EdVenture: Columbia, SC Children’s Museum Visitor Guide

What We Love About EdVenture: A Quick Summary

Our daughter is just a little shy of two years old as I write this in July 2025.

I think I first decided to see how she would do at EdVenture sometime in the late Winter or early Spring of this year, not too long after she learned to walk, and we’ve taken her a number of other times over the last few months.

There is an under 3 only section that is nice, but Aaliyah has also really enjoyed a number of other areas in the museum too.

I also really think Edventure is a good size for a children’s museum.

It’s not so small that your kids will have done everything in an hour and you’ll feel like it wasn’t worth paying the price of admission or drive here.

However, it’s also not so big that you’ll feel like you need to spend most of a day here to get your money’s worth either.

Whether you’re visiting Columbia as a family or just a local looking for something fun to do with kids on a rainy or sweltering summer day, EdVenture is a terrific option.

It’s also right next to and shares a parking lot with the state museum, which you could easily combine for a full day of fun learning.

See my visitors guide to the South Carolina State Museum if you want to do that.

Read on for more details on EdVenture in Columbia, including ticket information, the different sections and exhibits, and what to expect on a visit.

EdVenture Areas and Exhibits

There are two floors of exhibits at EdVenture as well as two outside areas.

Don’t bother going to the third floor. I did that on my first visit, and it’s just meeting rooms.

Here, I’ll briefly go over what you can see at each exhibit.

First Floor

I’m doing this sort of in the order that I imagine going through the museum, but you can choose to go in any order you like.

Dalmation Station

As you walk in to the left after admission, you’ll find a fire truck. It lights up and kids can climb up stairs towards the back into part of it, including the drivers seat and pretend to drive it.

There are even some little firemen costumes, and there is a fire pole.

There are also some tips on fire safety here, and the truck lights up and stuff.

World of Work

This is a neat, and pretty large exhibit, split into three sections.

There’s a cool tractor kids can climb on and pretend to drive. There are also some examples of different kinds of crops in this section.

Next to it, part of the same farm, I guess you could say, is a model cow kids can pretend to milk as well as a hen with a nest where they can collect eggs.

There’s also a small restaurant kitchen and set of tables, where kids can pretend to be a chef, server, and patron at a restaurant.

Finally, in some great brand placement, there is a mini Publix supermarket where kids can pretend to shop and ring up their friends’ grocery hauls.

Aaliyah likes picking out her favorite fruits and vegetables here.

I haven’t heard her complain about inflation or gripe about the price of eggs yet, fortunately. It does sometimes provoke snack time though.

Mini-Public Library

Past the Publix, there is a mini Richland County Library.

There’s a good collection of books and a few bean bags here.

There’s also a small a collection of hand puppets and a mini hand puppet stage. This would make for great fun for slightly oder kids visiting as a family or friends group.

MedVenture

Around the corner, on the back right hand side of the first floor, you’ll find two medical related exhibits.

On one side, you’ll find a vet office, complete with lots of different stuffed animals kids can attend to and care for.

On the other, you’ll find exhibits on human health, including a hospital room and some exhibits on different parts of the human body.

Gift Shop

Back towards the exit, you’ll find the gift shop. It has pretty much what you’d expect at a children’s museum, lots of toys, including a lot that are more educational oriented.

To be honest, I actually don’t think the prices are horrible here, and you can find some unique things you won’t find at your average big box store toy section.

Garden Area

I feel like the garden probably gets overlooked by most kids, but it’s a nice little outdoor space.

There is a little fountain, and some examples of common plants, including things like vegetables here.

The Great Outdoors

This is the more popular outdoor area, located just to the left past the ticket desk before you go into the exhibit with the fire truck.

There’s quite a bit going on in this little patio area, including a station where you can mine for gems (I believe you have to purchase a pack of sand in the gift shop for this), a small Cesna prop plane kids can climb into, and a sort of mini lazy river fountain thing that kids can splash their hands in and play with floating ducks and boats.

