Good Towns is a regular feature of Doing More Today, highlighting the people and places that make communities unique.
The Cirrus airplane floats like a feather as Columbia, South Carolina, spreads majestically a few thousand feet below. Pilot Connor Brandon begins banking to provide an awe-inspiring view of the sprawling University of South Carolina campus.
Right below is Williams-Brice Stadium, packed with 77,000-plus fans every football Saturday — no matter how the Gamecocks are playing. Now, we’re so close you could reach out and touch a goalpost when Brandon asks a question you hadn’t considered.
“Did you close the door?” Brandon says, setting off a wave of panic you haven’t felt since your first school dance.
“Uh, yeah, I think,” you answer, immediately grasping for something to keep you from tumbling below if, in fact, you didn’t shut the door all the way. Just don’t pull the parachute release – an advanced safety feature that makes the Cirrus a beloved aircraft.
Welcome to our latest Good Town, where we tour South Carolina’s capital city and biggest metropolis. Join us for an adventure like no other.
An aerial view of Williams-Brice Stadium shows the field in pristine condition, the end zones painted for the next big game and the Cockaboose Railroad ready to receiver gameday visitors. / GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS
A bird’s-eye view of Williams-Brice Stadium, empty during the week and filled with nearly 80,000 diehard fans on college football Saturdays.
The cockpit hatch is open as the Cirrus waits for our arrival to take us up into the skies.
Pilot Connor Brandon communicates with Lisa Burgess using state-of-the-art headphones and mic while in the air.
Lisa Burgess takes in the view as pilot Connor Brandon offers a majestic reveal of Lake Murray, spreading out beneath the airplane’s wings.
Eagle Aviation CEO Lee Thomas and Lisa Burgess talk on the tarmac before taking a flight above the city.
Eagle Aviation is about much more than destination journeys. Inside a hangar, Lee Thomas shows Lisa Burgess where repairs are made and where custom rebuilds of private jet cabins take place.
Members of the Eagle Aviation team check out the latest work on one of their planes.
CEO Lee Thomas first joined the Eagle Aviation team 31 years ago.
Pilot Connor Brandon gives a visitor tips of what to expect before they board the Cirrus plane for a flight high above our latest Good Town.
An impressive view of downtown Columbia from a few thousand feet above. The South Carolina State House is in the foreground.
An Eagle’s View
On the edge of Columbia, Eagle Aviation is the go-to destination for college sports fans visiting for the weekend and teams heading to the next game. We meet CEO Lee Thomas and Marketing Director Tyler Moser upon arrival, and they generously guide us around the facility. In addition to providing charter flights and aircraft sales, Eagle Aviation offers full service, including maintenance and professional interior work.
Waiting on the tarmac is Brandon, an instructor for the last 2½ years, who’s going to take us over the city for the next hour. A South Carolina native, he earned his degree from Charleston Southern University before joining the Eagle Aviation team.
“I did well in school, and I knew my mom wanted me to go to college, even though I always liked blue-collar jobs,” Brandon says. “To me, this is the best of both worlds.”
The Cirrus lifts smoothly into a gorgeous blue sky. Brandon has become particularly fond of the Cirrus aircraft because of its versatility, even though he began flying other planes as a teen.
“If you learn this plane, you can transfer to any general aviation plane quickly,” Brandon adds. “It’s great for taking families up and getting somewhere fast.”
In two waves — the writer first, then photographer Gary Tramontina and Lisa Burgess, Regions’ senior relationship manager in Columbia — Brandon gives us an eagle-eye view of the sprawling region, including campus, downtown and Lake Murray, a jewel with 650 miles of shoreline. It’s pretty at ground level, but high above it shines in the sun, teasing beautiful homes and shimmering water that make this a destination for the entire region.
South Carolina’s Freddy Ready grins as he shows off a pair of national championship trophies during the Lady Gamecocks run to national prominence in women’s basketball. If the start of SEC play is an indication, South Carolina will need a bigger trophy case.
“Don’t Wish For It. Work For It.” These words on the wall greet South Carolina basketball players each day as they head to practice.
Lisa Burgess is back home in Carolina Coliseum, where she played basketball for the Lady Gamecocks a few years ago.
The T-shirt of the customer inside the Regions Bank branch proclaims, “SEC! SEC! SEC!” Yet another sign that college sports are big stuff in the Palmetto State.
