We have a method to our travels in that we try not to drive more than 3 – 4 hours in a day, and then we like to sit for at least three nights to relax. Columbia was to be a short stop on the way to the coast, but it has been a nice visit. The Palmetto Trail is currently 350 miles (going to eventually be 500) that stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic coast thru South Carolina. It is a great nature walk that we hiked first near the town of Peak which is 30 miles west of Columbia. There we crossed train trestles and tried to count the turtles swimming in the river and walk a trail thru a forest that had a bear sighting not too long ago. We hiked the trail again the next day where it crosses thru downtown Columbia where it runs along the Columbia canal in their Riverfront Park. Nice urban setting where you can relax in a hammock while listening to the Broad river babble down the rocks. Signs here warn to not feed the alligators. We also toured the South Carolina Military Museum – this was a great find that Claudia found looking for FREE things to do here. Two buildings full of exhibits, stories, and memorabilia from the civil war thru every war since. If you are near here, stop and see this.