A jogger and her dog run across a bridge at the Columbia Riverfront Park in Columbia, S.C.
The Horseshoe is located on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. For years, South Carolina’s capital was known mainly to visitors as the seat of state government and the home of the University of South Carolina. But in recent years the area’s varied attractions have been marketed as part of tourism campaign that the area is “Famously Hot.”South Carolina’s most popular tourist destinations include Charleston’s Historic District and Myrtle Beach. But now its capital city Columbia is redoubling efforts to attract visitors as it markets itself as “Famously Hot.”
Columbia has been best-known for years simply as the seat of state government and home to the University of South Carolina, says Kim Jamieson, spokeswoman for the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism.
“We are trying to change that mindset that people have about Columbia,” Jamieson says. “It’s a challenge but it’s exciting to be able to change that perception.”
She says things began changing a few years ago. Today there’s a marketing approach promoting the region as “Famously Hot,” which Columbia summers certainly are, away from the state’s cool mountain regions and beach sea breezes.
“It is the new Southern hot spot and that is something we have carried through with our branding,” she says.