A green awning helps make the exterior of the Regions building in downtown Columbia easily recognizable.
One of the crown jewels of the University of South Carolina campus: the Darla Moore School of Business, the home for 5,500 undergraduate students and another 800 grad students.
A landmark spot on the South Carolina campus: a statue of Cocky sits on a bench waiting for students, visitors and fans to stop by for a selfie.
Beneath gigantic oak trees at The Horseshoe, a contingent of University of South Carolina students takes in the breathtaking during an outdoor class.
A Hidden Gem No More
South Carolina football is historically good, just missing out on a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. But the crown jewel of Gamecocks athletics is the women’s basketball program, which has won three national titles in the last eight seasons. That doesn’t count the 2019-20 COVID season, when the Lady Gamecocks were 32-1 and the prohibitive favorite before the season was scrubbed by the pandemic.
Freddy Ready, a former football star who now serves as director of player personnel for the women’s basketball team, greets us inside the offices at Carolina Coliseum. He’s been involved as an administrator for 26 years, but he can pinpoint the moment everything changed.
“South Carolina was always a hidden gem,” Ready says. “It just took the right person to shine it up.”
That person was Coach Dawn Staley, a college Hall of Famer and three-time Olympian who has turned the program into the nation’s preeminent powerhouse.
There are trophies everywhere. They come with the territory, of course. But in a conference room, there are stacks of merchandise — from shoes to photos to athletic wear — waiting for the coach’s autograph.
“She doesn’t turn anyone away,” Ready says, looking at the stacks awaiting fans.
We get a tour of the offices, the training room, practice gym and Carolina Coliseum, South Carolina’s game-night home before Colonial Life Arena was unveiled in 2002. It’s a fascinating glimpse at the facilities that help nurture a national contender, but it’s even more fun watching the memories spark through Lisa Burgess’ eyes. She played for the Lady Gamecocks prior to Staley’s arrival.
The only one more excited about the tour is Champ, Staley’s adorable dog, who joins us for part of the visit.
The Cockaboose Railroad, where South Carolina fans come to pregame and reunite with long-time friends on football Saturdays.
Paige Haas shares a moment in the kitchen of her family Cockaboose, a railroad car converted into a unique college football gameday experience, with stories of her family’s deep tides to all things Gamecock.
Tailgate Heaven
A few miles away, Paige Haas welcomes a team from Regions to Cockaboose No. 18, a former railroad car that’s become the most popular pre- and postgame tailgating spot at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The tradition started 35 years ago. Now there are dozens of railcars stretching behind the massive venue. This is the place to be on Saturdays and beyond.
“My husband bought one in the early ’90s and renovated in 2015,” Haas says. “It’s the fun place to bring friends and families together, and now we’re raising a new generation. But this will always be a safe haven or a soft landing. We look out for and take care of our guests.”
The Cockaboose interior gleams with mahogany and brass. There are TVs everywhere — even in the bathroom — and there’s ample room to cook a full-course meal. Nearby, there are conventional condos for spillover guests.
A real estate agent and high school tennis coach, Haas grew up in an athletic family. Her dad played tennis for South Carolina and her parents met as undergrads.
“I was a Gamecock before I was born,” she says.
We’ve seen a lot of game-day experiences over the years, but nothing tops this.
A life-size bronze statue of George Washington greets visitors at the South Carolina State House. It honors the connection to America’s Revolutionary War hero with State’s role in gaining freedom.
The 15-foot tall equestrian statue of former governor and senator Wade Hampton III was commissioned shortly after his death in 1902.
The South Carolina State House was completed in 1903. Sitting on a hill, it binds downtown commerce in Columbia with the expansive University of South Carolina campus.
Birds sun on the rocks at Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park. In addition to incredible scenery, the park offers hiking trails and the perfect spot to reconnect with nature.
A statue near the entrance to Riverfront Park references Gen. Sherman’s march through the region in 1865.
In the distance, a man strolls casually on the boardwalk at Riverfront Park. The massive bridge above provides perfect shade on a sunny day.
A metal sculpture in downtown Columbia shows two fingers up with the index and ring finger down – sign language for “I love you.”
Another downtown art exhibit: a sculpture of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley atop a ladder after cutting down the net following a national championship victory.
