Columbia’s events that are worth doing again and again

Life is made up of experiences. Some good, some bad and some so good you wish you could put them on repeat.

Columbia offers a number of experiences that appeal to the college crowd. Here are three we recommend:

Arts & Draughts

The Columbia Museum of Art shows off its versatility with Arts & Draughts, an event that combines craft beer, live music, DIY art activities and unique tours led by recognizable members of the community, including poets, activists, professors and, on occasion, even drag queens.

The Whig provides the suds for each event, showcasing a new beer each time. Food vendors like The Wurst Wagen, Belgian Waffle Truck, Wolf Pizza Company, Island Noodles, Sweet Cream and KC Hot dogs can be found parked on the plaza.

“Arts & Draughts is a great way to see people and connect with the arts,” said Glenna Barlow, adult programs manager. “Art can be fun. Art can be alive. And the event is just a fun time. We tend to get a good crowd of all ages. I like to say we get people with pink hair and people with blue hair. Some people come just for the beginning, and then there are some who don’t show up until late and stay until the very end.”

When: Quarterly; upcoming dates are Friday, Aug. 19; Friday, Nov. 11; Friday, Feb. 10. Typical hours are 7-11 p.m.

Where: 1515 Main St., downtown

Cost: $9 ($5 for museum members)

Average attendance: 1,000

Info: www.columbiamuseum.org

Soda City Market

This market is a favorite Saturday morning activity that includes 100-plus vendors organized into brain, body and belly, according to one of the market’s founders, Emile DeFelice.

“Things for the brain are pottery, paintings, maybe a nonprofit,” said DeFelice. “Products for the body include soaps, surfboards, clothing, things like that. For belly, it would be our farmers and restauranteurs, which has to be our most popular category. You can buy pricey, artisanal, certified organic or you can get the $10 Livingston Farm box of vegetables that you can fill however you want. There are hundreds of people in line for it before the market even opens.”

Other foodie favorites are Double Trouble Donuts, run by twin sisters with culinary degrees; Mibek Farms beef; Congaree Milling; and Happiness Bomb Boy Peanuts.

Market attendance numbers double during events like Fitness Fest (Sept. 23), which will attract every gym and sporting competition rep in Columbia; Oktoberfest (Oct. 15), an annual event that features a full German beer garden complete with German music; Suds and Spuds in the spring, the official kickoff for Craft Beer Week; and starting this fall, a road race called the Soda City Crit.

“This is the town’s square,” said DeFelice. “Soda City market is a microcosm of Columbia. If you were to visit, you might not catch all these nuances, about how international we are. Soda City is meant to reflect the real nature of the Midlands.”

When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays

Where: 1400 and 1500 blocks of Main Street, Columbia

Cost: Free admission

Average attendance: 3,500-4,000

Info: www.sodacitysc.com

First Thursday on Main

In the past five years, Main Street has become a bustling hub for new restaurants, shops and art galleries. It’s where The Nickelodeon now calls home, and it’s even a home address for some of you reading this.

First Thursday on Main is a celebration of all those things and more.

“We have a lot of focus around the 1500 and 1600 blocks, but we have a lot of merchants and restaurants all through Main Street offering specials, live music or something cultural,” said Jeremy Becraft, general manager of Mast General and president of the First Thursday on Main board. “It’s a great event to get people to Main Street who haven’t been here in a while and letting them rediscover it. ... I think it’s quickly becoming one of the top cultural spots in Columbia.”

Businesses that always draw a crowd are Mast General, which provides live music, Michael’s Cafe & Catering, The Good Life Cafe and Tapp’s Arts Center. As the night progresses, many start to migrate further south, most likely to Bourbon, The Whig, Oak Table or Cantina 76 (all good choices, by the way).

“There’s a lot of people outside eating and drinking but also listening to music and socializing,” said Becraft.

“We’ve created an atmosphere that people want to come down to.”

When: 6-10 p.m., first Thursday monthly

Where: 1200 to 1700 blocks of Main Street

Cost: Free admission

Average attendance: 1,000

Info: www.firstthursdayonmain.com

THE VIBE: Each event has its own feel, but the universal appeal is the same across the board: Meet new people, learn something new, and enjoy a unique experience in the city. Between the diverse crowds, food, music and cultural offerings, anticipate a good time. The fact that two out of three offer free admission (and admission for Arts & Draughts is what you pay for lunch) means you have nothing to lose.

THE VERDICT: If you really want to get to know Columbia, you have to check out these events sooner than later. Each will introduce you to aspects of the city you never knew existed. Investing a little time and energy in getting to know Columbia is socially responsible and good for the city’s local economy – and this is the South: It’s rude not to be neighborly.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM.