FUN! FUN! for...the Girls!
Fitness Made Fun
AMSA Studios offers pilates and yoga in numerous forms including Gentle Yoga, Golfer's Yoga, Partner Yoga, Pilates on the Ball, Tai Chi and Meditation.
Carolina Girls Located in Irmo, Lexington and West Columbia, this all female gym offers kickboxing classes, boot camp, pilates and more!
Capital Karate Cardio kickboxing classes are offered for ages 13 and up, bag and gloves are provided and you'll loose weight while gaining muscle! Now you have no reason to avoid exercising
Columbia's Ballroom Company Learn to dance, have fun and tone some muscles all at the same time!
Columbia Martial Arts & Fitness Kickboxing classes!
Columbia Running Club Studies show that exercising with others increases the likelihood that you'll continue to exercise. Columbia Running Club runs in places like Three Rivers Greenway, Sesquicentennial State Park, Harbison State Forrest and the Carolina Marathon Race Course.
Fitness Boot Camp The goal of Fitness Boot Camp is to help each participant reach their ultimate level of total wellness: spiritually, physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. Fitness Boot Camp is suitable for all fitness levels, from beginners to more advanced, as their supervised workouts are self-paced. You select your weights and your level of intensity--drill instructors will be there to guide, encourage, instruct and motivate you toward your goals.
JazzAfrican Aerobics From AfricanAerobics to FunkAerobics to JazzAerobics to GospelRobics and YogaPilates, all of your exercising desires are met here.
Life Force Karate Fitness kickboxing classes are offered here and it's conveniently located at Garners Ferry Road.
Palmetto Pilates The name says it all.
Palmetto Shag Club Learn the most southern dance around!
Total Package Boxing Club Learn self defense while toning and loosing weight.
Vista Ballroom offers a variety of dance lessons that are sure to give you a great workout.
Shopping
Village at Sandhill With nearly 100 different shops, department stores, restaurants and cinemas, you might have to take a few trips to the newest shopping center in Columbia. All kinds of stores like TJ Maxx, JC Penny, HH Gregg, World Market and Ulta, can be found at this 3 part outdoor mall.
Columbiana Centre Mall Conveniently located at Harbison Boulevard you can stop in for a quick shopping spree and then head to the movies or any of the great restaurants on Harbison. For some restaurant ideas, click here.
Columbia Place Mall With over 100 stores, 4 major department stores and 6,000 parking spaces, Columbia Place gives you every reason to shop here and no where else.
5 Points Shops
Loose Lucy's offers 'cool clothes' from tie dyed shirts to floral printed cotton dresses...all at kind prices.
The Oops Company prides itself on providing your favorite items from catalogs for men, women and kids at about half the catalog price.
Whimsy is a cute boutique full of the latest fashionable dresses, tops, accessories, handbags and swimsuits with low prices and great deals. Check them out at 631-C Harden St or you can contact them at 758-8800.
The Blue Sky Gallery is a wonderful art gallery that captures you as you walk down the sidewalk. Take a few steps inside and the amazing paintings will blow you away.
The Congaree Vista Shops
Lewis & Clark offers contemporary furniture, fine art, lighting and crafts.
City Art showcases artwork by select artists and provides a separate store to purchase all of your art supply needs. Custom framing is available as well as the option to rent the gallery for special events.
American Apparel is a casual clothing store for men, women, children and...dogs conveniently located at 701 Lady St. Stop by or contact them at 748-7014.
Savoy, located directly behind Wild Wings in the Vista, is an Italian and English clothing, sportswear, furnishing and footwear store for men.
If you love antiques, stop by either Columbia Antique Mall (602 Huger St) or the City Market Antiques Mall (705 Gervais St) where you will encounter over 110 dealers total.
