Touring and Playing in Columbia SC

After leaving Raleigh NC we began our slow trek to Arizona where we will spend winter once again. We originally planned to spend a few nights around the Pinehurst NC area but the place we wanted to stay fell through. As a result we would be traveling just a bit over 200 miles, a long day for us, to our next spot at Barnyard RV Park near Columbia SC.

It was a nice uneventful drive and about 4.5 hours later we pulled into our site. The park is located behind a flea market. We liked the large sites and Sharon loved that it had cable TV.  However our only complaint was the cleanliness. There was trash and about 150 cigarette butts on the ground, so many that it smelled like an ashtray whenever we went outside. For our peace of mind we picked up the trash and most of the cigarette butts the next morning.

Columbia SC was one of the towns on our list to check out for a future settling down place. We found the town to be overall just okay. The town is a bit rough around the edges however the downtown area has a really pleasant entertainment district along main street just beside the state capitol building.

Speaking of the capitol building we did pay a visit to it but were only able to see the outside and the grounds since the building was closed the day we wanted to see it. We did find a nice little pour by the ounce craft beer place on main street to provide  some solace for our disappointment.

We also played a few disc golf courses in the area. The first one we played must have been set up by a contortionist as the holes were nearly impossible to navigate. Fortunately the other one we played was better but had lots of up and down elevation making it quite the workout for us.

Columbia is also home to the University of South Carolina. While the campus definitely has that southern charm, like the city of Columbia, it too looks a bit worn. Their mascot is the Gamecock and we found a statue of in front of the football stadium, of which we also visited.

We might not choose Columbia SC as a place to settle, but we must mention that we met some of the friendliest people there!