Columbia: A guide to short-term rentals
A short-term rental here is the best way to explore all of Columbia, SC's many highlights.
Kasa's short-term rentals in Columbia
With short-term rentals in the city’s most exciting neighborhoods, Kasa offers comfortable and convenient accommodations no matter what brings you to Columbia or where you need to go.
Kasa's short-term rentals in Columbia
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4.72 Total rating: 4.72 based on 148 reviews.Kasa Main Street Columbia
- AC
- Full kitchen
- Space to work
- City center
A Columbia mainstay since the late 1800s, this property served as a department store for many decades until it was reimagined and redesigned as apartments to accommodate city visitors. Its convenient location connects the past with the present, offering easy access to the district's most exciting restaurants, attractions, and nightlife spots!
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Discover Columbia
After booking your short-term rental in Columbia, here's everything you need to know for your trip.
Located 13 miles from the geographic center of South Carolina, Columbia is the state’s capital city. Columbia proper is home to just 135,000 people, but the Columbia metro area boasts a population of 830,000. Two rivers come together in Columbia: the Saluda and the Broad, which merge to form a third river, the Congaree, that runs through the city center. Columbia is also at the nexus of a system of lakes to the west, north, and east, a gorgeous feature of the state’s Midlands region.
Columbia was founded in 1786 for the sole purpose of forming an alternative state capital to Charleston, 115 miles to the southeast. This compromise helped settle tensions between plantation owners in the coastal Low Country and small farmers in the Up Country, farther inland on the other side of the Midlands. In 1860, Columbia hosted the South Carolina Secession Convention, and South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. At the time, South Carolina had over 400,000 enslaved people, fifth most in the nation. During the Civil War, Columbia was an important Confederate military center. In 1865, the city fell to Union forces led by General Sherman and was badly damaged by fire. During Reconstruction, the city rebuilt its infrastructure and economy, investing in industry and agriculture, and the first African-American legislators were elected to state government.
Today, Columbia is a well-known center of learning, home to the University of South Carolina, the largest university in the state, among a number of other institutions of higher education. Columbia is also the site of Fort Jackson, a vast army installation that hosts basic combat training on a 52,000 acre property with 1,000 buildings. In recent decades, downtown Columbia has emerged as a thriving hub of shops, galleries, restaurants, and museums that cluster around the scenic Congaree River, and there are great short-term rental options near it all.
Columbia is served by Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which has direct flights from a range of cities, including Atlanta, DC, Dallas, Chicago, New York, and Charlotte. Flights from other cities usually include a connection, and some travelers choose to fly to Charlotte and drive the final leg, which takes about an hour and a half.
In Columbia, keep an eye out for garishly-painted, multicolored buses. These charming vehicles are part of The Comet, the local transit system. The Comet has routes across Columbia and the rest of the greater Columbia region, and fares cost as little as $2. For travel within the city between popular areas, you can ride the Soda Cap Connector buses for $1. (The signs for these buses are giant soda caps—you can’t miss them.) Driving in and around Columbia is common, but don’t worry about parking: downtown parking lots and garages are abundant. For street parking, you’ll want to download the Passport Parking app to make payment easy. Biking is also a great way to get around the city and explore its three rivers.
Art lovers, make your way to the Columbia Museum of Art, where you can see masterpieces by Botticelli, Monet, and others. The museum is the state’s foremost international art museum, with over 150,000 visitors per year.
The South Carolina State Museum, located a mile away on the Congaree River, has something for everyone: it’s four museums in one, with exhibits on art, cultural history, natural history, and science and technology.
Animal and flower lovers, head to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, home to over 2,000 species and an exquisite botanical garden.
For those interested in the history of South Carolina and the U.S., the State House has been at the center of many of the state and country’s most turbulent changes, dating back to secession and Reconstruction.
The EdVenture Children’s Museum is a fun destination for parents traveling with children. It’s the second largest children’s museum in the world.
For casually gourmet fare, head to Five Points, a charming artsy neighborhood near the University of South Carolina campus. For outdoor dining along the Congaree River, check out the Vista neighborhood, which also has dozens of bars. On Main Street, the center of downtown, you can drink and snack alongside state legislators. Between Main Street and the Congaree, bakeries, cafes, and fast-casual spots abound. The good food doesn’t end at Columbia’s city limits. Pop across the Gervais Street Bridge to West Columbia for fine dining, or drive to Lake Murray, half an hour away, for BBQ.
The best way to explore Columbia’s three interconnected riverfronts is on the Three Rivers Greenway, an over 15 mile system of trails that links Columbia and its surrounding cities. The trail is great for strolling, running, or biking. (Blue Bike is the local bikeshare.) While you’re by the rivers, tubing and kayaking are options too. So is fishing. If you’re interested in renting a boat for a sightseeing cruise, venture outside of the city to Lake Murray, which also has lovely sunsets.
In addition to its exhibits on art, cultural history, natural history, and science and technology, the South Carolina State Museum has a 4D theater, where performances include blasts of air, vibrating seats, and even leg tickles. The museum’s neverending attractions continue with its Boeing Observatory, where visitors can experience solar viewing during the day and explore the Milky Way at night. Finally, on the second floor’s natural history gallery, you’ll meet Finn, a giant reproduction of a megalodon shark.