Since learning is taking place at home these days, today we’re bringing you a Throwback Thursday history lesson – Cola edition. We’ve pulled together some of our previous #TBT pieces to give you a look at our city through the years. So pour some coffee, grab a seat + take a break from your current Netflix binge to travel back through Columbia’s past.

The history of Main Street

As residents of the Capital City, we know that our city has lived through a lot of history… but just how much? Travel back to the ‘70s + check out the past lives of some of the familiar buildings on Main Street.

UofSC Homecoming through the decades

If you’re a Gamecock student, parent or alumni, this one’s for you. Homecoming is one of the most anticipated events of the school year + while the school spirit has remained, the festivities have definitely changed over the years.

Columbia’s most nostalgic restaurants

If you’re an OG SodaCitizen, test your memory on some of these staple restaurants that used to serve Cola’s foodie scene. #DYK that the first track on Hootie + the Blowfish’s album, “Cracked Rear View”, shares a name with one of Cola’s previous prominent restaurants? (Hint – it’s called Hannah Jane).

Cola’s lost landscapes

Urban renewal played a huge part in why Columbia’s culture + appearance is the way it is now. However, despite the exciting era of growth, the renewal also uprooted entire communities and pushed families out of the city. Learn more about the process of development in Cola + remember the communities that were displaced in the process.

Cola’s Cottontown neighborhood, then + now

Cottontown is one of Cola’s biggest up and coming neighborhoods, despite the fact that it has been around for a while. Get the inside scoop on what the neighborhood used to be like + how it’s gotten to where it is now.

The downfall of Heritage USA

Have you ever heard of Heritage USA? To sum it up in just a few words, it was a “Christian Disneyland” on the border of South + North Carolina. The giant theme park (complete with a water park, hotel, shopping mall + more) was the third most visited theme park in the world in the ‘80s – but eventually met its demise after its name was engulfed in scandal.