Soda City: A Self-Guided Audio Tour in Columbia – Columbia, South Carolina

EXPERIENCE

Immerse yourself in Columbia s colonial and modern history on this walking tour from the State House to Main Street and back. I ll show you the scars the building sustained from Union troops cannon fire in the 1860s, and the few rare pre-Civil War homes that weren t destroyed in battle. Along the way, you ll have a chance to take in impressive stately gardens, like the one at the Hampton Preston House.

You ll hear about the church that survived the burning of Columbia when General William T. Sherman mistook it for a Catholic rather than an Episcopal church. I ll also show you the First Baptist Church where the Civil War officially began, and tell you how it, too, was spared from destruction when Sherman s troops were led to the wrong place by the city s first black Baptist sexton. But this tour isn t just about churches and the Civil War. You ll see plenty of Soda City s modern history too.

You ll encounter a massive fire hydrant, a large Looney Tunes style art mural, and a gigantic steel chain that links two office buildings on Main Street. You ll also see one of downtown s only movie houses, the Art-Deco style Nickelodeon Theatre, and the Richland Library which has become an open canvas for local artists.

HIGHLIGHTS

Unearth the history and contemporary street art of South Carolina’s Capital
Hear from producer Phil Biedron, an actor and tour guide
Do it all in 90 minutes or linger at stops along the way with complete control
Get unlimited use of the tour before your booking date and after it
Use the virtual tour option at home

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