The famous Five Points – noisy, crowded, rowdy. Although Five Points is always an easy place to go to on a Friday or Saturday night, sometimes we need a detox from the bars. If Five Points isn’t really your scene, or dive bars are getting boring, here are a bunch of other fun, local things to do at night:
1. Go Bowling
Bowling is a fun, cheap way to spend time with your friends, and no, it wont be like that 25-person, fourth-grade bowling party where you drank too much soda and your BFF “stole” your bowling ball. Bowling alleys are often open late, have student discounts and also serve food. Bring a friend or a whole group for a few hours of ~friendly~ competition. Within two miles of USC, there are two AMF Park Lanes and another four alleys all within 10 miles.
2. Go to Plex HiWire
Sick of sitting around and watching TV? Grab a friend and go to HiWire! Only 20 minutes away in Irmo, this sports center includes a trampoline park and ice skating. Pay $14 for a one-hour jump pass, plus $2 for socks (which you can bring back and reuse) for an exhausting workout of jumping, flipping and climbing over obstacles and through foam pits. Katherine Arata, a student at USC, says “I like to go to HiWire because I can just jump around with my friends. By the end of the hour, we’re all so tired, but it’s a good workout.”
If a trampoline park isn’t your thing, check out the indoor ice-skating rink next door too!
Address: 1019 Broad Stone Rd, Irmo, SC 29063 and 741 Fashion Dr, Columbia, SC 29229
3. Have A Movie Night
Everyone needs a movie night occasionally, whether its on your couch or in the theater! For a low-key movie night, put on a face mask, open up a tub of cookie dough and start your favorite romcom with your roomies! Or if you are looking to leave your house, watch a movie with your friends in the theater. There’s a movie theater every few miles in Columbia, and most theaters offer student discounts. Pro tip: bring a snuggie with you so that you’re warm and comfy the whole movie!
4. Play Laser Tag
Yes, we’re college students, but no, we will never outgrow laser tag. For just $7, you can play laser tag until midnight on Friday or Saturday at Frankie’s Fun Park. Channel the dark atmosphere of Five Points into an epic glow-in-the-dark battle with your friends. Sophie Bennani, a freshman at USC, says that laser tag “is a great way to have fun with friends while also shooting them!”
Just make sure to get a big group so that its not you and your roomie versus a squad of 7-year-olds!
Address: 140 Parkridge Drive, Columbia, SC 29212
5. Go to the Zoo
Although the Riverbanks Zoo closes at dinnertime, it’s close to USC and only $15 for an unlimited amount of time to look at all the animals. Whether you come for the giraffes or the seals, the zoo is a big enough place for everyone to be entertained! Take a break in between classes, or spend a Saturday afternoon at Riverbanks Zoo.
Address: 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210
6. Try an Escape Room
In an escape room, people have to work together to solve some sort of crime in order to leave the room. Between two to 10 players choose a themed room, including espionage, an abandoned floor, wizarding or missing persons. Escape plans are a great way to bring the board game “Clue” to life with your friends. Tory Armstrong, a USC student says that “escape rooms are so fun, and the solution is always where you least expect it!”
Address: 151 Riverchase Way, Lexington, SC 29072
Know of any other great places? Comment below!