I am meeting my sister and her 6yo grandson with my 12 yo twins in July. We will be staying on the east side of columbia. Any suggestions for kid friendly activities beyond the zoo. (we lived in columbia duing the 60's I know a lot has changed) thanks

The children's museum in Columbia is called EdVenture. It's right downtown. There's also Frankie's Fun Park near the Harbison-area mall. Go-karts, climbing wall, bumper cars, arcade games, mini golf, etc. And Lake Murray for cooling off.

July will be hotter 'n you know what. Stay inside if possible in mid-day.

My sister lives in Columbia, so I'll see if she has other recommendations.

Whadda ya know ... my friend from Columbia just stopped by. She recommends picking blueberries in July at Berry Hill Farm in Lexington. I found this article from the newspaper.
http://tinyurl.com/3yprmm

She also recommends hiking at Harbison Park.

I'll post again if we come up with other ideas.

I would rent a boat and spend the day on Lake Murray.

In googling for marina info, I found this website. Hope it's helpful -

http://www.columbia4kids.com/outdoors/outfitters.php

Have your twins research their interests. There is a minor league baseball team that is fun.

Look at Columbia's newspaper to stay up with the happenings. www.thestate.com

wow, and good luck with the heat and humidity in Columbia in July - gag! I would plan on a.m and after sunset activities and during the day retreat to inside or a pool. The State Museum has a lot of hands on stuff for kids and at that age they might be interested in all the Civil War stuff (or as South Carolinians call it "the war of Northern Aggression")

I live in Columbia and I love it here but I don't know what you did wrong in a past life to have to come here in July with the heat and humidity. That being said, there is a lot to do with children in Columbia:
*Riverbanks Zoo - don't go in the middle of the day in the summer as the animals will be sleeping and avoiding the heat and it will not be much fun for the kids;
*Edventure Children's Museum - air conditioned and very hands on and fun for the kids
*Marionette Theater - I believe this is in or near Finley Park downtown but I'm not sure of the hours
*Bowling alleys and movie theaters abound
*Frankie's Fun Park - In the Harbison area has miniature golf, arcade games and go carts
*Roller Skating - There is a very family friendly roller rink in Irmo near the Harbison area.
*Rent conoes or kyakes for a trip down the Saluda river, you can get guided tours.
*Carrowinds -If you feel like a bit of a drive you can drive 1 1/2 hours to Charlotte to go to Carrowinds - a very fun theme parks with rides for all ages
*If you feel like a 3 to 4 hour drive you can drive to Myrtle Beach which has many water parks, miniature golf courses, beaches and anything else you would want.
*Drive 2 hours north to Ashville and you are in the mountains for hiking and fun.
*Lake Murray - Near Lexington just outside of Columbia is a huge lake but there are only a few areas that have public beaches and they are usually very crowded. Do not rent a boat and go out on Lake Murray unless you are a very experienced boater as this is a high traffic lake and can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. We boat Lake Murray almost daily in the summer but it can get dangerous if you aren't experienced.

I hope you have a wonderful trip to my home city. Let me know if you have further questions.

Just had to write this in again because it was a "laugh outloud" moment for me this a.m when I read JDRAPER "I live in Columbia and I love it here but I don't know what you did wrong in a past life to have to come here in July with the heat and humidity".....absolutely!!!

Admittedly this is not the season, but if you go early or evening and slather on the bug spray, Congaree National Park is a truly amazing place. You might even see a wild boar, but the big trees and swamp are the draw.