A mural of music icon Bob Marley can be found in Columbia’s Five Points neighborhood. Called “The View from Mount Zion,” the mural includes a rendering of Marley’s face and hair with a lion.
The HOPE sign has been a mainstay in downtown Columbia since 2020. It was created to provide a sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A visitor at the South Carolina Museum of History shares something she discovered on her visit with a volunteer.
The volunteer docent at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, where the state’s role from the Revolution to Vietnam is honored.
A soldier at Antietam stops a nosy writer from asking any further questions.
A replica of the USS Columbia, one of the keys to U.S. victory in the Pacific theater during World War II, at the South Carolina State Museum.
The remnants of a 20-pound shell, fired at the unfinished state house during the Civil War, on display at the history museum.
A good portion of the museum is dedicated to the state’s role in the Civil Rights Movement, which helped ensured better equality for all Americans.
A three-dimensional diorama of a U.S. army base during the Vietnam War draws curious visitors at the South Carolina Museum of History. With incredible detail, the work shows the troops, equipment and camp in scale.
The early-morning sun peaks through next to a branch of an oak tree on a quiet corner of downtown Columbia.
Early morning in downtown Columbia.
Miss Cocky Boutique offers gameday fashions and more for those headed to South Carolina sporting events.
The entrance to Papa Jazz Record Shoppe entices with offers of great prices for “most new CDs.” The vintage shop draws in droves of people who grew up when vinyl and compact discs were king – as well as their children, who were raised to the epic sounds of the 1970s and ‘80s.
Lisa Burgess holds up an album from Hootie & the Blowfish, the homegrown rock band that became a staple of Top 40 airplay – and remains immensely popular today.
A customer dollies in a collection of classic albums for potential sale at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe, a popular establishment where vinyl remains king.
A two-story view of Mast General Store. The popular store harkens back to simpler times while offering the latest in clothing, outerwear and accessories.
Contemporary men’s fashions on display in a downtown Columbia storefront.
The Mayor and Regions’ Lisa Burgess talk about Columbia’s promising economic future.
Mayor Daniel Rickenmann at his desk. Serving his second term, Rickenmann has been a local political fixture for most of the 21st Century.
Mayor Daniel Rickenmann helped welcome us to the city.
Introducing the Apollo Dipper sub sandwich, with Swiss cheese melted over turkey and ham. It’s one of the most popular items at Groucho’s Deli, a popular eatery for USC students since 1941.
A delicious plate full of shrimp and grits, one of the signature dishes at the Blue Marlin – where Low Country aromas blend from a mix of African, West Indies and Caribbean flavors.
A delectable ribeye steak and potatoes, our choice of entrée at Cork & Cleaver Steakhouse in nearby Lexington.
The Heartbeat of the City
The campus blends into the city seamlessly. Downtown, the South Carolina State House has been the epicenter of the entire state since 1786 – indeed, since the nation’s earliest days.
The current State House is a relative newcomer, built in 1855. As the state’s future is decided indoors, pedestrians walk the trails winding around the building. Workers take a respite from the autumn heat on a shaded bench. Others arrive in business attire for meetings.
As night falls, the city comes to life again with groups of people walking the streets, heading to restaurants, shows and clubs. The numbers and vitality make Columbia feel much larger than its stated population. The mood is palpable in an area that bustles with young professionals and older generations alike.
We pop into the retail store Cocky Boutique, which provides the perfect game-day attire. A short walk away, we discover Mast General Store, a fixture since 1979. Here, you can find everything under the sun while seemingly going back in time.
A few blocks away, we visit City Hall to meet with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. He made his name as an entrepreneur. Now he’s trying to bring the same economic success to the Palmetto State’s hub city, while also focusing on environmental sustainability.
“We’re a city of 150,000 but swell to 200,000 during the week,” Rickenmann says. “Give a lot of the credit to a recession-proof economy. It’s a capital city and a university town with Fort Jackson nearby. As a result, we don’t have the pains of other communities.”
That stability is leading to a growth boom. Burgess sees that with businesses flooding the region. But perhaps Columbia’s greatest draw is the accessibility to everywhere. It’s a walkable city and easy to get around by automobile. But it’s also in the middle of the biggest swath of U.S. population, along the East Coast down to the Gulf Coast, all within a short flight.
“This is a great place to live,” Rickenmann says. “We find that when people experience Columbia, they want to keep coming back.”
