EdVenture
4.5(3.7K)google
3.6(103)yelp
EducationalFamilyIndoor
Overview
EdVenture is a premier, award-winning children's museum located in Columbia, celebrated as one of the largest and most innovative children's museums in the entire United States. The museum's most famous and breathtaking icon is Eddie, a colossal, 40-foot-tall plastic statue of a child that visitors can actually climb inside to explore a larger-than-life model of the human heart, stomach, and brain. With dozens of highly interactive hands-on exhibits focusing on career exploration, flight simulation, agricultural mechanics, and laboratory science, EdVenture provides an unparalleled educational playground that masterfully brings learning to life.
Practical Info
Mon9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun12:00 – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration2.5-4 hours
Best TimeYear-round, specifically Tuesday through Friday after 1:30 PM. As a premier children's museum, weekends and mornings are heavily crowded with toddlers and families; arriving in the afternoon allows children ample personal space and minimal wait times to explore and climb 'Eddie', the landmark giant kid statue.
Getting ThereLocated adjacent to the South Carolina State Museum. Take The COMET Bus Route 401 to the Gervais St & Gist St stop, then walk south for 2 minutes. For driving, follow I-126 East into downtown, turn right onto Gist Street just before the Gervais Street Bridge, and use the large shared free parking lot on the north side.
Travel Tips
- Enforcing uncompromising youth protection statutes, EdVenture strictly bars single adult entry without an accompanying child under 12 years of age. Concurrently, minors under 12 cannot explore galleries independent of direct, uninterrupted adult oversight.
- The central 40-foot giant child sculpture 'EDDIE' features steep, claustrophobic vertical mesh climbing tubes inside. Children and supervising adults climbing the internal skeleton must wear fully enclosed, rubber-soled athletic shoes; sandals and dresses are barred.
- The 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM window is frequently overwhelmed by regional elementary academy field trips, driving ambient noise and crowd density to max limits. Operating as an independent non-profit entity, it honors zero federal interagency or standard art museum reciprocal passes.
Reviews
Positive
- The massive 'Eddie' giant kid body exploration zone offers intense visual impact; scientific interactives are solid, making it live up to the hype.
- The venue space is massive and spacious with flat route planning; restrooms and benches are well-placed, and full accessibility is open.
- Educators are refined, knowledgeable, and professional, keeping queuing order well-regulated with tight security for a reassuring stay.
- The admission pass covers a dense volume of science and cultural archives enough to fill a day, offering incredible value for engineering-loving kids.
Heads up
- Being highly popular, weekend afternoons bring heavy overloads of school field trips, making interactives noisy and lines for devices very long.
- Located in prime downtown Columbia, its dedicated parking lot charges a pricey flat rate, and entry gates easily get clogged during peak hours.
- The general admission is limited; premium 4D theaters or hands-on science labs require separate secondary payment, lowering overall value.
- Because the venue has run for years, some older sections feel a bit dated, and a few electronic displays need hardware upgrades and repairs.