There are also some mini bikes and trikes out here that kids can pedal and scoot around on.

I feel like it’s either been too hot or too cold or there have been too many bigger kids around for Aaliyah to really enjoy this area a whole lot so far, but she has splashed in the water a little and got a giggle out of it.

Second Floor

If you head up to the second floor at EdVenture, you’ll find several more exhibits.

My Backyard (the Under 3 Area)

On the left hand side of the second floor is an area restricted to children under 3 (and their parents!).

It’s a pretty large area with several things for toddlers.

There is a small area where I’ve seen some moms (I guess there aren’t many semi-stay at home blogger dads out there), have infants doing tummy time.

Personally, I’d be nervous about having an infant here with other kids playing around so closely, but there are some infant appropriate toys and plush shapes children that age can interact with.

There’s also a table with some puzzles.

There is a large pretend boat, complete with yellow rain coats and boots.

There is a tree with some stairs up to a sort of tree house and a slide down. There is also a little play area in the bottom half of the tree.

It’s a good space for toddlers for sure. I think this might have been Aaliyah’s first real experience going down a slide, and she loves it.

Oh, and there is a nice nursing room and diaper changing room here too. There is also a family restroom with a changing area by the bathrooms downstairs too.

Flight

On the other side of the second floor, you’ll find some exhibits on flight.

There is a little paper airplane creation station and launcher, that I imagine is good fun for slightly older kids.

There is also a (I think) real cockpit of a Boeing airliner.

This is one of my personal favorite parts of the museum, and kids can sit in the pilot seats and flip all sorts of switches and pretend they are flying the plane.

There is a big seating area for passengers behind it too.

Next to that, there is a large room with tables that I imagine must be used for groups. There is this cool series of tubes on the wall where you can put in little handkerchiefs and balls and watch them shoot out another end.

Aha Factory Maker Space

This is another one of my personal favorite parts of the museum.

There is a sort of workshop space, where I think they do crafts classes and events as well as some stations with things like legos.

However, there is large room with boards on the wall for magnet shapes, letters, and numbers as well as some little tables and chairs where kids can sit and play with number and letter puzzles.

When we’ve managed to get in here when there aren’t a lot of other bigger kids around, Aaliyah has really liked playing in this room.

Eddie

How could I forget Eddie!?

This giant child that is the museum’s mascot and sometimes leads to people calling this the Eddie Museum or Ed Museum, technically spans the first and second floors.

From the second floor, kids can climb up into the back of Eddie’s head, even into his brain cavity.

They can also access his stomach and heart via a series of playground style platform stairs. There is also a slide down to the first floor that starts somewhere. Stomach maybe?

Aaliyah is still a little too young to have done much here other than us just take a look at the entrance in the back, so I’ll have to update this once she can really get inside all the innards of Eddie.

In a nice touch, there are some exhibits on the organs kids can see inside Eddie along the walls outside that are accessible to kids who can’t or don’t want to climb into Eddie’s innards.

That covers more or less all the exhibits at EdVenture in Columbia.

Below, I’ll go over all the more boring, but important, logistical details of planning a visit.

EdVenture Columbia Visitor Information

Let’s go over all you need to know to plan your visit to Columbia’s EdVenture Children’s Museum.

Keep in mind, ticket prices, and hours and days of operation are subject to change as the museum operates on a longer schedule during the summer (info here is based on the currently published hours and prices in July 2025).

Please also keep in mind this is for the EdVenture in Columbia. For more info on the Myrtle Beach location and to confirm the info below, consult the museum’s website.

EdVenture’s Admission Policy

It’s worth pointing out that adults cannot visit EdVenture by themselves. They need a child chaperone.

To be honest, that’s a pretty sensible policy.

EdVenture Columbia Hours

• Monday-Saturday: 9 am to 5 pm
• Sunday: 12 noon to 5 pm

As noted above, these are expanded hours for the summer.

They don’t currently have a stipulated end date for those hours or what their normal hours are posted anywhere I can find online.

