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SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM: Experience South Carolina in all its beauty and diversity. This state museum is a refreshing combination of four floors of exhibits, many of them hands-on, focusing on the arts, history and technology. Climb aboard the “Best Friend of Charleston” train. Stroll along a boardwalk at the beach diorama. Thrill to the accomplishments of S.C. astronauts. Learn how a South Carolinian invented the laser. The museum itself is located inside its largest artifact, the world’s first totally electric textile mill, which opened in 1894. Families with young children can learn and play together in the Stringer Discovery Center on the first floor or the Science Center on the top floor is ideal for older kids to recreate science experiments. Along the way, there are plenty of mini-movie corners to sit, watch and rest.

Museum goers looking for the unusual can find the little people in permanent exhibit murals on the museum’s three upper floors. All told, there are nine of the little guys—six on the natural history floor, one on the science and technology floor and another two on the cultural history floor. They can be found in all kinds of locations and situations, from a river-bottom swamp to the surface of the moon! They are engaged in a variety of activities as well, from gathering water from a waterfall to taking a nap. Looking for the little gnomes is a good way to engage the whole family to observe everything to find some things small and interesting. www.museum.state.sc.us
Did You Know? More astronauts came from South Carolina than any other state.

CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK preserves the largest remnant of old-growth floodplain forest remaining on the continent! Experience national and state champion trees, towering to record size amidst an astonishing array of plants and animals. Congaree is home to a family-friendly exhibit area within the Visitor Center and a 2.4 mile boardwalk loop trail (crossing 8 feet above the ground). The park also hosts a wide variety of guided walks, canoe tours, talks and presentations (visit the Web site for more information). Other popular activities within the park include canoeing, kayaking, fishing, birding, nature study and more. Before you embark on your adventures, stop by the Visitor Center to pick up a map and brochure, watch the introductory film and get the latest information about conditions in the park.

A little more adventuresome. Like up-close nature? Try Canoe Tours. There’s no better way to see the park than by canoe, and Congaree National Park offers FREE ranger guided canoe tours most Saturdays and Sundays. Or, if you have kids who don’t fidget on long walks, try a guided Tree Trek tour in the afternoon or a weekend evening Owl Prowl.
On the boardwalk trail, your kids will exclaim it looks prehistoric! However, instead of dinosaurs, you will find plenty of squirrel and salamander – we even saw a blue salamander cross our path! www.nps.gov/cong

SOUTHERN PATRIOT ON LAKE MURRAY is a 65 foot double deck cruise boat located on beautiful Lake Murray, South Carolina just a few miles north west of Columbia. The Southern Patriot can carry up to 100 passengers and is suitable for any type of event.

Purple Martin Cruises: A phenomenon you have to see to believe. This 2 ½ hour cruise takes you out to historic Bomb Island, where hundreds of thousands of birds (Purple Martins) circle and roost on the largest Purple Martin sanctuary in North America. As the sun sets, you’ll see maybe a few 100 birds. Then they come and flock in mass of 1000s and start dancing and chirping near dark. During this cruise you will hear narration about the Purple Martins and about the historic significance of how this island was used for bombing practice by Jimmy Doolittle prior to his raid on Tokyo during WWII.
History: Purple martins, America’s largest swallow, gather each summer on a small island in a central South Carolina lake in such numbers that the flock sometimes shows up on the local National Weather Service radar. The sky gets dark and millions of purple martins fill the predawn and evening skies each day, establishing seasonal digs at Lunch (Bomb) Island in the middle of Lake Murray. By day they disperse for many miles to feed, at night they settle onto the island, most likely because there are no predators on the island. Over a period of weeks, their numbers grow dramatically. There are about three-quarters of a million birds and the numbers are still increasing. Note: July and August are the months to see this natural phenomenon, the largest such roosting sanctuary of its kind in North America. By September, the birds head off to South America on their winter migration.
DID YOU KNOW? By day purple martins nest in gourds or man-made compartment birdhouses similar to condos! www.lakemurraytours.com

