Load up the car, it’s time to explore the Columbia SC public art. Whether it's rain or shine, we've got the art and culture around town. We’ve crafted a few public art tours of Columbia SC, so whether it's rain or shine, you can enjoy our local art scene. Learn more about each piece along the tour with the help of One Columbia’s Public Art Map.
Sculpture Seeker
What better place to start your sculpture hunt than with the Dawn Staley, the USC women's basketball coach. Located on Senate street in The Vista, the statue is a honorary monument purposed to encourage young female athletes to push for equality. After taking your selfies with Dawn, turn around to see the I Love You statue, a 4 foot tall sculpture forming the American Sign Language hand symbol for I Love You.
Follow Assembly Street down to Boyd Plaza. Just outside the Columbia Museum of Art peep a collection of statues including Apollo's Cascade.
Just across the street look up and you’ll find Never Bust, a chain connecting two historic buildings.
From there we’re headed to Five Points, where you’ll find the Hootie and the Blowfish Memorial, commemorating the band that started here at the University of South Carolina. Also in Five Points, take a peep at the Hubble, a 15,000-pound brick wheel.
Color Collector
Columbia SC has just what you need to brighten up your day: murals! Let’s start across the river in Cayce with a colorful mural featuring various lizards at Paint the Town. Moving on to West Columbia, the city's newest mural beautifully depicts the city's highlights.
Follow Gervais Street until you get to The Vista where you’ll find Lady Vista waiting to greet you. Nearby in the Main Street District, check out Milagros and Tokamak. Continue over to South Main Street where you’ll find Bear Ears/Solar Eclipse Mural and the imaginative Aaron Graves Tribute Mural on the sides of locally owned restaurants.
You can’t miss the Five Points Postcard Mural, featuring Columbia SC icons.
If you’ve got the time, drive out to Candi Lane, along the Saluda River see Saluda in Bloom, a bright piece encouraging visitors to care for our rivers. You’ll find plenty more murals as you take a drive up North Main. Grow Together and Growing Together are a colorful and playful pair of murals you’ll find up this way.
History Buff
Get in a history lesson with your driving art tour. For this drive, we’re hitting up the Vista and Five Points. Previously listed as Columbia SC's most iconic landmark by COLAToday, drive by Adluh. This milling company has been a staple in town since 1900 and it towers over the Vista, defining the Columbia SC skyline.
Next head to the Generations mural on Park Street. This piece consists of four murals that tell the story of Columbia SC’s growth. From there, take your drive down to Home Team BBQ in Five Points. Along the side of this building, you’ll find a piece called Five Points in 1948. Though the mural was painted in 1990, the image shows what Columbia’s original village neighborhood looked like in 1948.