I’ll do my best to update, but you might want to verify on the museum’s website too.

Cost of Columbia EdVenture Tickets

Again, these prices are subject to change, but these are the Columbia Edventure ticket prices as of July 2025:

• Adults and Children Over 2: $13
• Children Under 2: Free

In a pleasant surprise, I learned my wife and I could get in free with my teacher ID, and Aaliyah is still free for a little bit longer too.

We also live really close, so, this has been a great (and totally free for us) activity we’ve been able to enjoy with Aaliyah quite a few times the last few months.

That teacher discount is good for all South Carolina teachers with their school ID.

EdVenture Membership Cost and Info

I imagine once Aaliyah turns two, we’ll at least consider buying a membership.

Much like with Riverbanks Zoo, if you go more than a handful of times a year, and, especially if you have multiple kids, the membership can be pretty cost effective.

There are three membership levels and prices below are the prices listed as July 2025:

• Basic: $149
  • This gets you unlimited entries to both EdVenture locations for 2 adults and all children in the household under 18 plus a 5% discount in the gift shop.
• Plus: $189
  • This gets you a 10% discount in the gift shop, 2 single use guest passes, and a bring a buddy pass. It’s not clear to me if that has to be a designated buddy, and it says non-caregiver, so maybe it has to be another child and can’t be an adult like a grandparent.
• Premier: $259
  • This gets you 6 guest passes plus a 20% discount in the gift shop in addition to the bring a buddy pass.

All membership levels get a 15% discount on birthday parties plus access to some members only events, discounts, and special extended hours.

Special Events at EdVenture

EdVenture can host special events such as birthday parties and field trips. You should consult their website for more info on that.

Parking

The parking lot here, shared with the state museum is pretty large and it is free to park.

It’s worth keeping in mind that you can only turn right into the parking lot heading down Gervais Street towards the river, and that you can only turn right back out onto Gervais due to a median with no good place to turn around until you cross the bridge.

If coming across the Gervais Street Bridge from Cayce and West Columbia, go past the museum and turn left on Huger Street. Then, hang the first left onto Washington Street to enter from the backside of the parking lot.

You can also exit here (go out via the far right side of the parking lot when facing the State Museum) and get out to Huger if you want to head up Gervais towards the Vista and the State House.

I’ve got no good idea why they don’t make this parking lot more accessible from the other direction!

Hotels Near EdVenture

Really any hotel in the Vista or Main Street district is pretty darn close to EdVenture.

Some good options close by are:

• The new Tru by Hilton Downtown, practically across the street
• Aloft Downtown Columbia, nearby in the Vista
• Cambria Downtown Columbia, also in the Vista
• Hotel Trundle, on Main Street
• Courtyard Columbia Downtown at USC

All of those are very close by and also offer easy access to the zoo, the State House, the Colonial Life Center, Williams Brice Stadium, the University of South Carolina, and all the restaurants and other things to do in the Vista and Main Street districts.

I am going to add the caveat that I wouldn’t make a decision based on being walking distance to EdVenture.

As someone who lives close by and has walked with Aaliyah here, I actually don’t recommend it. The intersection of Huger and Gervais is nerve wracking to cross with a child.

People often don’t look for pedestrians before turning left once they see there’s not oncoming traffic, and people in a rush often rush out into the crosswalk to turn right on red, again not looking out for pedestrians.

To be honest, I actually think pushing Aaliyah in the stroller makes me less nervous than having a child walking.

I’ve got no good idea why they don’t make this entire area more pedestrian friendly!

It’s a shame, because you have this potentially great district of restaurants, shops, and places like this that stretches from the State House that could be a nice walk if just a few of the roads were set up to be more pedestrian friendly.

Well, and drivers could pay more attention too!

Sorry, rant over.

When will you go to EdVenture?

I hope this post on EdVenture in Columbia, SC was helpful and informative for you to plan your own visit.

I hope you and your kid or kids have a wonderful time there too. I’d love to know what you thought and any tips you’d share for other parents in the comments below!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!