PAWLEYS FRONT PORCH is a fresh addition to the strip of restaurants in the Five Points area of Columbia (near the University). The burger joint, recently featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”, serves creative burger combinations all named after South Carolina coastal cities or themes. The Fripp Island burger with Southern salsa, boursin cheese (creamed five cheese blend) and a fried green tomato is a must-try. Or how about the Isle of Palms burger with housemade pimento cheese with jalapeno bacon. Mmm…Non-adventuresome kids can just order a plain beef burger, chicken sandwich or chicken tender wrap. Pawleys smokes their own bacon, grind their meat in-house and make their own pickles. This makes the half-pound burgers even better. Oh, and they serve your burger plate with a steak knife dug into the middle of the burger – it’s so thick, you may need to cut it into small bites! Daily Lunch and Dinner. Moderate pricing. www.pawleys5pts.com/

FLIGHT DECK RESTAURANT: While some review sites catagorize this as a Greek Restaurant, we’d call this more themed American. This place is especially great for families with children; the arcade and displays really keep them occupied while waiting for food to be served. Their specials for hearty appetites include Charbroiled Ribeye Steak or Homemade Meatloaf for dinner and the Blue Plate Express. The Express special offers a choice from nine entrees and 16 veggies. Comes with a choice of entree, two veggies, tea, and dessert bar or cookie for under $8.00. Their mac n cheese side is amazingly like grandmas, meatloaf moist and gravy is poured over most every entrée (if you like). Because the theme is airplanes, their menu items are named appropriately: Wing and a Prayer wings, Flight Deck Salad, Bombardier Patty Melt, Tailgunner chicken, or their kids menu (Little Flying Aces) with Torpedos (corn dog) and 5 other basic items under $5. They have a whole menu page devoted to sweets – pies, cheesecakes, cookies, ice cream and milkshakes. Oh, and if you do like Greek food – try their Gyro, Baklava or Greek Salad. Price range: $5-$15. www.flightdeckrestaurant.net

STAYBRIDGE SUITES COLUMBIA, discover the best of Southern charm and hospitality with modern amenities. The newly constructed residential hotel offers spacious suite accommodations with kitchens/utensils and family-friendly features, including indoor pool and daily complimentary hot breakfast for guests. Several weekdays the staff also serve a catered light dinner, too. The downtown hotel location puts you just 1 mile from the University of South Carolina’s main campus and blocks from downtown restaurants and museums. Children always stay free, and sleeper sofa beds in every room are perfect for kids and groups. Rainy days? Try a museum nearby or hang out at the indoor pool. Whatever you do, don’t miss breakfast in the lobby. Great way to start your family touring days around Columbia or over to Lake Murray. www.staycolumbiasc.com/

And finally, the best for last:

EDVENTURE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM in Columbia is the largest museum for kids in the Southeast. Designed for children 12 and younger, this colorful & simply layed out educational facility boasts 450 individual exhibits. Keeping with the “big” theme, Eddie, the world’s largest child, is the centerpiece of the museum. A 40-foottall structure made primarily of molded plastic, Eddie weights 35,000 pounds and is large enough for everybody to climb in, on and through. You can climb his vertebrae to his brain, crawl through his heart, bounce around inside his stomach and slide out his intestines. As a model of learning through immersion, EDDIE® allows children to use their gross motor skills to discover what’s inside their bodies. Flexible parents – you can climb along with your kids, too.
EdVenture is divided into six subgalleries, each with a different theme. While there you can talk to a skeleton, anchor the news, drive a fire truck, build a house, swim in the Great Barrier Reef and explore how people work. One gallery is the World of Work, which offers a look into what really goes into some of the state’s more well-known jobs. Future farmers will enjoy collecting eggs from chickens, milking a cow and driving a tractor through a field while city slickers can learn the skills necessary to manage a grocery store. As expected, they also have a “Backyard” devoted to wee ones, live critters, art or computer stations, and a water table outside for all to share. We loved all of it – especially Eddie! www.edventure.org

Other places of note: SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE and RIVERBANKS ZOO.

Need Travel Tips and Destination Information to plan your next weekend trip with the kids? Try this family travel website.