Salons & Spas
Start your weekend off in sheer, pure, absolute bliss at Bliss Salon and Spa. You can indulge yourself in a soothing tranquil environment with the ultimate in relaxation by pampering yourself with a Swedish massage. Allow the skilled massage therapists to use slow rhythmic strokes from head to toe, penetrating the deepest of muscles to create the most delightful treatment. Call ahead and bring a group of friends to share in this vital get-away.
Tonic Day Spa offers manicures and pedicures, massages, waxing, facials and a variety of other items including some for men. From the moment you walk in the door, the noise form Garner's Ferry immediately disappears and the tranquil atmosphere sweeps you into another world.
Shandon Day Spa offers spa packages, spa parties, and individual appointments among numerous other items. Check out their web site for pricing and other information.
Tranquil Moments Day Spa & Boutique is another serene place which one must experience. A tranquil moment is defined as a period of time where you are free of stress, anxiety, tension and/or relentlessness. Any place with this definition in their name is a sure bet.
Cooking & Wine Tasting
Pick one Saturday, head to the Vista and bring your freshly cleansed pallet. Cloud Nine Market hosts special in-store events on Saturday from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. that showcase their delectable jams, fresh jellies, succulent sauces, fine wines and numerous other top-of-the-line products. Previous showcases have offered Italian Style Chili, Irish Soda Bread and a famous curry sauce. With their valet service and personable staff..all you have to do is pull into the parking lot and let them take care of the rest. So go ahead...let them spoil you and your friends a little!
Earth Fare hosts weekly cooking sessions, workshops and a variety of community events. Visit their web site or call 799-0048 for more information.
Every Thursday evening in May the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens hosts Rhythm and Blooms where there will be live music, food,a wine sampling and local artists. Tickets are $5 for Riverbanks members and $7 for general public. Children ages 12 and under are free.
Vino 100 hosts a wine event for singles every 3rd Thursday of the month from 5:30pm-8pm for men and women 35 and up. Check out their calendar of events for other things going on.
Cooking is one thing we all want to be good at but instead find ourselves watching the cooking channel rather then practicing. Now you can be good at it no matter which day of the week works best for you. Let's Cook Culinary Studio is offering classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights at 6:15 p.m.. Regional American Asian Influences will be the topic of Monday classes; Holiday and Seasonal One Pot Cookery will be on Wednesday's agenda and Italian Supper will be the focus of Thursday classes. Check out their web site to get information on their other classes offered! If you just want a one time experience, join them on April 15th for Wine and Dinner!
Arts/Crafts, Classes & Workshops
Heidi Darr-Hope is a local artist that hosts exhibitions, workshops and lectures to explore your inner artist. Visit her web site for workshop specifics.
The Columbia Museum of Art offers About Face Drawing Sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays. Various topics are addressed on Mondays from 10 am-noon and on Tuesdays, portrait drawings are covered from 6-8 p.m. and figure drawing sessions start at 7:15p.m. and end at 9:15 p.m. The first visit is free, after that sessions are only $7. If you want to attend both sessions on Tuesday, it's only $10.
Belladonna's offers art classes, grow classes, meditation classes and more! Call 765-0450 for a current list of offerings.
Experience It! offers classes in everything from break dancing to yoga to nutrition. Call 732-9551 or visit their web site for a full listing of classes.
Booker Washington Heights Cultural Arts Center is now offering classes in self-defense, dance, poetic therapy, manners and much more. Call 255-8161 for a complete class listing or check online.
If you're a 'tricks-of-the-trade' person but prefer to watch and learn, schedule a time for yourself and a few of your best friends to watch the experts blow glass at One Eared Cow Glass. While surrounded by an array of colors, glass pieces and the barn-like motif, you will become infatuated with the artist's work and get a feel of where this whole business began.
The Columbia Museum of Art offers Art Classes for Adults. Check out their web site for specific times and classes offered. 799-2810.
