Home | South Carolina State Museum

South Carolina State Museum. Columbia, South Carolina, Museum, Attraction, Planetarium, Observatory, 4D Theater, Exhibitions

Visit

Plan Your Visit

Visit today and explore four floors of permanent and changing exhibitions, a digital dome planetarium, 4D interactive theater and an observatory.

Learn More

Pillars of Creation Image from James Webb Space Telescope Courtesy NASA

Planetarium

James Webb Space Telescope: The Story Unfolds

Featuring images visualized in brilliant 4K resolution, this special live planetarium experience explores the science behind the James Webb mission.

Learn More

Group of students in purple shirts stand with adult educator with giant shark jaw mounted on wall behind them.

Camps

Summer Camps

Learn More

Close up of the profiles of 3 women as the look up at the planetarium dome which displays colorful lights and lasers.

Event

Friday Night Laser Lights

Enjoy special shows featuring lasers choreographed to iconic music inside the museum’s 55ft digital dome BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Planetarium.

Learn More

Dad with son on his shoulders points at the antique Anderson Car on display with Mom and daughter nearby.

Support

Become a Member

Join the fun and save all year when you become a member of the State Museum!

Join Today

Museum Hours

The museum is closed today

South Carolina State Museum301 Gervais StreetColumbia, SC 29201

Get Directions

Plan Your Visit

MARS: One Thousand One

This visually beautiful show brings the reality of Mars exploration to audiences as they travel across our solar system to our neighboring planet on a daring voyage.

Buy Show Tickets

Astronaut sits wearing a white spacesuit with a red, dusty landscape visible behind them

State Museum members are invited to enjoy an exclusive evening at the museum featuring night-sky observing, a planetarium show, and more.

Suitable for All Ages

Wheelchair Accessible

Each month the museum hosts a special morning designed for families of children, teenagers, young adults and adults who would benefit from a quieter, sensory-friendly and disability-adapted experience.

ASL Interpretation

Assistive Listening Device

Captioning Available

Suitable for All Ages

Wheelchair Accessible

Enjoy special shows featuring lasers choreographed to iconic music inside the museum’s 55ft digital dome BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Planetarium.

Wheelchair Accessible

African-American baseball player stands against a wooden wall as he pulls on his gloves to prepare for his time at bat.

521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community

This exhibition highlights the story of the 521 All-Stars team of Rembert, SC, a Black baseball team with roots going back to the 1920s.

View the 521 All-Stars Exhibition

Field Trips for 2023-2024 School Year

Educators, now is the time to plan your State Museum field trip for 2023-2024! Enjoy a variety of standards based offerings that will bring learning to life for you students.

Learn More about Field Trips

Group of small students and two adults exits a white bus parked next to the South Carolina State Museum

Two hands in blue latex glove hold a whale tooth carved with a bird and images of ships and the sea

Collections

Explore Our Collections

The South Carolina State Museum houses a diverse collection of more than 1 million pieces of art, artifacts, fossils, specimen and more. The...

Learn More about Collections

Man in white shirt stands in front an open door with antique binoculars inside as he shows them off to a small group of adults.

Collections

Science and Technology

The museum's science and technology collection includes a very diverse range of objects, including: tools, cars, farm equipment, vintage televisions...

Learn More about Science and Technology