Welcome back, students! 5 things you missed over the summer

Returning students, we’re speaking directly to you.

Welcome back!

While you were away, Columbia has been developing cool new things to see and do. In anticipation of your return, we’ve compiled a list of five things you may have missed and what you have to look forward to – as soon as you’re finished unpacking.

(Bonus: We’ve included deals and reduced student rates so you can explore without breaking the bank. College is expensive, after all.)

1. ‘From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol’s Famous Faces'

There’s still time to check out the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art downtown.

If you don’t recognize the name, Warhol became huge in the 1960s art world with his colorful (and now ubiquitous) prints of Campbell’s Soup cans and movie star Marilyn Monroe.

The exhibit, “From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol’s Famous Faces” opened June 12 and runs through Sept. 13. The museum has 55 of Warhol’s famous portraits, including Mick Jagger, Judy Garland and 10 silkscreens of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

2. Southern Squeezed

Sip your way to healthy at Southern Squeezed, the family-owned juice bar now open at 1135 Lady St.

Katie Munshaw, a Columbia native and University of South Carolina graduate, co-owns the business with her husband. They offer fresh cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, nut milks and cleanses made from locally sourced produce.

3. Otters and grizzlies at Riverbanks Zoo

Two exhibits opened this summer at Riverbanks Zoo: Otter Run and the newly expanded Grizzly Ridge.

Meet the three playful North American river otters named Divya, Savannah and Sophia. Then, head over to Grizzly Ridge for a “nose-to-nose” look at bears Butch and Sundance. These big cuties like wrestling and lazing about their enclosure’s pond.

4. Scooters from Scootaway

No car? No problem.

Zip around Columbia with Scootaway, a scooter ride-sharing business now in Columbia. Using the Scootaway app, rent a scooter for $3 per half hour, which includes helmet, insurance and gas. When you're finished, drop the scooter off at one of the Scootaway locations in Five Points, the Vista, the Main Street area or around the University of South Carolina campus.

The company said it will have about 500 scooters in Columbia by the fall.

5. Masala on Main

We know your back and shoulders are sore from unpacking, so stretch it out at Masala on Main, a new yoga studio downtown.

The studio is unheated, unlike Masala’s Bluff Road location, which is kept between 95-100 degrees. Masala on Main is slightly less sweat-inducing, but you can still get a great workout at an awesome rate.

All classes are vinyasa-style yoga, in which you move with your inhales and exhales. Go get your Namaste on before classes start.

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Welcome back, students! 5 things you missed over the summer."