Stop by Swiftwater Beads & Jewelry on Harden Street for a more interactive experience. As one of the few full-service bead stores in the area, you can customize jewelry that matches your taste. The extremely friendly, knowledgeable staff can help you and your friends create earrings, necklaces, bracelets...and anything else you can think of! The environment provides a fantastic selection of beads, tools, books and the most well-equipped customer work area you have seen. If you're just starting, reserve your spot at the April 26th Basic Beading Class and learn the ropes from A-Z.
The Columbia Camera Club offers instruction, appreciation and competition of photography the first Tuesday of the month. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Visit their web site or contact them at 786-7022 for more information.
Sketching in the Galleries is a great place to allow you inner artist to emerge. Free with museum admission and sketching tools are available upon request. Check in at the front desk at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Outdoor Activities
Lanier Sailing Academy offers sailing classes, sunset or special event sails and sailboat rentals.
There is an Elite Co-Ed Volleyball team that meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. at Greenview Park. Call 545-3100 for more information.
Become an Outdoors Woman (BOW) is a program offered by the Department of Natural Resources that provides opportunities for women to learn nature-related outdoor skills. The program consists of 1/3 hunting, 1/3 fishing and 1/3 other nature-related activities in a noncompetitive, relaxed, non-intimidating atmosphere. Check out the information under the 'education' tab on their site.
Columbia Women's Rugby Club is open to all women in the area. Practices and games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 7 p.m. Call 361-0706 or email bombshellrugby@yahoo.com for more information.
Get outside and go kayaking, hiking, paddling down Broad River, or learn the basics of backpacking at Adventure Carolina . Classes are offered on a regular basis (some just for women) so you and the girls can go at your own pace!
Strictly Running hosts group runs on Wednesdays. Visit their web site for meeting times and places.
Saluda Shoals Park offers canoe and kayak rentals and guided trips. If you're in the mood to stay on land, take your place on one of the horse trail rides where you can learn the basics or improve your horse back riding skills.
Columbia's first wake board school is now offered at Carolina Wake. Day camps begin May 15 and run all summer from 9am-4pm. Come ride and learn from the area's most qualified coaches.
Columbia Quad Squad is an all-female flat0track roller derby team and they are now recruiting. Call Debi at 348-8861 for more information or check out their web site.
The Columbia Rowing Club offers introductory rowing classes. Call 608-3480 or visit them online.
Join other locals and members of the Carolina Cyclers as they take on bicycle rides from 10 miles to over 200 miles. You can join now for less then $20 and pick from their extensive calendar of rides, attend their non-riding events and receive their monthly newsletter. Overnight and weekend events are also offered for the serious riders.
Girls Night Out
If you're in the need for some serious girl time with LOTS of deserts, Nonnah's (Shannon spelled backwards) is where you need to be. The relaxed environment allows you the option of sipping coffee in the window area with a prime view of the Vista, indulging in your desert at one of the glass tables or eating lunch in the classy dining room. No matter where you choose to enjoy your girl time, you will feel as if you are in the finest of art galleries with the large hand painted mural and walls covered in various pieces of art from local artists.
Tennis instructions are being offered by The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation for beginners or intermediate players on Tuesdays. Lessons are $40 per session (4 classes/60 minutes) and are held at Columbia Tennis Center and South East Park and Tennis Center.
It's Ladies' Night...and we all know what that means! Head down to DAM bar & grill in Lexington to expand your circle of friends every Wednesday night for Ladies' Night. The atmosphere is respectfully explained as a 'Cheers-like' environment with the perfect mix of entertainment from Video Golf to an array of pool tables to the digital jukebox and sound system. If you're trying to get away from the 'guys' no problem! The spacious layout both inside and on the deck allows an ideal amount of space for your party and the best part is the menu! Check it out!
If you're in the Downtown area on Wednesdays then claim your spot on the deck for Ladies' Night at Congaree Grill in 5 Points. From 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. frozen drinks, glasses of house wine and martinis are all $3 and ice cold beers are $2. Listen to the live music and people watch while you're there. If you can't make it on Wednesday, try their fabulous brunch on Sunday.
