Orchids on the Riverbanks Festival, February 10-12, 2012
Presented by The South Carolina Orchid Society, Ikebana International Chapter 182 and Riverbanks Botanical Garden. See hundreds of blooming orchids and get great information on growing orchids from the experts. Hours are Friday from 1pm to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Entry is free with paid regular admission to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. Call (803) 779-8717 or visit www.riverbanks.org for more information.

Love on the Wild Side, February 11, 2012
Take a moonlit animal courtship tour with your sweetheart during this wildly romantic, adults-only dinner and tour at Riverbanks Zoo. Enjoy a signature cocktail upon arrival (cash bar available). Learn about animal amour and the ways animals mate and date. After the tour, enjoy a three-course meal. Tickets are $100 per couple. Must be 21 years or older. Rain or shine. Space is limited; reservations are required by Monday, February 6. Reserve online at www.riverbanks.org.

From Farm to Fork Dinner and Demo, February 18, 2012
This February, warm up your winter weekends with a one of a kind cooking workshop. Chef Chris Rawlings of Gourmet2Go Catering will demonstrate how to cook a sustainable meal using fresh ingredients from local farmers. The participants will learn recipes which can be adapted to accommodate different produce available, while enjoying a three course meal. The menu will include peppercorn encrusted pan seared beef with a bourbon cream sauce, winter root vegetable ratatouille with goat cheese, handmade Irish soda bread, winter greens salad with maple vinaigrette and pepitos, and dessert. Everyone will go home with a full belly and recipes, so grab a date and come on out for a unique dining experience. Farm to Fork will take place on Saturday, February 18 from 5pm-8pm at Riverbanks Botanical Garden. Tickets are $40 per person and pre-registration is required. For more information email asegura@riverbanks.org.

Congaree National Park serves as a classroom and laboratory for visitors, students, and scientists from around the world. Visitors can explore 26 miles of hiking trails, 2.5 miles of boardwalk, a wilderness canoe trail, campground, and visitor center, each providing unique experiences. The Harry Hampton Visitor Center is open 9:00 am-5:00 pm, 7 days per week from October 1-March 31 each year and 9:00 am-5:00 pm, Sunday-Thursday and 9:00 am-7:00 pm, Friday and Saturday from April 1-September 30.  The facility is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.  Visitors may explore Congaree at any time, as the park’s grounds and trails remain open 24 hours, 7 days per week.

For information about Congaree, including a schedule of ranger-guided programs, visit www.nps.gov/cong.

Restaurant week is an eleven day celebration of the cuisine scene in South Carolina at hundreds of participating restaurants from January 12 through 22, 2012.  From fine dining to casual, participating restaurants will feature special menus items, promotions and discounts. Diners can sample our newest restaurants, dine at old favorites and taste a variety of exceptional dishes being prepared by chefs at a great value for customers.  During the event, we strongly suggest making reservations in advance as restaurants may fill up very quickly.

You can browse a complete list of statewide participants on the Restaurant Week website and check out regional Facebook pages for Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head that each has specific information for restaurants in these locations. More than 100 restaurants are participating across the Palmetto State.

The restaurants in the Lake Murray/Columbia region that are participating include:

Alodia’s Cucina Italiana

Blue Marlin

Cantina 76

Cellar on Greene

City Center Grill at the Marriott Hotel

Dianne’s on Devine

El Chico

Gervais and Vine Restaurant

Great American Grill at the Hilton Garden Inn

Harper’s Restaurant

Liberty Tap Room and Grill

Lizard’s Thicket – Airport Blvd.

Lizard’s Thicket – Augusta Road

Lizard’s Thicket – Beltline Blvd.

Lizard’s Thicket – Blythewood

Lizard’s Thicket – Broad River Rd.

Lizard’s Thicket – Elmwood Ave.

Lizard’s Thicket – Forest Drive

Lizard’s Thicket – I-20 & Two Notch

Lizard’s Thicket – Knox Abbott Drive

Lizard’s Thicket – St. Andrews

Lizard’s Thicket – Sunset Blvd.

Lizard’s Thicket – Two Notch Road

Lizard’s Thicket – West Main Street

MoMo’s Bistro

Motor Supply Company Bistro

Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe

Pearlz Oyster Bar

Ristorante Divino

Rosso Trattoria Italia

SakiTumi Grill and Sushi Bar

Saluda’s Restaurant

Solstice Kitchen

Stonefire American Grill

Terra

Tombo Grille

Villa Tronco

Virtu Restaurant and Bar

Wild Wing Cafe – Harbison

Wild Wing Cafe – Vista

Wind Wing Cafe – Villiage at Sandhills

Yesterday’s Restaurant

Article by: Megan Sexton, SC Insider

Let your family enjoy a trip back to the ’90s for Christmas.

The 1890s, that is.

Plan a visit to Kensington Mansion, in lower Richland County, about 25 miles from downtown Columbia. There you will be transported to a Victorian Christmas inside the spectacular Italianate Revival home that was finished in 1854.

