I love visiting Columbia, South Carolina.
Although it’s the state capital, I feel like Columbia, South Carolina, doesn’t get the same attention as Charleston or Hilton Head Island. After a couple of visits, though, something about the city keeps calling me back.
Columbia has all the attractions you’d expect from a midsize city, from a great zoo to plenty of restaurants and parks. The zoo’s koalas and giraffes, in particular, really captured my attention.
What sticks with me most, though, are the people I met. Strangers complimented my outfits on the street, I saw people helping older pedestrians across crosswalks, and restaurant servers seemed genuinely happy to help.
I’ve been to plenty of Southern cities known for their hospitality, but in my eyes, Columbia takes the cake.
