https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article214423524.html
COLUMBIA, SC
The word is out about Columbia's Main Street.
It's cool (if not a liiiiiittle hot). It's artistic. It's tasty. And it's ... cute, according to Fodor's Travel Guide.
Fodor's, a longstanding look-to for global travel and tourism information, listed Columbia's Main Street among its "
America's 25 Cutest Main Streets in Small(er) Towns."
"Don your little black dress and head out for the evening on
Columbia’s buzzing Main Street. Say what?"
Fodor's writes. "Yes, indeed, locals are quick to tell you that just five years ago it wasn’t like that. For years this neighborhood wallowed in despondency, until one by one, the businesses started coming, so now there’s something going on both night and day."
The guide highlights
Soda City Market, Mast General Store, the Nickelodeon theater, Indie Grits film festival, the Columbia Museum of Art, The Grand boutique bowling alley,
Lula Drake Wine Parlour, and restaurants Bourbon, Good Life Cafe and the
now-closed Oak Table (RIP).
Main Street has experienced several years of
striking revitalization, sparked in large part by Soda City, Mast General Store, the Nick and The Hub — a tower of more than 800 apartments rented to college students,
who have brought their energy to the once-lethargic downtown — all of which are new additions since 2011.
The heart of downtown Columbia has gone from being a 9-to-5 business center only a decade ago to
a nearly 24/7 destination, with lively sidewalks, regular festivals, public art and a still-growing array of restaurants and stores.
Columbia is in the company of places such as Walla Walla, Wash.;, Rockland, Maine; Sylva, N.C.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Augusta, Ga., (hi, neighbor!) on Fodor's list.
"Cutest" Main Street is the latest in a string of recent national nods to Columbia's downtown, including highlights by
Thrillist ("Cities You Should Visit Before They're Too Popular"),
Garden & Gun and
Food and Wine ("One of America's Best New Food Destinations") magazines