bar, heavy hors d’ouevres, and more. Tickets are $10.
Sports
Is Bryce Young making a case to be the Carolina Panthers’ starting QB beyond the final games of 2024? Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Carolina Pantherswith Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Heading to Greenville for the holidays or a business trip? Consider Endeavor your office away from home. Conveniently located downtown, their bright + spacious coworking venue is perfect for boosting productivity, whether you’re between meetings or working a full day. Psst… Walk-ins are welcome.*
Next steps for the project include finalizing the competitive bid for the construction of the new center. | Photo provided by Ashley Hunter
City leaders and representatives of the Boyd Foundation gathered this week to announce that the Boyd Foundation donated $2.1 million to the City of Cayce to help the city complete a state-of-the-art visitor’s center building at the 12,000 Year History Park, located at 1120 Fort Congaree Trl.
The park is an archaeological site in Cayce that has seen many inhabitants over the last 120 centuries — including mammoths, Native American tribes, and Revolutionary War soldiers. Explore the park yourself, or take a guided walking tour offered on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year with guides trained by the National Park Service.
Mr. George Bailey — President of the Board for the Boyd Foundation — shared, “This will provide outdoor recreational opportunities; and in this case, it will also be a great tourism attraction and an educational opportunity for children throughout the Midlands area.”
The Buy
The Buy
Thanksgiving Day is two weeks away. Shop essentials to liven up gatherings + make dinner a success:
In case you missed it and you’re a fan of music festivals — High Water Festival unveiled its 2025 lineup. The annual music festival at North Charleston’s Riverfront Park will return on Saturday, April 26 + Sunday, April 27. Our friends at CHStoday have all the details.
