Charlotte, NC to Columbia, SC – Monday, July 28, 2024 (Author: J)
Several of the major attractions in Columbia are closed on Mondays. I didn’t anticipate this being a problem because we planned to visit Congaree on our only full day in Columbia. But as I mentioned in Day 5 of the trip report, we scrapped that plan and visited Congaree on Sunday due to predicted rain. So, when we woke up on Monday, the second order of business (after more instant oatmeal) was figuring out what to do with ourselves.
The weather forecast for the day now called for showers instead of downpours, so we decided to risk an outdoor activity. From the Hilton, it was a short drive to the Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park. The park has several miles of walking trails along the river and canal.
The first thing that we noticed about the park was how very Southern it looked — from the vegetation to the historic waterworks buildings. The second thing we noticed was that the humidity was back. Withing minutes of leaving the car, we were sweating. We still managed to enjoy our walk by keeping a slow pace and turning back when P started to get testy.
Our next stop was the University of South Carolina. The University’s McKissick Museum has permanent collections on natural history, culture, and decorative arts. More importantly, it is open on Mondays. When we arrived at the university, we were welcomed by a member of the museum staff who chatted with us about our trip and gave us an overview of the current exhibits. The highlights for us were a display of presidential campaign memorabilia and an exhibit on the logging and furniture making industries in South Carolina and their connection to the founding of Congaree National Park. Seeing the latter just a day after visiting Congaree drove home how miraculous it is that the park still exists in its untouched state. The McKissick Museum isn’t large. We saw what there was to see in under 2 hours. That timing was perfect because we were done by lunchtime.
At the Fireflies game the previous evening, we had received coupons for discounted meal combos as Rebel Dogs, a hotdog place. My first instinct was to pitch the coupons because I assumed they would be useless to us. (If I haven’t yet mentioned it, P and I are vegetarians and D is pescatarian). However, I decided to check the Rebel Dogs menu before throwing out the coupons. I was surprised to see that they had a menu that catered to a variety of different dietary needs from vegan to gluten-free. So, after the museum, we headed to Rebel Dogs with coupons in hand.
D and I ordered pimento chili cheese dog combos with meatless dogs and meatless chili. P had a plain veggie dog. The combos came with a choice of sides and drinks from a drink station that let you mix and match lemonade, sweet tea, and fruit punch. It was a fun, tasty, and reasonably priced meal.
By the time we finished our hotdogs, the forecasted rain had started. We ran back to the car and returned to the hotel to wait out the storm. We didn’t have long to wait. After a lobby reading break (while we waited for housekeeping to freshen our room), we returned to our room and peeked out the window to find clear skies. For P, clear skies meant just one thing: swim time.
After pool time, our thoughts turned once again to food. Monday is a popular day for restaurants in Columbia to close, so our options were somewhat limited. We ultimately decided to visit the Columbia location of Mellow Mushroom, a pizza chain founded in Atlanta. The primary appeal (other than pizza) was that Mellow Mushroom was a short walk from the Hilton on Gervais Street. Gervais Street runs through Congaree Vista, a historic industrial neighborhood that was redeveloped in the 1990s without compromising the area’s historic character. Unlike the sleepy street the Hilton sits on, Gervais Street was jumping. We were still seated at the Mellow Mushroom immediately, though, mostly because not many people eat dinner at barely 5pm.
We enjoyed the Mellow Mushroom. It had comfy seats, a nice drink menu, and pizza that was good enough for my New Jersey tastebuds. (We also had some salad because pizza and hotdogs does not a day of balanced eating make). As we finished our pizza, we debated ordering dessert, but my gut told me we could do better than Mellow Mushroom’s limited menu. I asked Google Maps to find me some ice cream. That’s how I learned we were just a block from a dessert café called Kaminsky’s.
At Kaminsky’s, we were again seated immediately. D and I shared a slice of Hummingbird Cake, a pineapple spice cake with cream cheese frosting. P had cheesecake. Then we waddled back to the Hilton to watch the Olympics before bed. It had been another good day. Unlike some places I have visited, I didn’t fall in love with Columbia at first sight. Once I took the time to explore, though, the city won me over.
Travel Monkeys 