A Traveler's Guide to Columbia

Columbia is a city that is located in the center of the US state of South Carolina. It is the state capital as well as the largest city in the state. The city gets its name from Christopher Columbus. English is the primary language of Columbia. Recently it was voted as one of the top twenty five "Most Affordable Places to Retire" in America.

Columbia was incorporated in 1854 and soon thereafter it was connected to the city of Charleston by the Santee Canal. This opened greater possibilities for travel and trade between these two cities. The railroads eventually made the canal irrelevant but by that time the city had grown considerably. In 1801 South Carolina College was founded. That college is now the University of South Carolina. The city struggled through the civil rights years and recently it has undergone a dramatic revitalization project that has made the city more attractive to businesses and residents alike.

The city of Columbia has a humid subtropical climate, which means hot humid summers and mild winters. Summer temperatures can climb into the 90's Fahrenheit but winter temperatures rarely dip below freezing. Snowfall is rare but does occur from time to time. The region receives most of its rainfall during the months of June through August.

The University of South Carolina competes in over 25 men's and women's sports in the NCAA Division 1 Southeastern Conference. The school's mascot is the fighting Gamecocks. Weekends during the fall are quite exciting in town when the Gamecock's football team is playing.

There are several outdoor parks and recreation venues in Columbia. One of the most popular with visitors is the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. The zoo is home to hundreds of species of imported and indigenous animals. The Congaree National Park is a preserved forest known for it's huge pine trees and giant hardwood trees.

The Columbia area is serviced by the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which mainly offers connecting service to local airports such as Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta. Airlines that service Columbia Metropolitan include US Airways, Continental, Delta, United, and American Eagle.

Please contact one of our customer service agents to book your flight to Columbia. We offer cheap flight tickets to Columbia as well as last minute flight tickets to Columbia. Our company, EROS Travel Incorporated, is a travel agency that has been in business for 28 years and is based in Los Angeles, California. We are an internet search engine that provides cheap flight tickets, and we specialize in finding deals on last minute travel.