The South Carolina State Museum
With our children glued to television sets, computer screens and video game controllers, it can be a chore to convince our little ones to make education and learning a priority. The key is to make education fun, interesting and relatable. Luckily, the State Museum has done all the hard work for you – you just have to get the kids there!
The State Museum is located in the historic Columbia Mill textile building, overlooking the Columbia Canal. Opened in 1988, the museum already houses over 70,000 artifacts. The building is rich in history itself, having been the first totally-electric textile mill in the world when it began producing cloth in 1894. The building is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Composed of four floors, the museum has permanent and changing exhibits. The permanent exhibits encompasses art, natural history including dinosaurs and South Carolina natural habitats, science and technology and cultural history such as the development of trains in South Carolina and African-American history.
Currently, the changing exhibits in the museum are Tutankhamun: Return of the King, Between the Springmaid Sheets, The Civil War in South Carolina and A Woman’s Light: Making History in South Carolina.
The museum hosts numerous events throughout the year, such as the Southeastern Toy Soldier Show in August, Tricks and Treats in October and Winter Fest which consists of various activities spanning two weeks in December. Summer camps expanding on the subjects of engineering, art and archaeology are offered to keep children entertained during the long break.
In an effort to bring more history and education to the residents of South Carolina, the museum is undergoing expansion. Construction is being done on a new observatory, planetarium and 4-D theater. The new additions should be completed in 2014.
Located at 301 Gervais Street, Columbia SC, 29201, the museum is open Monday thru Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Sundays, the museum is open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Right now, due to construction, the entrance and parking is at the back of the building. A detailed parking map can be found here: http://www.scmuseum.org/plan_visit/visitorsmap.aspx.
For more information on the museum, please visit: http://www.scmuseum.org/.