Holiday Happenings

Where:  500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia
When: Starts Saturday until Dec. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are admitted free.
Info: Head over to Riverbanks Zoo for an evening of animated images and Music in Motion lights show. Guests can also stop by Santa's Village to see Santa Claus at every Lights Before Christmas event until Dec. 23. All Riverbanks members are eligible to receive one free visit when they show their membership card and picture ID at the gate. Guest passes are not accepted. Guests are encouraged to buy their tickets online in advance. The cost of admission will increase $2 for any tickets purchased at the gate after 5:00pm.

 

Holiday House Tours at the Historic Columbia Foundation

Where:  Downtown Columbia
When:  Now until Dec. 31; Tues. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Last tour begins at 3 p.m.); Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. (Last tour begins at 4 p.m.); Closed on Mondays, Christmas and New Years
Cost: General admission rates per house are: $6 for adults; $5 for AAA adults over 65, college students with ID and active military personnel; $3 for youth ages 6-17; $2.59 for AAA youth; ages 5 and under are free.Tickets can be purchased at the Robert Mills Museum Shop,1616 Blanding Street, Columbia. 

Info: If you're looking for something different to do this holiday season, take a guided tour of the historic houses in Columbia provided by the Historic Columbia Foundation. The Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion, and Mann-Simons Cottage are all decorated for the season. Guides will provide stories of past holidays in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the foundation's web site.

 

Sleigh Bell Trot

Where:  Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Road
When:  Check-in: 5 to 6:50 p.m. Tuesday; Trot starts at 7 p.m. (Rain date is Dec. 3; call 803-772-3369 to confirm should it rain on Tuesday)
Cost:  $30 per person
Info: Parking for the event will be at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church located next to Saluda Shoals Park. If you're participating in the event, a bus will be provided to take you back and forth from Saluda Shoals Park. Buses run until 6:45 p.m. and resume immediately after the race. The event is sponsored by BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina. There also is a Sleigh Bell Stroll tonight at 7 p.m. (check-in is at 5 p.m.) The stroll is $5 per person, with children 6 and under entering for free. For more information call 803-772-3336 or visit the Irmo Chapin Recreation Center website.

 

 

Holiday Lights on the River

Where:  Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Road
When:  Starts Wednesday through Dec. 31, 6 to 10 p.m.
Cost:  Cars: $10; 15-passenger vans: $20; Buses: $35
Info: Looking for another awesome lights show? Well, head over to Saluda Shoals Park to see more than 400 themed, animated light displays. The show is along two miles circling the park. You can enjoy the "Dazzling Dancing Forest" where there are lighted dancing trees that are synchronized to holiday music or you can walk along the boardwalk through the "Wetland Wonderland Walking Trail" to watch "nature come alive in lights." The fee for the trail is $1 per person, which includes a hayride to the boardwalk. Check out the Irmo Chapin Recereation Center for more events.