By 1890, Christmas celebrations were becoming popular, and inside the 12,000-square-foot home you’ll get a feel for what the holiday celebrations were like. Kensington Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s decked out for Christmas through Jan. 14, with special holiday tours each Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours begin at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The mansion is closed on Christmas Eve. Tickets are $5.50 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $2.50 for children 10 and older. Children younger than 10 are free. The mansion is on U.S. 601, 6 miles south of U.S. 76/378 in southeastern Richland County.

Kensington isn’t the only historic spot in the Columbia area dressed up for the holidays and open to visitors. TheRobert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion and Mann-Simons Cottage in downtown Columbia are each decorated for the season, too. Visitors will learn about South Carolina holiday traditions, commonly prepared Christmas dishes and the social scene in the city in the 19th and early 20th centuries at these homes, operated by the Historic Columbia Foundation.

(The favorite parts of the tours for my kids were always the faux food that’s part of the displays of holiday feasts. Looks good enough to eat!)

The tours from through Jan. 2, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays (the last tour begins at 3 p.m.). On Sundays the tours run from 1-5 p.m., with the last tour starting at 4 p.m.

And one of my favorite Columbia area holiday events is the breakfast with Santa, from 8-11 a.m. Dec. 17 at the Hampton Preston Mansion at 1615 Blanding St. There’s a continental breakfast in the Carriage House, a tour of the mansion, the chance to make a holiday craft and have your picture taken with Victorian Santa Claus. Reservations are required and can be made by email here or calling or call 803-252-1770, ext. 24.

Period decorations, featuring live and dried plant materials, will deck the halls of this already regal home.  The event is FREE to attend; cookies and hot apple cider will be served.

Photographer June Mackie will be present on Saturday from 1-3pm featuring her book, Seasons of Lake Murray.

Open House Hours:
Saturday, December 10th, 10am-3pm
Sunday, December 11th, 12-3pm
(2184 North Lake Drive, Columbia)

Here’s a sneak peak at some of the beautiful decorations…

On December 2nd, we celebrated the holidays with SCATR
(South Carolina Association of Tourism Regions)!

We ate a delicious lunch at Dianne’s on Devine in Columbia.
Oh what fun we had!!

Dec. 3rd

Carolina Carillon Holiday Parade,
Gervais Street, Columbia at 9:45am

Newberry’s Christmas Parade
on Main Street at 4pm

Saluda’s Night Christmas Parade

Dec. 4th

Christmas Parade in Prosperity at 3pm

Christmas Parade on Main Street,
Lexington at 3:30pm

West Metro Holiday Parade of Lights,
12th Street, Cayce at 5:30pm

Dec. 11th

Blythewood Christmas Parade at 3pm

You’ve asked for it, and now you’ve got it! The S.C. State Park Service is now offering gift cards for rental of cabins, campsites, picnic shelters and meeting facilities at state parks across South Carolina.

The stored-value cards, similar in size to a credit card, can be bought in any denomination and can be re-loaded. The cards can be purchased at individual parks or by calling the parks Central Operations office at
(803) 734-0156.

Here are some other details on the gift cards:

• Cards will be sold only at parks that include amenities that can be reserved such as campsites, cabins, shelters, meeting facilities, etc.
• Cards must be purchased in-person at a park and cannot be purchased via the phone except by calling the parks Central Office at 803-734-0156.
• The gift card can be used to make a payment/reservation over the phone, via the website or at any park location accepting the card as payment.

All gift card revenue is used to support the operations and maintenance of South Carolina state parks.  Keep these cards in mind when purchasing a gift for that special someone or for yourself!

When Is Vista Lights?
Thursday, November 17th, 2011 from 5 -10 pm.

Where Is Vista Lights?
The entire historic Columbia’s Vista is participating in Vista Lights. Start by parking in one of our convenient garages and then stroll up Gervais to Lincoln to see all the festivities. Be sure to stop by One-Eared Cow Glass, The SC State Museum & the shopping center where Backpacker is located to see all that is going on there as well.  Although they are further down Gervais there is still great things to see and do. Vista Lights is FREE to the public and offers a great way to kick-off the holiday season!

The Tree Lighting
Everyone loves a tree lighting and the Vista tree lighting promises to kick off the season! The traditional tree-lighting ceremony, will be held at 7pm. This year’s spectacular lighting will be hosted my Mayor Steve Benjamin. You will find the tree located on the corner of Lincoln and Gervais Street outside of River Runner. Again, check our map for actual location.

What Is There To Do?

• Shop our many retailers and galleries to get a head start on your holiday shopping list.
• Eat at one of our fine restaurants and try one of their signature dishes paired with specialty brews.
• Bring your children or grand children to watch the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree at 7pm located outside of River Runner (corner of Lincoln & Gervais)
• Before the tree lighting, dance in the street to the popular kids band Lunch Money, followed after the tree lighting by a fantastically fun band, Bandkamp.
• Ride the horse draw carriage. Adults will cost $3 and children $2 (free for lap children)
• Take a picture with Santa at Marble Slab Creamery.

At Vista Lights there is something for everyone!