- Free-Times

Vino Garage, a locally-owned wine and beer shop along North Main Street, rolled out its first-ever food program the first weekend in May, a charcuterie program with a variety of meat and cheese options.

Lyricist and folk singer David Wilcox is from the Midwest, but calls the South home. "I never felt like it knew me, never felt like I belonged."

A new book about the lore of Hampton County's Murdaugh family, written by a former journalist at The State Newspaper, dives into the archives to find the family's 'insane foundation of crime.”

A roundup of the best spots to take your parents, with tailored recommendations for meeting their — and your — needs.

This year's Main Street Jazz Fest is free and open to the public. Several Grammy-winning artists are performing, but the festival caps off with a local headliner.

Crimson Screen Horror Fest, the state's only festival of its kind, kicks off this weekend in Columbia. Featured in the lineup is a Charleston filmmaker and an entire block of Christmas-themed slashers.

After 18 years of business, fast food and ice cream shop Zesto Chapin is closing its doors for good today due to staffing and cost hurdles.

Leaning on products from local farms, the team at Ratio is cultivating special summer menus that play with the tapas-style restaurant's theme. First up? A five-course fusion of Peruvian and SC cuisines.

Scene photography in Columbia is at an all-time high, so photographer and Free Times Contributing Editor Eden Prime pondered what it means to document meaningful spaces and experiences with their lens.

Some of the state's most historic restaurants and purveyors offer nationwide shipping for both shelf-stable and perishable goods — from coconut cake to pimento cheese.

Columbia has seen a sharp uptick in the number of indie booksellers opening storefronts in recent months. What's behind the trend?

"The University of South Carolina football team had a scrimmage. I wonder who won."

ColaEats, an initiative to address food insecurity in Columbia, made its official launch on Friday to provide funding for students without reliable food access over the summer.

On Saturday the South Carolina State Fairgrounds will host the 18th Annual Rosewood Crawfish Festival. The all-day event will feature live music, local art and thousands of pounds of Louisiana crawfish.

Members of local rock band George Fetner and The Strays are donning some tie-dyed tees and embodying the communal improvisation of the Grateful Dead on a new live-recorded tribute album.

A new partnership between the SC Philharmonic and the regional nonprofit Arts Capacity hopes to conduct symphonies and workshops at a Columbia prison, all in an effort to get inmates in tune with music, and the meaning it can offer.

Co-Owner Jody Kreush cites increased foot traffic — a result she credits to Cinnamon Roll Deli's appearances on the Food Network, People Magazine and ABC 25 — as one of her team's biggest drivers for expansion.

The Papa Tank Theatre for Inclusion, which offers arts programming for students of all abilities in Columbia, has officially been established as a nonprofit one year into its work to promote to arts for people with disabilities.

Across South Carolina, support of heirloom produce is growing almost as quickly as the crops themselves. But what is an heirloom product, and what makes them different?

Looking for something to do in Columbia this week? Check out our weekly to-do list.

Travis Tritt, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band and local favorite's Les Merry Chevaliers are all set for concerts in Columbia this May.

Alodia's in Lexington is closed after it failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in state tax liens. The closure comes less than a year after staff at the restaurant walked out over late pay.

Liberation is Lit, a specialty bookstore focused on diverse literature, is opening a Rosewood storefront using funds from a city nonprofit aimed at promoting artists and indie business owners.

Columnist Cassidy Spencer saw NiA Company's latest play, "Passover." It got her thinking about the 'Don't Tread on Me' flag that breezed past her one day in Five Points.

After beginning his career as a line cook at Motor Supply Company Bistro, Thomas Hardenbergh is set to return to the same kitchen — this time, as the restaurant's executive chef. The seasoned chef plans to revamp the menu, too.

A new exhibit at Mike Brown Contemporary uses several mediums to explore the impact of the past on the future, all through the lens of the Black experience.

The Jasper Project is launching ONE BOOK, a summerlong book club aimed at getting all of Columbia to read something together. This year's selection is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel set on the Congaree River.

University of South Carolina professor Claire Jiménez's debut novel, "What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez," is a brief, nail-biting trip through three womens' lives as they try and track down the sister they lost years before.

"Ok, I get it, Lexington County, you want to curb growth so services and infrastructure can catch up. Legitimate. But, you say you want to maintain your "character and rural feel". I call BS on that."

Scenes from the bar's last three months in its original location, captured in still images from local photographer Sean Rayford, will be published in an upcoming book. A release party is planned for April 27 at New Brookland Tavern.

Looking for something to do in Columbia this week? Check out our weekly to-do list.

An artisan cafe and specialty market in Columbia is adding a second location across the river.

Chris Lane is known as a writer of love songs that skyrocket to the top of the country charts, but his latest project is all about the break-up song. Catch up on his new era ahead of Lane's Columbia show.

The festival will feature 12 events, including an Asian Night Market, a picnic at a historic downtown home and collaborative dinners pairing up some of Columbia's favorite chefs.

A monthly concert series on Elmwood Avenue harkens back to the politically charged community that formed at The UFO, a coffeehouse that catered to progressives and former GIs in the 1960s and '70s.

Woody Windham, a beloved radio host who spent decades as a disc jockey synonymous with laid-back tunes and shag dancing, has died. He was 83.

USC women's basketball coach Dawn Staley took to Twitter Wednesday to thank megastar Beyonce Knowles-Carter for a congratulatory gift and note.

"Congrats to Dawn Staley. She's the queen of the South. Her team and herself should do something with Megan Thee Stallion. For themselves. I think it's a perfect fit."

Fans can meet the country music star when he brings his North American tour "Quittin' Time" for his upcoming two-night performance in Greenville.

SNL alum Pete Davidson is adding Columbia to his summer stand-up tour.

A partnership from the city will convert a former police substation off Main Street into studios, and artists hope the move will propel Columbia toward the next level of arts recognition. 'We're on the brink of coming out.'

In what some students have called 'the coolest room on campus,' USC has made use of its newly opened beverage lab this semester. The space allows students to have hands-on learning for crafting cocktails, brewing beer and tasting coffee.

Looking for something to do in Columbia this week? Check out our weekly to-do list.

On April 19, Taylor Swift releases her new album, "The Tortured Poets Department." And in Greenville, there will be events, parties and plenty of Swifties celebrating.

Midlands' native Tiffany Spradley's "Sunday in South Carolina" TikTok account has garnered more than 200,000 followers and millions of likes. Her secret to success? After-church dinners with her family in Gaston, and traditional Southern cooking.

Columnist Cassidy Spencer writes about how the local indie film, "Hero," is a vital lifeline for actors, writers and aspiring filmmakers looking to create movie magic in Columbia.

A handful of Five Points businesses are partnering to give out free tickets to shows at New Brookland Tavern, all in an effort to get Columbia concertgoers to step outside their musical comfort zones.

A USC class is putting together a Taylor Swift-themed party at Tin Roof, all in the name of a good cause.

The Soda City Pride Business Network is a new group offering networking and support to LGBT+ entrepreneurs and businesses in Columbia, for both business and identity-based concerns.

"Stop using USC as an excuse for harassing the homeless. I promise you the USC students have a life. They don't give a rip about homeless people."