By Paige Hymson

Many visitors choose the fall to visit Columbia, the state capital and largest city in South Carolina, when days are cooler and outdoor attractions are plentiful.

The annual state fair is ranked as one of the top in the nation and football  - Southern style - are good reasons to plan a Columbia trip.

Located on the Congaree River and the juncture of the Saluda and Broad Rivers, the city includes waterfalls that in earlier times supplied power to the city’s textile mills, and a revitalized downtown district with renovated historic buildings. Finlay, Memorial and Grandby Parks offer green space, hiking trails, scenic water views, bridges, canoeing and fishing.

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Special autumn activities are available at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, a top zoo in the Southeast, that houses more than 2,000 animals in natural habitat exhibits along the Saluda River and has a 20,000 square foot aquarium. The 70-acre botanical garden, praised by HGTV as one of 20 great public gardens in America, includes themed gardens with more than 4,200 species of plants.

The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, the largest zoo in the Carolinas, features sea lions, koalas, giraffes and gorillas, along with themed gardens, and beautiful natural river views.

Want to try a family outdoor adventure? Attend September’s Family on Safari, an overnight camp for children and adults to explore the wilderness with activities and games. Travel around the world in less than a day visiting the World Wide Wonders. From the East coast to the West Coast, Australian outback to the Amazon basin, and to the African savanna and beyond, children learn about the many different animals that come from around the world.

October brings Boo at the Zoo, a chance for children to dress up and spend an evening with the scariest zoo animals. The annual “Spooktacular” attracts crowds to a nightmare of events, including the Haunted Carousel, Frankenstein’s Foam Zone, Mummy’s Eeky-Freaky DJ Dance Party, and a new Fun House Express.

South Carolina State Fair
Another popular family fall event in Columbia is South Carolina’s State Fair, scheduled for Oct. 9 through 19. The fairgrounds, across the street from Williams Brice Stadium, will feature top entertainers this year such as Sugarland, Rodney Atkins, and Josh Turner.

Fun exhibits and lots of food appeal to kids of all ages. Pick up candy apples, elephant ears, chicken tenders and corn dogs to munch while walking around the grounds, visiting exhibits.

Try the two-fer day on Oct. 18. Head out to the fair from 9 to 11 a.m. using your University of South Carolina home football game ticket for free admission and then attend the game against Louisiana State University in the evening.

Williams Brice Stadium
If it’s fall in Columbia, Saturdays feature bumper-to-bumper traffic headed to Williams Brice Stadium, home of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Coach Steve Spurrier, now in his fourth year, hopes to improve last year’s 6-6 record. Two big home games are on Sept. 13 when the Gamecocks meet number two Georgia and on Oct. 18 when USC takes on top-ranked Louisiana State.

On game days, Gamecock fans dressed in garnet and black head to the stadium for all-hours tailgating parties. Some visit the 22 “cockabooses” lining a railroad track outside the stadium decorated for upscale tailgating with amenities like big-screen televisions, mahogany cabinets and marble countertops, and comfortable seating. Many also visit Cocks Corner or Carolina Park to dance to the bands and watch the other football games on the televisions. Fans, ranked by ESPN as some of the most passionate in the nation, eagerly await the annual cross-state rivalry on Thanksgiving weekend when Gamecock fans travel north to Clemson University for the game that determines state football bragging rights.

Night life
And for the evenings, there is Five Points with its eclectic restaurants and bars for the college and young adult crowd. The Vista, located along Gervais Street, is another popular neighborhood for restaurants and entertainment. Here, a more mature, diverse crowd is able to dine, drink, socialize with friends and absorb musical entertainment on the side.