South Carolina State House
South Carolina State House
4.5
Historic SitesArchitectural BuildingsGovernment Buildings
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
A beautiful building with wonderful architectural detail.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • CodyDC
    Washington DC, District of Columbia5,937 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice State Capital building and grounds - nice place for a walk
    While visiting Columbia for first time, my hotel was a few blocks away from the capital, so I had visited or walked by several times during my stay. The Capital was pretty nice architectural design and appearance with slightly different views from north or south side of building. My favorite time for viewing was during the blue hour at dusk with a clear sky. The grounds were also interesting with various statues, memorials, monuments. There is a website that provides detail information regarding each. Since I was visiting during the weekend, the inside was closed, so did not have opportunity for inside tour.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 24, 2023
  • Bruce G
    Moultonborough, New Hampshire16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The grounds are well worth the visit alone
    One of the nicest capital buildings and grounds I have visited around the country. The grounds have the feel of a park that despite the busy city streets that surround it is peaceful and pleasant to tour. There is statues and artwork to view that is part of the state's history. I found it enlightening and very interesting. I spent a lot longer touring the grounds than I thought I would. Because of this I didn't have time to do the tour of the building inside. Well worth a visit and parking on the side street was easy.
    Visited March 2023
    Written July 19, 2023
  • Alice D
    52 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Architecture, Artwork, Politics, Gardens & History In One Stop
    My friends and I visited the State Capital on a sunny, warm Saturday. There is literature inside that gives you a walking self-tour of the grounds as well as the interior when you enter where the sign leads you to complimentary tours. We saw a bit of the outside first, then went in and looked around, then took the tour (which starts with a brief video). Our guide explained the history of Columbia as the state capital and the building. Architectural features and art work surround you as you move inside. The video and guide give you an overview of the way the state is governed as well as some interesting historical facts. After the tour we went back outside and saw more of the grounds as well as where the cannon balls struck the building. Very interesting stop overall. We spent about 2 hours there and took advantage of the restrooms.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written October 8, 2023
  • Mom21042
    Ellicott City, Maryland43 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Easy Day Trip from Greenville
    Visited the state house while we stayed in Greenville. Guided tours offered a few times each weekday and no reservation necessary. There’s a little gift shop in the building and we picked up some souvenirs. Worth the trip especially on a rainy day!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written October 29, 2023
  • Rad D
    439 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    South Carolina Should Be Proud!
    AMAZING! This is an active government facility, so be prepared for a security check. After that, take it slow, look everywhere, pay attention. This is a gorgeous building, built and decorated in an age when things like that were done right and done well. Notice the detail, see things from different angles, sit and watch, lie on the floor (like I talked my wife into doing) and take a photo up into the cupola. Saturday is a great day to go if you don't want to get caught up in the working staff traffic.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written November 21, 2023
  • LovesPhotoOps
    Hoover, Alabama1,074 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful building and grounds
    We passed through the security check and picked up three brochures about the grounds, the building, and the African-American monument on the Sumter Street side. Those were very helpful for not missing any points of interest. There is a gorgeous stained glass window inside the building. The African-American monument is really impressive, with a granite map showing slave routes to Charleston and 12 panels representing different events/periods in black history.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written March 2, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles666 reviews
Excellent
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Very good
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Average
32
Poor
8
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LovesPhotoOps
Hoover, AL1,074 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
We passed through the security check and picked up three brochures about the grounds, the building, and the African-American monument on the Sumter Street side. Those were very helpful for not missing any points of interest. There is a gorgeous stained glass window inside the building. The African-American monument is really impressive, with a granite map showing slave routes to Charleston and 12 panels representing different events/periods in black history.
Written March 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Multis
Sodankyla, Finland261 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Business
A day full of politics and posture. The two-chamber state house is visually intriguing, but as I had a chance to see all the action, it made it all the more enjoyable.
Written February 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rad D
gainesville, fl.439 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
AMAZING! This is an active government facility, so be prepared for a security check. After that, take it slow, look everywhere, pay attention. This is a gorgeous building, built and decorated in an age when things like that were done right and done well. Notice the detail, see things from different angles, sit and watch, lie on the floor (like I talked my wife into doing) and take a photo up into the cupola. Saturday is a great day to go if you don't want to get caught up in the working staff traffic.
Written November 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mom21042
Ellicott City, MD43 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
Visited the state house while we stayed in Greenville. Guided tours offered a few times each weekday and no reservation necessary. There’s a little gift shop in the building and we picked up some souvenirs. Worth the trip especially on a rainy day!
Written October 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rosemarie M
Wilmington, NC52 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Solo
I took a guided tour of the building. The docent was informative about the chambers and architecture of the building. The marble tiled floor was something to see!
Written October 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alice D
52 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
My friends and I visited the State Capital on a sunny, warm Saturday. There is literature inside that gives you a walking self-tour of the grounds as well as the interior when you enter where the sign leads you to complimentary tours. We saw a bit of the outside first, then went in and looked around, then took the tour (which starts with a brief video).
Our guide explained the history of Columbia as the state capital and the building. Architectural features and art work surround you as you move inside. The video and guide give you an overview of the way the state is governed as well as some interesting historical facts. After the tour we went back outside and saw more of the grounds as well as where the cannon balls struck the building.
Very interesting stop overall. We spent about 2 hours there and took advantage of the restrooms.
Written October 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mobopolo
Palmer, AK79 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
We just missed the tour, but walked around the gift shops and the bathroom was the nicest bathroom I've ever been in. Very friendly people here. Thank you.
Written August 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bruce G
Moultonborough, NH16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
One of the nicest capital buildings and grounds I have visited around the country. The grounds have the feel of a park that despite the busy city streets that surround it is peaceful and pleasant to tour. There is statues and artwork to view that is part of the state's history. I found it enlightening and very interesting. I spent a lot longer touring the grounds than I thought I would. Because of this I didn't have time to do the tour of the building inside. Well worth a visit and parking on the side street was easy.
Written July 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MominOC
Orange County, CA5,077 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
Excellent free tour of the capital. Docent was pleasant to listen to, she was very knowledgeable and a bit funny. Lovely elegant structure!
Written June 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2babesandabrew
Pensacola, FL282 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
What a fantastic tour today. Paul was amazing, he was a great historian and was very proud of his state, Columbia, the capital and women’s basketball. Thank you Paul for all the information you shared.
Written May 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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