The planetarium is awesome! Plenty of great seats. The 4D theatre is an EXCELLENT feature. Helpful staff, and our children are excited about LEARNING while having fun with activities, shows, and games....and snacks on select evenings.
The SC State Museum now has a state of the art planetarium, observatory and 4 D theater. They are all awesome! The planetarium has different shows at different times. I saw the Earth, Moon and Sun show. Great educational, fun experience. I am returning to see the show on Galileo. I highly recommend this attraction!
The SC State Museum is a wonderful place to visit and it's educational for ALL. It's a place for ALL ages. I took our children when they were in grade school. We have gone several times during their teen and adult yrs. Now that they have children, they take advantage of the resources. During the recent Christmas season, my daughter, my 5yr old grandson, and I had a Blast! We watched Polar Express and we went to the Planetarium. A few days later we called two of our neighbors and invited them to go with us AGAIN! It was their first time and they were very appreciative for the invite. We have made plans for a return trip in the near future. There is always something interesting there to see and experience.I would strongly suggest giving family and friends/neighbors museum annual passes as birthday, Christmas or "just because" gifts. I am truly thankful we have such a wonderful and resourceful place here in my city. It's available, it's in close proximity to where I live, AND IT VERY AFFORDABLE. GO, LEARN, AND BE AMAZED! Earline S.
This large museum was built inside part of an old cotton mill. There is so much to see, it is difficult to say where to begin. So, we began on the first floor and worked our way to the fourth floor. There were supposed to be two aircraft at the museum, but no one seemed to know anything about them. Actually, there was one, a 1929 Clemson plane. The rumored B-25 is a model about 4 feet long.It is difficult to speak of the exhibits, there are so many wonderful things to see. But do make certain to go into the observatory where, on clear days, they are using the smaller telescope to view the sun. (The larger telescope does not have adequate filters for the sun). If you like cars, there are cars, even a full-size gas station from the early 20th century. Old, early televisions? Those, too. How about animals that roamed South Carolina thousands of years ago? What about trains? There both is a full-scale model of the state's first train and several model train layouts that can be operated by pushing buttons.A full-scale cut-away exhibit of the Confederate submarine, the Hunley, demonstrates how it was powered. Standing on a special plate allows the "man" at the controls to turn the propeller.Adults, in particular, will like this museum, though there is plenty for children to see. Not only that, but adjacent to the SCSM is a large children's museum, but we did not visit it.If you intend also to visit the state's Military History Museum, be aware there is an additional charge for it.As an aside, this past weekend we visited the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. It in no way compares favorably with the SCSM, but it is free.
For 2015 and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Relic Room has a wonderful display. The creators and curators challenge visitors to think about the ethics of Sherman's march through the South Carolina. The normal exhibit is very nice as well, with displays about prominent South Carolinians.
South Carolina State Museum is an excellent place to take your family to look and learn about South Carolina. There are permanent exhibits on 4 floors and also has changing exhibits that highlight specific things from King Tut, Dinosaurs and Norman Rockwell. The gift shop -Cotton Mill Exchange is wonderful and it has much to pick from. If you are visiting Columbia do make this one of your places to visit.
This was my fiancé's and I 1st time visiting the State Mueseum. It was a learning experience. So many hands on things to do and learn about the history of SC. Nice art sculptures and things you couldnt image being there. Loved it and will return again.
not much for kids. i was there for a luncheon and my husband went around with the 3 kids. It is a big place and I loved that they had LARGE elevators. Did not go into the IMAX part so I am sure that may have been better for the kids, but walking around was not much for them. We had a good experience but once you have been there, no reason to go back really.
The state museum is a must on your to do list. The museum has four floors of fun and history for all ages. I have been there several times and still have not seen it all.
Fun, interesting and lots to learn. We went on a 1st Sunday and it was a real bargain. $1 admission and a few $ more to see 3 of the other attractions in the museum. Four floors packed full of exhibits. It was a great rainy day activity or any day for that matter. Recommend highly for any age.